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3.08 AVERAGE
3.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
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EDIT: Unfortunately, time hasn’t been kind to how I feel about this book. I think the issue is that I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, but I just can’t get over the deadnaming of our trans character & the really unnecessary over sexualisation of, like, everything in this book despite this being a negative stereotype. The characters, now that it’s been a while, are pretty forgettable. It probably doesn’t help that this was one of the first books that I reviewed and so didn’t know how I would rate books going forwards.
Dropping my rating to 2 stars to reflect this.
—
EDIT: Unfortunately, time hasn’t been kind to how I feel about this book. I think the issue is that I wanted to like it a lot more than I did, but I just can’t get over the deadnaming of our trans character & the really unnecessary over sexualisation of, like, everything in this book despite this being a negative stereotype. The characters, now that it’s been a while, are pretty forgettable. It probably doesn’t help that this was one of the first books that I reviewed and so didn’t know how I would rate books going forwards.
Dropping my rating to 2 stars to reflect this.
—
Overall, as both a member of the LGBTQ community and an avid D&D player, I found this book to be a pretty enjoyable experience. The cast were diverse and appealing and naturally, as I fit pretty nicely into similar boxes to the cast myself, I found some things they did pretty relatable - especially Ben giving his character a big, long, convoluted backstory!
That being said I would like to know what edition of Dungeons and Dragons the author plays and how much WoTC and their copyrights affected how the gameplay was written, because while it was a lot of fun, the written gameplay sections didn’t read like any D&D game I’ve ever played - for example, while I know that it needed to happen for plot progression, a single nat20 probably wouldn’t realistically lead to the action that spurs the player’s quest in 5e, which is the only edition I’ve ever played. Perhaps I’m too into D&D personally and this is therefore more of a personal problem for me, but I found it a little jarring and it took me out of the story a little.
I’m also a little concerned about the use of Celeste’s deadname early on in the novel - to me, it was clear that Celeste is a trans woman the moment it was established that Ben has known her since “before her transition”, and it wasn’t necessary (and could be considered pretty harmful) to then bring up her deadname. It concerns me that this could alienate a potential trans audience, especially as Celeste is treated in a positive and respectful light in every other instance in the novel.
I’d also like the mention that, even though no actual, on page sex occurs, there are a lot of sexual scenarios and jokes etc. both in the D&D games and in other out-of-game scenes (say, the concert). I have mixed feelings about this, because as fun as some of it was, a lot of people overly sexualise both queer people and queer spaces, so it would have been nice to show the club as a place where queer people can gather in an entirely nonsexual scenario.
That being said? The Cod & Piece is the best name for a tavern/gay bar I have ever heard and I’m still laughing about it now.
3.5/5 Stars
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was wonderfully written and incredibly descriptive! It had a story within a story and I didn't want either of them to end. Seeing characters who were so human and so relateable going through their everyday lives was so enjoyable. Its just a lovely, lighthearted read that really made me smile.
I hope that Doug Henderson writes more of these, because I will happily sit down to read more stories about Valerie, Celeste, Mooneyham, Huey, Ben and Alfred exploring the depths of Dungeons and Dragons, and seeing how they grow and mature as people.