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eneenthralled 's review for:
Tusk Love
by Thea Guanzon, Critical Role
Being dealt a bad hand doesn’t mean you have to strike back in response.
I'm going to be brutally honest here in the fact that I did not intend on reading this book. I didn't vibe with the cover; the story was interesting but not enough. It was just something I didn't think I'd enjoy. A book club decided it would be our book of the month, however, so I suppose I picked it up. That's when I found out the connection with Critical Role and campaign 2 (I hadn't realized someone decided to actually bring it to life). So I figured, okay, sure, why not.
As a fan of Critical Role, I will say that a lot of the world-building felt like fanservice. I knew going in that it was set in-universe Exandria, but I'd still be tickled when I saw places and lore (like the gods) I recognized. But that's as much as the connection goes; you are free to read this without knowing anything about the lore or having watched any of the games.
Now from an objective viewpoint, because I really didn't want to influence my enjoyment of the book due to its connection to Critical Role. While, as a fan, I enjoyed the world-building—I will say there were moments of it where I felt some descriptors were unnecessary. I could hear the words with Matt's voice, but as a general reader—while I do enjoy rich world-building—I didn't feel it this time. I will say it was done well, though.
That's probably more my nitpick about this, aside from also maybe the fact that I had immediately forgotten what the ending was while recounting the book's event to a friend minutes after my finishing it. An ending, in my opinion, is supposed to leave a part of itself in your soul. It felt rushed compared to the last 20-ish% of the book, where the entire tone kind of shifted from where the whole book was going. I don't think I know what the main antagonist's purpose was by the end of it. I just wanted more for a conclusion, I guess.
I won't deny this is a good cozy read; it helped with me needing to calm down a bit, as my last two reads were really plot- and emotion-heavy. I understand the love; I understand the hype. I don't love it, but it's a wonderful book.
I'm going to be brutally honest here in the fact that I did not intend on reading this book. I didn't vibe with the cover; the story was interesting but not enough. It was just something I didn't think I'd enjoy. A book club decided it would be our book of the month, however, so I suppose I picked it up. That's when I found out the connection with Critical Role and campaign 2 (I hadn't realized someone decided to actually bring it to life). So I figured, okay, sure, why not.
As a fan of Critical Role, I will say that a lot of the world-building felt like fanservice. I knew going in that it was set in-universe Exandria, but I'd still be tickled when I saw places and lore (like the gods) I recognized. But that's as much as the connection goes; you are free to read this without knowing anything about the lore or having watched any of the games.
Now from an objective viewpoint, because I really didn't want to influence my enjoyment of the book due to its connection to Critical Role. While, as a fan, I enjoyed the world-building—I will say there were moments of it where I felt some descriptors were unnecessary. I could hear the words with Matt's voice, but as a general reader—while I do enjoy rich world-building—I didn't feel it this time. I will say it was done well, though.
That's probably more my nitpick about this, aside from also maybe the fact that I had immediately forgotten what the ending was while recounting the book's event to a friend minutes after my finishing it. An ending, in my opinion, is supposed to leave a part of itself in your soul. It felt rushed compared to the last 20-ish% of the book, where the entire tone kind of shifted from where the whole book was going. I don't think I know what the main antagonist's purpose was by the end of it. I just wanted more for a conclusion, I guess.
I won't deny this is a good cozy read; it helped with me needing to calm down a bit, as my last two reads were really plot- and emotion-heavy. I understand the love; I understand the hype. I don't love it, but it's a wonderful book.