A review by vermidian
Hard in Hightown by Varric Tethras

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Honestly, this is a cute high fantasy noir novel with cameos that aren't quite cameos of some of your favorite companions. They say good authors write from what they know, and boy did Varric ever write from WHO he knew too. I was actually surprised that more people didn't make cameos. Also I absolutely see what people mean about people shipping Varric and Cassandra, considering Marielle is a more feminine stand in for Cassandra and he spends a whole lot of time making her out to be a total babe who smells good. I'm not saying I ship it particularly, but I see why one would.

I would love an audiobook read by Varric's voice actor, Brian Bloom. Alas, there's only a promotional clip of a short section being read.

Ultimately, I think it was fun, but it's nothing super groundbreaking.