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jenny_librarian's reviews
1136 reviews
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett by Marisha Ray, Mae Catt, Matthew Mercer
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
3.0
I was hoping for some Cobalt Soul stuff, but this was solely centred on the relationship Beau had with her dad. A bit of a one note comics compared to the others.
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Mollymauk Tealeaf by Jody Houser, Taliesin Jaffe, Matthew Mercer, Hunter Severn Bonyun
informative
fast-paced
4.0
I love Molly! The story itself felt a little lacklustre, probably because there’s just so much to say about him that you can’t really do so in a 50-something pages comics.
The art was truly to the level of the character though. The tarot cards were awesome! Makes me wonder if they look anything like the actual tarot deck CR created.
The art was truly to the level of the character though. The tarot cards were awesome! Makes me wonder if they look anything like the actual tarot deck CR created.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Blood
Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
Even in a slump this was everything I could’ve hoped for.
And that ending. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is such a cruel place to stop!
On the bright side, we finally got our dyad together 😌 and I absolutely love Cair and Xylan’s disastrous relationship.
And that ending. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is such a cruel place to stop!
On the bright side, we finally got our dyad together 😌 and I absolutely love Cair and Xylan’s disastrous relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gore
Exquisite Exandria: The Official Cookbook of Critical Role by Susan Vu, Critical Role, Jesse Szewczyk, Amanda Yee, Liz Marsham
3.0
While visually pleasing and full of fun anecdotes about the world and characters of Exandria, this is ultimately a great cookbook only if you're a seasoned chef or have a LOT of time to spend in the kitchen. And by that I mean that most of these recipes are overly complicated and take hours to make.
The illustrations and photographs are beautiful. The introduction to the different continents of Exandria are full of Easter eggs from the various Critical Role campaigns, as is the info under the recipe titles. It's a fun book to browse and reminisce the adventures of all three groups.
Unfortunately, I don't see myself making any of these dishes. Partly because very few are vegetarians (and even those plucked from campaign 2 rarely have a vegetarian option, which is weird considering Caduceus doesn't eat meat...), and partly because they are way too complicated. The recipes themselves are not accessible and often use ingredients that you will have to buy solely for that one thing.
I tried the Estheros cookies when CR first announced the cookbook and put two recipes on their website for free. They were fine but not anything incredible compared to regular holiday cookies. Except for the aesthetic, I don't see the use of purchasing this. Get it from your local library, read the cool info about the different parts of Exandria, try a recipe or two if you feel like it, then bring it back and you will have saved enough money for a much easier and quicker meal to cook.
The illustrations and photographs are beautiful. The introduction to the different continents of Exandria are full of Easter eggs from the various Critical Role campaigns, as is the info under the recipe titles. It's a fun book to browse and reminisce the adventures of all three groups.
Unfortunately, I don't see myself making any of these dishes. Partly because very few are vegetarians (and even those plucked from campaign 2 rarely have a vegetarian option, which is weird considering Caduceus doesn't eat meat...), and partly because they are way too complicated. The recipes themselves are not accessible and often use ingredients that you will have to buy solely for that one thing.
I tried the Estheros cookies when CR first announced the cookbook and put two recipes on their website for free. They were fine but not anything incredible compared to regular holiday cookies. Except for the aesthetic, I don't see the use of purchasing this. Get it from your local library, read the cool info about the different parts of Exandria, try a recipe or two if you feel like it, then bring it back and you will have saved enough money for a much easier and quicker meal to cook.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland
4.0
I was in a slump so I probably didn’t enjoy this as much as I could’ve. It wasn’t bad (I don’t think Justina Ireland could ever write a bad book), but I wasn’t as engaged in it as in previous YA books. However I did appreciate the new blight and the conflict surrounding Elzar’s actions on Starlight. It’s making me even more excited to read Temptation of the Force!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Slavery, and Murder
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Fjord Stone by Kevin Burke, Chris "Doc" Wyatt, Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Interesting that this is the only issue that begins and ends in the middle of the campaign, with the origins story set as a flashback for the length of the comics.
I’m not a big fan of pirates and ships, but I love Fjord. This version felt a little detached from what I remember of the character, though. Might just be the rushed storytelling.
Not bad, but I wouldn’t have given it 4 stars if Fjord wasn’t already one of my favourite characters.
I’m not a big fan of pirates and ships, but I love Fjord. This version felt a little detached from what I remember of the character, though. Might just be the rushed storytelling.
Not bad, but I wouldn’t have given it 4 stars if Fjord wasn’t already one of my favourite characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Jester Lavorre by Sam Maggs
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast by Liam O'Brien, Jody Houser, Matthew Mercer
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
I knew this was going to be the hardest one to read. Caleb’s backstory is the most traumatizing out of the MN crew.
So far this is the one MN Origins book that felt the most like a comics to me. Caduceus was soft and pastel-like, and Nott’s was very earthy in its design. But from the beginning this is truly a comics format. Not a bad thing, just a little less artistic than the other two I’ve read.
I’m glad they chose to display the emotions rather than the acts. Even without showing the violence, you can feel the brutality in Bren’s education. It was hard to read, just as I expected it would be.
Loved the way they portrayed the polycule. It felt as if Bren, Astrid and Eadwulf were as much comforting each other as they were a throuple. I’m happy we got to see them really be together. And it gave that much more depth to that moment when Bren turned on them.
The house burning was horrific, but put in perspective it’s not worse than what we are shown of Bren’s « education » at the hand of Trent 🤢 and I think this comics did a better job showing his trauma than the campaign did.
So far this is the one MN Origins book that felt the most like a comics to me. Caduceus was soft and pastel-like, and Nott’s was very earthy in its design. But from the beginning this is truly a comics format. Not a bad thing, just a little less artistic than the other two I’ve read.
I’m glad they chose to display the emotions rather than the acts. Even without showing the violence, you can feel the brutality in Bren’s education. It was hard to read, just as I expected it would be.
Loved the way they portrayed the polycule. It felt as if Bren, Astrid and Eadwulf were as much comforting each other as they were a throuple. I’m happy we got to see them really be together. And it gave that much more depth to that moment when Bren turned on them.
The house burning was horrific, but put in perspective it’s not worse than what we are shown of Bren’s « education » at the hand of Trent 🤢 and I think this comics did a better job showing his trauma than the campaign did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Nott the Brave by Sam Maggs, Sam Riegel, Matthew Mercer
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Violence