littlewishling's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this! I already loved the twins and this just amplified that love. Nijkamp did a wonderful job traversing the Critical Role world whilst still making it there own.
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and Death
bashsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love this peak into the twins' past! As someone who watched all of the Vox Machina campaign and became obsessed with Vax & Vex, I had been wanting to read this since it was first announced. I FINALLY got around to it, and I wish I'd listened to it sooner (as an aside: listen to the audiobook -Liam & Laura voice Vax & Vex). The story was so complex and well-paced; I loved how the twins ended up on opposite sides of the conflict, and how nuanced the motivations of all these new characters were. I also loved seeing their famed brush with the Clasp, and the glimpses into their life in Syngorn. I had many headcanons about especially the latter period of their life that were more or less confirmed, which really felt validating from a character analysis and interpretation perspective.
Also, it was so good of them to #letvaxbeabidiaster. I fucking love Thorn.
Also, it was so good of them to #letvaxbeabidiaster. I fucking love Thorn.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Grief, Medical content, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Racism, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Animal cruelty
-Racism is of the fantasy variety (elf supremacy).droggelbecher42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book so much.
I cried, I got incredibly angry, I laughed and smiled.
Some of my favourite things about it (no spoilers):
- incredibly organic sibling dynamic, both full of bickering and true care
- the audiobooks narration by Robbie Daymond with voices from Laura & Liam
-> incredibly immersive, I forgot that an adorable little girl was in fact also spoken by him
-> the twins voices, as a fan of campaign 1 I just missed their in character voices, but even without that aspect it just added to the immersion
- complex issues and characters
-> I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a issue that is portrayed in a very unique way, giving equal times to both sides of the story.
- flashbacks!
-> They were well timed and made me appreciate the characters more, while also givivng more perspective to their flaws
- lgbtq+ representation
Tl;dr:
Good book, beautifully told story, not only for fans of campaign 1 & critical role, but also for fans of fantasy stories, intrigue and family dynamics
I cried, I got incredibly angry, I laughed and smiled.
Some of my favourite things about it (no spoilers):
- incredibly organic sibling dynamic, both full of bickering and true care
- the audiobooks narration by Robbie Daymond with voices from Laura & Liam
-> incredibly immersive, I forgot that an adorable little girl was in fact also spoken by him
-> the twins voices, as a fan of campaign 1 I just missed their in character voices, but even without that aspect it just added to the immersion
- complex issues and characters
-> I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a issue that is portrayed in a very unique way, giving equal times to both sides of the story.
- flashbacks!
-> They were well timed and made me appreciate the characters more, while also givivng more perspective to their flaws
- lgbtq+ representation
Tl;dr:
Good book, beautifully told story, not only for fans of campaign 1 & critical role, but also for fans of fantasy stories, intrigue and family dynamics
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Bullying, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Slavery
Includes some themes of terrible family dynamics, trust issues and feeling worthless
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