Reviews

Path to Villainy: An NPC Kobold's Tale by S.L. Rowland

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jleeanderson's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyable read I liked how the story didn't say away from witt being an actual villain instead of just a disenfranchised person trying to fight the power he genuinely starts to think in terms of power and sacrifice which I think made the book less predictable and a cooler concept

avispa_nightriver's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

3.25

aingealwroth's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

1.25

1.25*
Unsure where a lot of the reviews are coming from with their "fun" comments, but either they enjoy carnage or... idk. But between the reviews and the synopsis, this one does suffer a little from a "not what I was expecting" aspect.

This is incredibly dark and twisted, being a story more of someone getting pushed so far that they suffer a psychotic break instead of a true villain arc. For what it is, it's really good.

Unfortunately, it sinks itself even further for me by having a "femme character must be killed for plot reasons" and ingloriously with Mind Control, to boot. Which is why it's such a low star rating for me.

Content Warnings

tifftastic87's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

The writing style was ok, the characters were consistent and the plot was actually pretty solid. Kind of a fun little adventure in a lit RPG style, if you like Dungeons and Dragons you might get a chuckle out of it.

littleladylioness's review against another edition

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4.0

As a casual gamer myself I really enjoyed this one. People/players can be so toxic, especially online and with NPCs where it doesnt "really" matter. This kind of made me think about how AI might be used in games to create characters who could learn and remember in the games.
Even on his path to Villany, Witt remains a lovable character, sure he makes some questionable decisions, but his heart is generally in the right place. I enjoyed some of the side characters, though in such a short novel they were very surface level characters.
Overall a very fun and unique little adventure story :)