emi_momo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bookichor's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
3.5
A mixed bag. Some really good stories, some not so much. I really disliked the first one, why was it chosen as the opener??
andreayoung's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
stultissimus's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
hannah_tang's review against another edition
5.0
I'd probably rate anything Dragon Age 5 star but I did genuinely enjoy all the cameos.
Last story was hype ✨
Last story was hype ✨
druidcraft's review against another edition
5.0
This just made me even more excited for DA4 which I didn’t think was possible but, here we are.
juliaw's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dragon_cryptid's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
autumnalfaeriequeen's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
revbeckett's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun anthology to read—a collection of novellas adding more flavour to the lore after the events of the video game, Dragon Age: Inquisition. As the title suggests, most of the tales take place in or neighbouring the somewhat enigmatic kingdom of the Tevinter Imperium, the only region in all of Thedas where slavery is legal, where mages are free, and also an area DA fans still have yet to explore in the gaming franchise. From the Qunari, to Mortalitasi necromancers, to Grey Wardens, familiar characters, and even some NPCs from the game taking on vital roles, the novellas are filled with stories of demons, strange darkspawn, and unheard of monsters.
In most of the stories, the pacing of the narratives are a bit jarring. A lot of times I found myself thinking, “Wait, what just happened?” and had to reread what I just read because I’m not sure who did what, who’s talking, or how they suddenly got into a new room or another area. I understand that short stories do need to pace a lot faster than novels, but I’ve read plenty of short stories where I was never confused about what was happening. I would’ve been fine if I only experienced this in one of the stories, but it happened more than once. There’s also weird spelling errors besides the occasional typo, for example, when Myrna is introduced but then she’s called “Myra” immediately after before returning to the correct spelling. It happens again with a few other characters. And in the story “The Horror of Hormak,” the place is spelled differently throughout as “Hormok.” In the latter case, there can be legitimate reasons for spelling differences based on etymology in a given culture, but no reason is given so it’s most likely oversight on the part of the editors. It just seems like there was lazy editing when it had four editors. But it’s still one of my favourite stories in the book.
Each story is nicely ambiguous about certain characters and events from the game so as not to contradict specific choices you’ve made in the game. My favourite thing about this anthology though is reading about normal people in the DA world reacting to the major events of the game. It makes the fantasy seem more real, the NPCs as people with feelings and goals instead of mindless programmes, and the main events actually impactful in the world of Thedas. It was fun to read and it has me excited for the next instalment in the franchise: Dread Wolf.
My true rating is 4.5 stars.
In most of the stories, the pacing of the narratives are a bit jarring. A lot of times I found myself thinking, “Wait, what just happened?” and had to reread what I just read because I’m not sure who did what, who’s talking, or how they suddenly got into a new room or another area. I understand that short stories do need to pace a lot faster than novels, but I’ve read plenty of short stories where I was never confused about what was happening. I would’ve been fine if I only experienced this in one of the stories, but it happened more than once. There’s also weird spelling errors besides the occasional typo, for example, when Myrna is introduced but then she’s called “Myra” immediately after before returning to the correct spelling. It happens again with a few other characters. And in the story “The Horror of Hormak,” the place is spelled differently throughout as “Hormok.” In the latter case, there can be legitimate reasons for spelling differences based on etymology in a given culture, but no reason is given so it’s most likely oversight on the part of the editors. It just seems like there was lazy editing when it had four editors. But it’s still one of my favourite stories in the book.
Each story is nicely ambiguous about certain characters and events from the game so as not to contradict specific choices you’ve made in the game. My favourite thing about this anthology though is reading about normal people in the DA world reacting to the major events of the game. It makes the fantasy seem more real, the NPCs as people with feelings and goals instead of mindless programmes, and the main events actually impactful in the world of Thedas. It was fun to read and it has me excited for the next instalment in the franchise: Dread Wolf.
My true rating is 4.5 stars.