Dreadful | 
pickThis one gave me Starter Villain by John Scalzi vibes! When Gav wakes up in a tower with a magic mirror on the wall, he realizes he's an evil magician who has lost his memory. He doesn't really want to be evil anymore; unfortunately, he's been forced to collaborate in a spell by an even eviler magician. So now he has to plan to free a princess and deal with the other magicians, all while hiding his lack of memory from the castle staff.
pickThis was quite a fun read, full of sly humour and wit, with a tongue-in-cheek look at the tropes of classic fantasy. Gav, our hapless MMC, is struggling to find himself — literally and figuratively — and making a mess as he does so. A rumination on good, evil, and how one finds redemption when they‘re looking for it keeps the story from being entirely frivolous. A highly engaging and entertaining cast filled out the book really nicely.
pickAudiobooks 3-6 for #hauntedshelf :
I enjoyed them all except The Horoscope Writer. Tagged was a nice palate cleanser fantasy satire told from the pov of a reluctant dark wizard. However I enjoyed the claustrophobic space-spelunking horror vibes from The Luminous Dead and the confirmation I got from How to Sell a Haunted House that puppets are indeed more creepy than dolls, and I'm ready for more spine-tingles for the week ahead! #flerken
This is so fun! Exactly what I wanted. Discworld vibes (maybe, kinda, sorta… ) If you like books that are fantastical and the characters aren‘t all human this will be up your alley.
pickLove when you find a book that hits every box … when a villain becomes not quite a villain and manages to keep it quiet… contains great commentary and characters… this made me laugh and feel like it was just what the Doctor ordered… loved the characters even the goblins… I can‘t wait to see what‘s next for this author
pickThis book was cute and funny and just what I needed to counteract some of the more intense material I am reading at the moment. It reminded me of watching cartoons like Despicable Me as an adult. I recommend it for those who like fantasy and need a silly escape.
pickThis was a fun read! I loved the characters and the way the author poked fun at overused tropes in fantasy. The protagonist was very sympathetic, so I‘d say the author did a great job of making me feel like Gav was a completely different person than his former self. I love what she did with the goblins and they‘re included in some of my favorite scenes. All in all, an entertaining read about redemption and veering from the expectations of others.
“He wasn‘t a hero. And he‘d failed again. But that didn‘t mean he couldn‘t keep trying. So he could look himself in the eye, even if no one else would.”
pickI loved the premise of this book and I really enjoyed reading it but I did think it was going to be a little bit funnier.
Orla in the kitchen is both an absolute delight and complete menace - long may she devise the castle menu!
Next up, some much needed fiction…
so-soImagine coming to in a strange place with partial amnesia then realizing you‘re a dark lord. Such a great premise, but for much of this I felt like something was missing and it was falling a bit flat. The second half picked up a bit, but by the end I was fairly checked out.
pickOnce I started reading this, it was hard to stop. The protagonist wakes up with no memories or eyebrows. And he seems to be an evil wizard with a princess locked in his castle. It's fun to see him evolve and try to extricate himself from this giant mess.
#Aardvark @AardvarkBookClub
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
so-so⭐️⭐️⭐️
I appreciated the concept, creativity, and characters of this cozy fantasy farce. For a book that I thought was going to be really fun, though, I was surprised to feel a little like I was just “pushing through” to finish it. I would have liked if this had more depth and better pacing. I do love the cover. #Aardvark #AardvarkBookClub
I've been doing a lot of spinning lately. The first 20 minutes in the ride I read during my warm-up, and then I die, I mean crush it, for the next hour.
Now im only a few chapters in on Dreadful, and I have laughed a few times now. Oh Gav, you sweet no memory Dark Lord 😂😂
pickThis one‘s a great entry into the cozy fantasy subgenre! It‘s fundamentally a comedy of well-intentioned errors, but it also asks enough deeper questions to keep readers engaged.
Last night was not a great night at work, so I treated myself to a bookstore visit today! 💕📚
There's a local Republican group that rents a library room every month. They're always problematic, but last night was especially bad - they wouldn't leave when they were supposed to, didn't clean up after themselves, and were super condescending to staff!
But I'm cheered up now, because books make everything better! 🤭 Isn't that amazing? 🩷📖
A sharp-witted, debut high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, evil wizards and a garlic festival – all at once. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, K. J. Parker and Travis Baldree.
Grab your copy today! ❤️
#aardvarkbookclub #dreadful #fantasy
Treating myself with my #Aardvark #AardvarkBookClub box this month!!
I already read “This Summer Will Be Different” and thought it was great! 😊
pickIf cozy fantasies are your thing, you‘ll likely enjoy this story about a dark wizard waking up with no eyebrows and no memories of his dark deeds—or the nefarious plot he is caught up in with a trio of other dark wizards—as much as I did. Goblins, a princess who is more than she seems, a talking rooster, a garlic festival, and the realization that maybe losing the memories of what made you so dark and evil is for the best make this a winning book.
Could I go to the bookstore, see this cover and resist buying the book? 😂😂😂 No, no I could not. In fairness, I DID read the description on the back and was intrigued after learning the story begins with the main character waking up “…in a half-destroyed evil wizard‘s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories…”
My best read of April was also my first read of April.
readingbracket2024 #bookbracket2024 @CSeydel
pick5/5
When Gav wakes up surrounded by fire in a dark wizard's lair, he panics. When Gav realizes that he is the dark wizard, he panics more. Now Gav's got to figure his way through this situation with a castle full of goblins, a princess in his dungeon, and no memories of who he is.
This was an incredibly fun read. Gav is a fantastic character grappling with what it means to be someone who was evil but is now trying to be something a little better
