“He woke up with no eyebrows and no idea how he’d gotten into such a position.”
Caitlin Rozakis, Dreadful, First Line
- Author: Caitlin Rozakis
- Genre: Fantasy, Humor, Cozy?
- Spice: No spice at all
- Trigger Warnings: No Trigger Warnings listed but there is an insinuation of torture and more gruesome acts.
- Pages: 344
- Published: May 28th, 2024
- Publisher: Titan Books
- Series: Not a series, standalone novel
- Goodreads Rating: 3.68
- StoryGraph Rating: 3.76
So last week I finished a book about a girl who goes from hero to villain. This week, it’s the exact opposite. The book starts with us being introduced to a very confused wizard, fire, a lack of eyebrows, and some amnesia. Gazrak has apparently done something that has resulted in his memories being completely wiped (along with aforementioned eyebrows) and now he has to sort out who he is and what he wants to do about the fact that he obviously has some sort of nefarious plans with a few other Dark Lords and a princess trapped in a cell in his castle.
“Dark Wizards come and go,” said Terwyn.
Caitlin Rozakis, Dreadful
“Rodents are forever,” finished Orla.
So this is an interesting book. It’s obviously meant to be humorous and for the most part I found it amusing but I did not exactly laugh out loud at anything I read. Many of the places I looked at classified it as a Cozy Fantasy and I’m not necessarily sure I agree with that. It feels like a relatively low-stakes fantasy in that you never really believe that the world is in any danger. With Cozy Fantasy being a relatively new genre, I might not have a good grasp on what necessarily would qualify and in the end I’m not really sure it’s something I care a lot about in the end.
I enjoyed the characters in this book as well. No one really annoyed me that much, although I can see the Princess potentially being considered annoying by others (but honestly can you really blame her?). Some of my favorite characters are side characters. Many of the named goblins and also the villagers and the mayor are absolutely a blast. I even kind of enjoyed the weirdness of Xaxus, one of the other Dark Lords helping out with this mysterious ritual. Somehow, everyone just kind of works well in this strange situation and it really fits the vibes of the book (of which I would call, a little silly-goofy).
I don’t have a ton to say about this book if I’m perfectly honest with you. I enjoyed reading it and it’s something that I would recommend to others. I enjoyed that it’s a standalone (I have too many series I’m working on right now) and I liked the characters in the book. The story was low-stakes and didn’t feel like it dragged on for no reason. I like that it’s a bit on the macabre side in the sense that it’s a Dark Lord and spooky spells and what not. Overall, I had a good time and that’s really all that matters. I’d go ahead and give this book a solid 4/5.
So that’s all she wrote! I recommend giving this book a go. It’d be a good palate cleanser if you finished up a high fantasy or a particularly long book and just need something you can read without having to think so much. Like I said before, it’s low-stakes, funny, and the characters are enjoyable. The plot isn’t complicated either. So that’s nice.
That’s all for this blog my friends! As always, leave a comment about anything you might have. Say hello, tell me your best dad joke, or drop a book rec!
Until next week!
BYE FRIENDS!
Reading with teafortiffany 
Leave a comment