Vox Machina: Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Published By: Penguin on 7th June, 2022
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:
Explore the past of Critical Role‘s daring half-elf twins, Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan, in this original prequel novel to their adventures with Vox Machina.
Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn’s elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria.
The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex’s quick wit and Vax’s quicker dagger, they’ve always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun, where the twins become entangled in a web spun by the thieves’ guild known to many as the Clasp. Trapped by a hasty deal, Vex and Vax (along with Vex’s faithful bear companion, Trinket) set out into the wilds to fulfill their debt to the infamous crime syndicate.
As the situation grows more complicated than they ever could have imagined, for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years.
Book Review
As a fan of Critical Role and their first D&D campaign, I knew I wanted to try out this book once I’d stumbled across it on Instagram. I ended up listening to it on audio alongside reading it physically. If you are a fan of Critical Role then I would definitely recommend listening to the audio book. We have Laura and Liam reprising their roles as Vex and Vax, plus the lovely Robbie Daymond carrying the rest of the narration. I will say that it definitely isn’t a ground-breaking book within the fantasy genre… It may not appeal to you if you’re not a fan of Critical Role.
*My review won’t be very detailed as I think this book is more for people who are already fans of Critical Role.
Being a fan of the characters from the watching the campaign, I love the fact that we got a complete book into the backstory of these two siblings. It shows more about their past, their bond, and how they navigate being together and being separated. I enjoyed it even when I wasn’t particularly engaged in the plot.
The pace was overall okay. Like I mentioned, the plot isn’t what drew me in… it was the interactions between the two main characters throughout. It’s definitely not 5 star worthy but I enjoyed it for what is was–hence my 4 star rating. Do I think it could have been better in places? Yes. There were some parts that were less interesting than others but I was invested in the characters not the plot. I think the storyline was good in terms of the aiding the characters backstories.
I had fun reading this, and listening to the audiobook alongside it boosted my rating a bit. If I hadn’t have listened to it, it probably would’ve been a 3.5 star rating. Promoting it as a Young Adult book was a good choice—it felt appropriately YA while reading and listening. It’s when a book is promoted as Adult but reads YA, that’s when there could be issues. Honestly, this book couldn’t have disappointed me since I was already familiar with the characters.
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