Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray Imprint for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and subjective.

Like most people, I have hundreds of hours in Baldur's Gate 3 throughout multiple playthroughs and have all achievements. When Larian Studios announced that they're moving on from the Forgotten Realms universe and back to making their own stuff i.e. Divinity 3, I wondered what Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast was going to do about the game's cast now with the writers over at Larian relinquishing the characters to them. I have my own criticisms about the writing in the game, but I still felt like it's a shame that these characters that people have come to know and love are just going to be left in limbo, with only the occasional crossovers here and there as breadcrumbs, because I understand that a new Baldur's Gate game that actually lives up to the legacy of the franchise would never be made in the current gaming industry landscape.

(And, personally, thank god that Larian Studios bailed when they did. I would've hated to see them become The Company That Makes Baldur's Gate Games as someone who has known them since Divinity: Original Sin.)

So, I was surprised to hear that a book that's set in the Baldur's Gate 3 world was getting published (but of course it's about Astarion - what fictional deity to I have to worship for a Lae'zel book?), by an author that I've been meaning to read but haven't gotten around to. I figure a book about a character that I'm familiar with would be an easy introduction to Kingfisher's works, and I went in both wanting to see what their vision of Astarion's past is, and getting a taste of their writing.

If I hadn't made it obvious with my tone, I'm not the biggest fan of Astarion, for reasons that correlate to my criticisms of Larian's writing. Let's just say that what's in the game is not quite enough to hit the mark for me. Despite that, I was still eager to learn more about him and perhaps walk away with a new perspective on his character.

I'm unsure what the process of drafting this book was like behind the scenes, as in if Kingfisher had a 'guideline' of a plot they had to follow from WoTC, or if they were told to freestyle it. But, I'll go right ahead and say that I did really enjoy the first half of the book! We know that Astarion's life under Cazador was a nightmare, and it was interesting to finally peel back the veil and see it for myself. I find the flashbacks to his younger days a brief respite in between the cruel, difficult days at present, and appreciated them as they revealed an aspect of life in this universe that shaped Astarion into the man he was. I especially loved the brand new characterization to his spawn siblings, as we only get to see them at their worst and most desperate in the game, how they chose to carry out their interactions with each other and their master, and I genuinely wished I've gotten more of this. I wanted to see the struggles of trying to form connections with the only people they were allowed to know, while simultaneously second guessing if they were right to place trust and love, and how ultimately they share the same tormentor and are all equal in their suffering.

The blurb mentioned a new character. Hahn den Suriel the Aasimar paladin. I'm an aromantic skeptic, and I so desperately wanted him to be someone Astarion made a connection to, a common ground in between holy and undead, but instead he was the reason the second half of the book was unreadable to me. I've said before in another review, but once you've read a Baldur's Gate 3 fanfic, you've read them all. The intrigue with Astarion, his siblings, and the way they lived was tossed to the side just to fit this half-assed romance. It was completely trope-ridden, biggest offender being instalove, where I was meant to be convinced that these two were into each other within the first five pages of Hahn's introduction. The common ground I wanted them to have was barely mentioned within one sentence and by then the book was over.

I get that this book is a prequel to an existing story, and any new character mentioned comes under the scrutiny of, "Well, where do you fit this character into the bigger narrative?". But this story reads unbelievably rushed. The first half and second half do not mesh well at all, and they feel like antithesis to each other. To allow myself a bit of bad faith hating for a moment - no, I do not care for your Aasimar OC Kingfisher. He was not given them time to be fleshed out, and he was nothing more than character tropes pieced together like a square in a circle. Of course, he has to be big! Size difference for Astarion! And he has to be stereotypically righteous too, because that's what paladins do, right? He's gotta be a bit silly, a himbo but wait! He... flirts... And he fucks... Oooh... Dame Aylin had barely a few scenes in the game and I feel like I know her better than I do Hahn after 150 something pages.

Quite frankly, the second half reads like watching someone mashing dolls together while making kissing noises (and going by the author's notes at the end, that is exactly what this is). I would unironically say that I feel duped, because the first half was so good, even if I wanted it go further and delve into the horror of it all. I was lured in only to end up reading fanfic-tier shipping. Ao3 is right there if I wanted that, and god, I do not want that. This is a real published book that people have to pay money for!

The second half with its half-baked romance and inserted OC turned me off completely from wanting to read more from this author. It's one thing to have Astarion cracking bad, cringe-worthy jokes, that's his character and coping mechanism. It's another thing to read very modern jokes like 'I hardly knew her' in a sword and shield fantasy world (and yes, the writing in Baldur's Gate 3 isn't exactly trying to be fantastical, but the writers at Larian knew how far they could push it before it becomes too anachronistic.)

With Neil Newbon narrating the audiobook, I suspect this would be a hit for a lot of the Ancunin spouses. I do wish this book works for its intended audience if only it would convince WoTC to fund books for the other companions that desperately need it. Wyll and Karlach my baddies your times will come. If you also feel the way I do, please please please let me know so I know I'm not alone.