Author: Caitlin Rozakis
Published: 2024
Target audience: Adults (appropriate 15+)
It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no memories, no eyebrows, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horribly and then turn your skull into a goblet or something.
It’s a lot worse when you realise that Dread Lord Whomever is… you.
Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed.
But nothing is quite as it seems, and if Gav hopes to uncover the truth he must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all – who does he want to be?
Excerpt:
The falling sensation in his stomach finally hit the bottom. This menacing room, with its mixture of the weird and ridiculous? It was his. The voice outside the door obeyed his commands because they were familiar. There was only one kind of person who would have such a room, who would dress in such a way.
He was a Dark Wizard.
He half expected there to be some kind of acknowledgement of the realization. A roll of thunder, the croak of a crow. But there was nothing. He stared at his reflections, feeling increasingly ridiculous.
Review:
‘Legends and Lattes’ meets the unfathomable power of garlic in this splendid new addition to the cosy fantasy genre. Written by American author Caitlin Rozakis,‘Dreadful’ follows an amnesia-struck Dark Wizard grappling with an identity crisis, moral crisis, and world-ending crisis all at once. Equal parts savvy and bumbling, Gav makes for a thoroughly entertaining protagonist as he tries to bluff his way through encounters with goblins, evil wizards, captives, heroes, and more without anyone realising that the Dread Lord Gavrax doesn’t have the faintest idea what’s going on. Audiences are treated to an intriguing morally-grey perspective as Gav questions his past self’s actions and decisions, but also hesitates to jeopardise the villainous plans he can’t remember (or cringe at his tacky decor).
Through Gav’s journey,’Dreadful’ asks if the intent behind an action matters, when the consequences are the same? Is there any point to trying to change, if everyone will always see you the same way? And can Gav truly claim to be a different person when he still benefits from his past self’s evil actions? Featuring a myriad of entertaining supporting characters, dangerous spells, and an unexpected tourism venture, readers will be hooked by the novel's witty self-awareness and entertaining takes on classic fantasy tropes. The story teeters on the edge of a too-cluttered climax, but manages to right itself in time for a high-energy, heartfelt, and always hilarious conclusion.
If you’re a fan of Travis Baldree, T. J. Klune, and Olivia Atwater, or just looking for a light-hearted fantastical read, then ‘Dreadful’ is absolutely the book for you!