Blurb:

Uncover the lost years of Critical Role’s unrelentingly upbeat undead spellcaster in this original prequel novel to Laudna’s adventures with Bells Hells.
 
For as long as she can remember, Laudna has had a friend. A mentor. A little voice whispering in her cropped ear, promising that, no matter how monstrous she becomes or how far she wanders, there will always be someone to guide her.
 
And so, Laudna is content.
 
But the thought of more—of life, of love, of the magic stirring in her still veins—is unrelenting in its familiarity. More is the dream of the young girl trapped behind the bloodstained walls of Whitestone, and the nightmare of the woman who now stalks the woods outside them. More, Laudna’s little voice reminds her, is dangerous. From Tal’Dorei to Marquet, the world is infested with heroes destined to rid their kingdoms of creatures like Laudna.
 
The little voice is right, she knows.
 
But still, she thinks of more. And when she reaches for that dream, what reaches back will change everything.
 
Written by USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, Critical Role: Bells Hells—What Doesn’t Break delves into the unexplored years before Laudna joined up with the crew of Bells Hells, chronicling her departure from Whitestone and her solo adventures on the road to Jrusar.

Review:

“You can be a monster they love, Laudna. It’s easier than you think.”

Well hello everyone, we are back for 2025 (Happy New Year) and this book hit hard. This review will be a little different to my usual take, only because of the background of the book itself, this is a novel about a well loved Critical Role character - Laudna. Without further ado, here we go. 

Critical Role have done it again with their character’s background and story, depth of notes, being able to create a fantastic story to take us up to where we meet these characters in the show. If you don’t know what Critical Role is, it is a group of voice actors who sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons (A tabletop RPG). If you have watched the animated series on Amazon Prime, this is definitely a story you NEED to read, please, it will break your heart. Even if you have not seen or watched Critical Role in any capacity this is still a story that you can thoroughly enjoy, it is dark, witty, emotional and at times humorous and wholesome. 

“Monsters didn't get to have friends.”

Laudna is undead, she is still young in age despite her story, and it’s great to see her grow throughout the book. Her story is heartbreaking and it links all the way back to campaign one, in fact you “see her” in the animated show (no spoilers here). Now, I am a huge fan of Critical Role, I love Laudna in Campaign 3, in fact she is a character that I took a lot of inspiration from for my own DND character, I really felt connected to her. She is “fun-scary”. All Laudna desperately wants in this new life is a friend, a family, someone who is not afraid of her. 

Khaw has taken the many levels and depth of Laudna and created something beautiful out of something so dark, I have never read anything by Khaw before and I love her character development and writing. I will say if you are a keen reader for world building and aren’t familiar with the Critical Role world there is not much world building other than the towns we visit in the story, this is because this is more of a companion to the show, where Matt Mercer and the team have already created a huge world for us to explore.

“Don't ever go empty-handed into someone's home. Their hospitality is a privilege. Treat it like such.”

Laudna is a very complex character, her age physically, mentally, technically, are all different, her memory is non-existent of a time before she woke up which is probably for the best. Khaw has managed to capture this and create a story that anyone can enjoy. Laudna has to relearn everything, how to speak, how to act, what is appropriate, what gifts you take to someone’s home, all the while having to understand she is the monster that children are told about in stories, it is heartbreaking. I will say for those of you who have seen Campaign 3, you will have a great time with Laudna’s voice lines and reading them just like Marisha voice acts Laudna. It was great to “see” how Paté was made, how her and Imogen met, how she died, how she lived before the show. There are not many characters in the show that get novels, Laudna however, has such a huge backstory, it connects all the way back to Campaign 1, and I am so glad this exists.

“But there was something embarrassing about dead things that wouldn't die. Laudna would know.”

My experience with the book was overwhelmingly enjoyable, but there are a couple of niggles I had, there are the occasional times a very fancy word was used where it wasn’t needed, especially when relating to Laudna. Considering that Laudna is a 20 year old biologically, with no memory at all of her previous life, acts very childlike, she certainly wouldn’t use words such as “somnambulated” she would just say “sleep walked”. I do wish that for people who have not watched Critical Role, there was more worldbuilding, or a little extra information on the other characters mentioned. This would truly open the book for a whole new audience, but I understand why it wasn’t written this way. I have been a Critical Role watcher since Campaign 1, I have seen every episode, for me there are no questions about things. Someone who has not seen everything, or even any Critical Role, may find themselves wanting to know more, or being confused at the mention of characters that don’t appear in the book, for this I definitely recommend the animated show it really will answer all your questions, and it will add to the heartbreak of Laudna’s character.

“It was also a lot. Too much, if Laudna had the heart to be honest to herself then, but the alternative was being alone with her thoughts, and that seemed more frightening than this crush of strangers.”

What more can I say? I loved this book, it is definitely one I will read again, for those who haven’t read it, this is definitely one you can add to your list for a Halloween read. As you all know I love lore, this is one I needed to read, to learn more about a character I love, and it didn’t disappoint. If you have never stepped a toe in the realm of Critical Role, take the plunge with a book if that is more your style. You really won’t regret reading this one. As for me, I am definitely going to be adding Khaw to my ever growing TBR to delve into again. See you all in Tal’dorei.