Dreadful was an absolute wild ride. I loved that Gav had absolutely no memory and was completely clueless. He is 100% hilarious. I do wish we would have gotten a little bit more of his backstory.

I also really enjoyed the goblins. There characters were all so eclectic. The garlic festival!!!!

Definitely comes with a great moral lesson, but was also funny and heartwarming.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this novel. A villain with amnesia? Yes please. While the book was a cute story, it fell flat. was hoping for something a bit more adventurous. It was a great cozy story though. I think I just wasn't in the mood for a cozy story and that's not the author's fault. It was witty, cute, and minimal romance. I did like the overall message.

A new to me author gives us a story full of action, adventure and mystery with diverse characters aplenty to support the captivating storyline. A really enjoyable read!

Dreadful is a title I've started handing to friends when they are in a book slump. It has intriguing enough characters and a fast paced plot to keep things interesting. It has a lovely amount of snark and levity to balance out any dark or gruesome bits. Overall an excellent read, and one I'll continue to recommend!

Sadly, I found this... dreadful. (Sorry, I had to take that layup.)
I just couldn`t connect with the characters or the humor. I just didn´t find it funny.
It was too over the top and the plot just wasn´t anything to write home about.
I was really hoping to love this based on the cover and the synopsis. Sadly, it just didn´t work for me.

Make it fantasy, but from the villain’s perspective 😏 Imagine a villain who can’t remember anything about himself. Sounds like fun? Well, it is. This ‘high-fantasy farce’ has everything a fun little fantasy read should have (and more): dreadful villains, mysterious maids, and an amnesiac protagonist navigating chaos and destruction and seeing his world with new eyes.

I have been recommending this book and bought a copy for my personal library. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

SUCH a fun book! delightfully interesting characters and madcap adventures I truly think this book has something for everyone

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the advanced reading copy of Dreadful in exchange for an honest review.

Dreadful delivered exactly what I expected from a "cozy fantasy"—a charming read with a neat concept and low-stakes plot. However, I found myself wanting more backstory and deeper character development, as some interesting details were only touched upon. While the writing style didn’t entirely click with me and some of the humour missed the mark, it was still an enjoyable read overall.

I love hapless antiheroes and no one can change my mind!! Imagining a purported villain "yes-and" his way through his own castle had me laughing in ch1.

Charming and enjoyable! I felt the world and characters could have been explored more deeply...but as it was kind of a "cozy" fantasy I think that it hits how it should.

This book probably will be a hit or miss for some readers. It uses familiar tropes so its style will appeal to a lot of people. Overall, I found it fun and would recommend it if you’re looking for a light and amusing fantasy read.

Dreadful is a whimsical fantasy romp that sparkles with wit. The story’s charm and humor quickly win you over. Perfect for fans of lighthearted fantasy, this debut novel is a delightful escape.

Though the pacing is a little slow to start, the plot eventually picks up and the unique storyline is perfect for cozy fantasy readers.

Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for e-ARC.

When Gav wakes up, he finds he has no memory of who he is. As he starts to piece together his life, he realizes he is some sort of evil dark lord (wizardy type). As he goes throughout life, he realizes he might not like who he used to be.

I really liked the concept here, but I think it took too long to get rolling. Also the writing style wasn't my favorite. Others who like the style though will probably enjoy this unique plot!

Dreadful follows a week in the life of the dark wizard, Gavrick. As the novel begins, Gavrick comes to in his laboratory following a spell gone awry. He finds that he's not only missing his eyebrows but also his memory. Without his memories, he finds that his appetite for dark deeds has abandoned him. Now, he just wants to be Gav, a decent man doing his best for his servants and the villagers. It takes some persuasion, but eventually the captive princess he finds in his dungeon as well as his goblin servants come to accept that his changed nature is not a ploy. Gav enlists their help and the help of the village mayor to plan a way to foil the plans of the dark wizard, Zarconar.
Dreadful is a witty, fast-paced fantasy. It features strong, intelligent female characters. While the complete transformation of Gav is a bit unbelievable, the story makes for a cozy fantasy read with only the slightest hint of romance. I recommend this for young adult and fantasy readers who enjoy humorous, feel-good stories.

I was worried when I hit the 25% mark and was still largely indifferent to the cast of characters, but Rozakis’s writing style kept me going. There’s something very Pratchett-esque about this book — the humorous tone, the incompetent villain, the whole plot set up, and the questionable help. I can’t help feeling that Sir Terry Pratchett would have thoroughly enjoyed this romp.

I really enjoyed Gav’s character, and watching him navigate his former self and the mess he’d gotten into was enthralling. I hit my stride around 30%, and then another slow spot around the 60% mark, but the back half was definitely stronger.

As Gav became more involved in his real world — and less determined to save his own skin and maintain his facade — I found myself unwilling to put the book down.

The commentary about beauty standards, expectations of women, toxic masculinity, and the nature of identity itself was highly insightful without feeling preachy or misplaced. These topics were woven in a way that felt effortless alongside the building plot.

One of the most poignant lines of the novel comes from Eliasha, the captive princess: “You can’t complain about paying for [Gavrax’s] mistakes when you’re still enjoying all his advantages”. Rozakis has hit the nail on the head in a way I didn’t anticipate coming from a seemingly lighthearted fantasy novel. A change of heart doesn’t erase your wrongdoings — a house built on charred bones is still a house built on charred bones even if it was rebuilt with sustainable materials.

For a book that I was about ready to give up on, Dreadful was a pleasant and insightful surprise. Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for this experience.

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gavrax the dark wizard wakes up with no eyebrows and no memory of who he is. He’s got a princess in the dungeon who appears to be for a plan that he can’t remember. He’s got goblin staff who are terrified of him and apparently he’s got a village of people that he lords over (although all they seem to provide is a lot of garlic). Will he work it all out before everything goes horribly wrong?

This was a fun fantasy farce with plenty of humour and a plot that keeps you guessing. It’s a light read and even though I don’t typically read fantasy, it kept me entertained. A great debut novel!

Just a fun cosy no real stakes romp where the evil villain has kinda sorta forgotten that he was the evil villain.

This was such a random ARC request – something I said I wasn’t going to do anymore – but it was a success! Very enjoyable cozy fantasy about what happens when a Dark Lord involved in a grand scheme loses his memories and wakes up in his dark castle full of cronies, and becomes just Gav, trying his best not to die. Lighthearted and silly in many aspects, it does pose the question of what a person is or becomes without his history, his memories, and what makes you evil or good, prejudices and can you truly be thought innocent of your previous self’s crimes if you’re still swanning around his castle and wielding his magic? It went quite deep for a cozy fantasy, and had some true Pratchett vibes in how it dealt with things like his goblin servants, his steward, and the small village next to his castle and how they’ve dealt with being under the shadow of an evil sorcerer.

Such an enjoyable fantasy read with a delightful cast of misfits. Humorous throughout, but with room for deep thoughts and questions about identity and changing one’s mind & life. I also wanted to protect all the little goblin castle staff! They’re just trying their best.

Imagine you're an evil wizard. You've worked hard your whole life to be evil: set people on fire for fun, set people on fire for thwarting you.... done other things to people that aren't great. But, then you wake up one morning and all of your memories are gone. And maybe you decide... you don't want to be evil. In fact, you're going to stop it right now. But that just seems to confuse everyone around you. And then there's the problem that you seem to be in the middle of a Big Scheme. A Big Scheme that includes kidnapping a princess. Perhaps she's not quite as princess-y as you originally assumed. But then, as you are fumbling your way around, you discover that no one in your castle is quite as they appear.
I quite enjoyed this book and hope that it will be a series.