Oh this book was truly a delight! It felt different than many fantasy books I've read and delivers on the topic of good vs evil and redemption.

A tongue in cheek look at what it means to be a Dark Wizard—especially if you wake up with no memories and are horrified to learn the local Dark Wizard is you. Gav must figure out who he was—and who he wants to be—if he’s going to survive the princess in the cellar and heroes out to stab him in the back and yes, the Dreadful Plan in the works.

Gav wakes up with no eyebrows, and also very quickly realises, no memories. Gav is in also in a castle belonging to a Dark Wizard, who also just might be him

Gav, also known as Dread Lord Gavrax, must manage his Goblin staff, figure out why there is a kidnapped Princess in his custody, and fool the other dark Wizards into thinking he knows what he is doing before things end badly

But Gav doesn't feel he can relate to Gavrax and finding his feet without his evil doing memories is proving to be a challenge, but how to get out of this one alive...?? And which side will be find himself on...

This book was a lot of fun, I read most of it in the one day then finished it up the next

Loved the writing, loved Gavs voice and moral dilemmas and the story was really funny as well

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for the early review copy. All opinions my own. Out 28 May

I LOVED the intro to this book. It was SO unique and fresh! It grabbed me from the first page. Unfortunately I had trouble keeping going with this book. I DO think it's just me, though. We've actually been selling this really well at the store that I'm working at, which is great! This is a weird, quirky title, I think it's going to sell really well in our store, whether or not it worked for me personally. I liked Rozakis's writing style, and I liked the tone and voice of the story.

Sadly, I just couldn't get into the style of this one! DNF @ 22%. It's cute and quirky, just not working for me right now. I'll come back another time when I'm looking for that wacky fantasy kind of vibe!

For fans of Piers Anthony's "Xanth" series or Terry Pratchett's humor, "Dreadful" is your next comfort read!

Caitlin Rozakis does what many fun, low-stakes reads often fail to do, and that's giving the main character enough of a developmental arc that feels both natural and aligned with the plot. Our main character Gav, an evil-wizard-turned-feminist-icon, undergoes such an arc, but without the hemming and hawing of "wow, look, this man is learning the basics of being a decent human"! Against a backdrop of comical side characters, including a princess who also learns not to judge a goblin by its smell, and a group of terrified-but-sturdy villagers, "Dreadful" feels like a whimsical D&D campaign that leaves you feeling good (and wanting to redecorate your dungeon by the end).

Rozakis' prose is straightforward, never lofty, which makes this novel accessible. It handles sexism and racism well without shoving the lessons learned in your face. Gav is likable despite his seedy past and the heroes that come to rescue the princess become caricatures of faux gallantry, which makes you root for the slap-stick, messy group of true heroes even more. I enjoyed every minute and was sad it was over by the time I finished the last page.

Deceptively heartfelt and full of hilarious capriciousness, make sure "Dreadful" is on your shelf, if only to provide warmth and comfort in a world that feels more and more like an Evil Wizard's squid-filled moat.

A new trend seems to be emerging in fantasy books with plot about villains who don't necessarily want to be villains and Dreadful is a striking example of that. Unfortunately in this case the subgenre the author chose is COSY, which equals painful boredom that is not levelled by the book's humor. It's ridiculous, sure, but at the same time it seems forced to me. Not a lot is happening here, the protagonist's inner monologues grow monotonous after first chapter and his motivation to change and ditch the villainy has no logical explanation (apart from fulfilling the "cosy" tropes). The ending felt anticlimactic and probably that's what killed the book for me. Lesson learned, I should keep away from anything that brands itself a "cosy" read and uses Pratchett's name as a marketing gimmick.

Dreadful is yet another case of “stellar concept, so-so execution.” I mean, look at that cover, right? Gorgeous. Unfortunately, that’s about as high as my praise will get with this one. While there’s definitely a lot to enjoy, in the end, some of the choices made left me unsatisfied.

I don’t think it’s entirely fair to compare this to Terry Pratchett. I mean, sure, on a surface level, whimsical fantasy with a twist is very Pratchett, but Dreadful seems to be missing that Pratchett oomph. What do I mean by this? Well, Pratchett’s work is definitely funny and witty, but the writing grounds itself in questions of morality, ethics, philosophy, and the like. There’s no such thing as whimsy for whimsy’s sake; every character, plot, and arc has a purpose in the larger philosophical exploration of Discworld.

That can’t be said of Dreadful. Oh, there’s an Attempt, sure, but any discussions of misogyny feel confused and tacked-on to the plot. (Nothing is fully explored in a way that feels earned, is my point.)

We follow Gav, the Dark Lord Gavrax, a dark wizard whose amnesia prevents him from remembering the choices he made that set him off on his dark path. It’s heavily implied that his past experiences set him down a path of misogyny and resentment, but, because he’s lost his memories, he never has to grapple with his choices. What’s stopping him from doing everything again? You could make an argument that his new friendships and alliances are what’s preventing him from making the same mistakes, but, without understanding his past choices, I just don’t buy that he won’t make them again. How can you learn from your mistakes if you don’t even know what those mistakes are, etc.? Ultimately, this character development just felt unsatisfying and, frankly, I didn’t really buy it.

The author has better luck with the supporting characters, like the goblins, who feel more believable because their status as supporting characters means they don’t need to be fleshed out as much. They’re easier to like because you don’t watch the author struggling to give them unearned depth.

On the whole, the plot and pacing are fine, and the ending feels earned, but my frustrations with our protagonist make this a hard book to unilaterally recommend. It might’ve been the mood I was in while I was reading. As always, feel free to draw your own conclusions. If you’re interested in a cozy fantasy, the fact that this doesn’t work for me shouldn’t be the reason you feel dissuaded from checking it out.

The book was amusing and I liked the premise of a dark wizard who forgets who he is and he’s surprisingly not that dark after forgetting himself. I enjoyed some of the characters and I liked the use of absurd scenarios and humor to discuss toxic masculinity. However, the writing just wasn’t for me. It was fast paced with you dumped right into the story and I didn’t really care about any of the characters. Overall, it was funny but not memorable for me.

I don’t think I read the same book as everyone else or this just wasn’t for me. It felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story with no explanation and it kept getting weirder and more confusing. I get that the main character does not know who he is and has forgotten pretty much everything but I just did not enjoy this story or the way it was written. I really wanted to like this one but it just wasn’t for me.

This was a super fun read. I found myself actually cackling at times. The humor in this is a mix of dark humor and just plain silliness. I loved all of the characters. The main character was absolutely delightful and his development throughout the book was fun to watch. All of the supporting cast was so much fun. I love loved the goblins and the sassy princess. The world building was fantastic. And the writing just had so much wit and self awareness in it. I like that in all the humor and fun there was really and underlined vibe of doing what is right int he face of a "second chance" of sorts and the journey that is taken to be not really the best person but the best version of your person.

This book is HILARIOUS. I've been going around telling people it reminds me of THE PRINCESS BRIDE from the villain's perspective...if the villain ended up losing his memory and turning good (or just pleasantly average). I was initially intrigued by this book because of the concept, which is stellar in itself, but it's so rare that the execution of an idea lives up to my expectations as thoroughly as this one did. The characters are all so lovable (except Zarconar...), and the wit of the narration is second to none. Over and over again, I found myself laughing out loud and murmuring snippets of dialogue to myself because they begged to be heard. All this to say, I will IMMEDIATELY be purchasing a copy for myself, and I will also be purchasing anything Caitlin Rozakis writes in the future. Basically, I'm a lifelong fan.

Normally I would classify myself as a fairly drama-orientated reader. I love me some heart ache and feelings. However, every once in a while there’s a book that comes along that the synopsis just sounds so funny, that I have to read it. Dreadful was one such book—and if fun and whimsy are your main goals, then it certainly does not disappoint.
Personally, I’m not super into most amnesia based storylines as I find them frustrating, but the tone that this one took really set it apart. Gav’s lack of memory wasn’t used as a crutch to deliver exposition. Instead it was treated more-so as a comedic tool to emphasize the absurdity of his former persona’s reputation and behaviour. In that vein, Dreadful felt a lot more akin to a classic British surrealist humour and satire as opposed to situational comedy. Think more Monty Python and less primetime American sitcom.
Overall, it was an incredibly amusing read, even if it did get a little wordy in the internal monologues at times. If you’re a fan of twisted fairytales, but done in a silly way, then I would certainly recommend it.

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis is simply brilliant, a rollicking great adventure that is the perfect mix of HIgh Fantasy and Contemporary Satire/ Humour. The narrative and storyline is artfully constructed and the characters are simply brilliant, especially Gav who is utterly polarised and confused to his core because of it

Highly recommended and I am looking forward to more from this author

Thank you to Netgalley, Titan Books and Caitlin Rozakis for this hilarious ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This is a lovely book with lots of lovely heart and descriptions. It’s funny and fun and great for anyone who loves Fantasy, but wants something fresh and different.

Dreadful is a rather delightful book. I mainly requested it because the summary sounded so interesting but the actual story is so much more fun than I could ever have expected.

Dark Wizard, Gav, has just woken up with no memory and, over the course of the book, comes to realise that being a dark wizard isn’t the be all and end all to life. In fact, being good is a lot more productive and rewarding than hurting people. With the help of his goblins, his serfs and a princess he is keeping captive, Gav has the opportunity to redefine his life and decide who he wants to be/

This was such a fun book. It takes a lot of traditional fantasy tropes and completely turns them on their head in a fun way. Rozakis wonderfully plays with these tropes before taking things in a completely different direction and it was delightful to read.

Gav makes for a fantastic protagonist. You never actually get to know who he was since the book begins with his amnesia, but you revel in reading him learn to be better over the course of the book. I spent most of the book smiling at his growth as a character and he definitely earns the ending he gets.

Dreadful was a very fun read. It’s fast paced with lots of things happening but it never feels like too much. I enjoyed the characters and Rozakis writes her story very well. It is well worth a read.

It was a cute book and an interesting take on fantasy but I dont think it was great. I think it would appeal to teen boys who read fantasy. It didnt really read as adult fantasy to me.

I was initially very excited for this read, I love a good cozy read, and was interested to see how the author explored the themes of identity and toxic masculinity. We meet Gav, a "dark wizard" when he wakes up from a spell gone wrong having lost all of his memories, leaving him, essentially, a tabula rasa version of himself that is ready to turn over a new leaf and try to "be good". On one hand, it was fascinating to consider the concept of a "core" version of ourselves existing sort of buried beneath our life experiences and trauma, a sort of experiment with nature versus nurture playing out in a fantasy world, I found it hard to care too much about a male character finding it hard to not be a complete murderous asshole. The story was charming enough, but remained a bit shallow and forgettable.

A dark wizard loses his memory, and his darkness along with it. This was so funny, and such a fun ride. I would definitely recommend to Terry Pratchett fans, or anyone who enjoyed the Tales of Pell.

This book doesn’t match its title, because it’s absolutely wonderful! So clever, so much laughter to be had. What happens when the Dread Lord Gavrax loses his memory. Well first don’t panic! Actually for Gav panic is very easy indeed, and only to be expected when you are a Dread Lord, with no knowledge of your past, your plans or dread lord skills, and you are not nearly the baddest Evil Wizard! Gav is about to have a week to remember (sorry for the pun). The one positive, if you can’t remember who you were, maybe you can have another chance to be the person you can live with for the rest of your life. If you live long enough to have a ‘rest’ that is! Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.