I feel like I’ve really been on a roll with these humorous fantasy stories lately and I’m actually really loving this trend. I know humor in books, especially when it’s very prominent, won’t work for everyone but I apparently don’t mind getting burned occasionally. I will pick up most humor-heavy fantasy books that grab my interest and give them a try. Dreadful was a success for me!

This follows Gav, who has just woken up in a strange tower, full of strange objects that he has no memory of. Gav is terrified that he’s about to be found by… well, anyone, and they’ll kill him for trespassing because there’s no way he belongs here! Slowly, his memories trickle back a little and he realizes that he is in fact, Dread Lord Gavrax and the tower is his, as are the goblins that staff the tower and fear him so horribly. Apparently he was bad for blowing them up if they displeased him for any minor slight - not a great guy, ol’ Gavrax. Gav is trying to separate himself from his previous self because he doesn’t actually want to be a bad guy anymore. He wants to stay alive and not get killed by the significantly more powerful and more evil wizards that he’s supposed to be working with for some mysterious spell. Oh, and he’s also got a kidnapped princess in his dungeon and she’s really not a fan of Gavrax, or the new Gav. 

Gav was a delightful character that was the story equivalent of looking back on your cringey teenage years and going “Oh my god, why did I do that”. He has that same experience every time he opens his wardrobe and sees that tacky ass flame covered robe. I think it also shows how people are shaped by their pasts. Gav might not have turned into such an awful person and Dark Wizard if he hadn’t been trying to shield himself from a ton of terrible experiences by developing this tough evil guy persona. I mean, his choices were definitely NOT the right way to handle those things, but that’s how people actually react to rejection and trauma sometimes. Those people need therapy and so did Gav, but that’s not found in fantasy books very often!

I loved watching him try to be a better person once he was given the chance for a fresh start, free of his past. He made the goblins so happy! The princess, Eliasha, was a delightful character as well, and once she and Gav got on better terms they made a great team. Even the other Dark Wizards were fairly interesting, and though they weren’t all that detailed they felt appropriately threatening. This was definitely more (main) character driven and I really enjoyed it. I think the humor in this book is going to be more universally appreciated than that in How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, though if you enjoyed one, you may enjoy the other. Overall, I would recommend this particularly if you're looking for a good laugh and some solid character development. Also, who can resist a story from the villain's perspective?

It seems like Dark Lords and similar are all the rage in my month as a reader, and it is pretty hard to not make comparisons between this one and How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, especially because they have a lot of things in common and because I read that one quite recently too. But these two books, even if they have quite similar premises, because they have Dark Lords (atypical Dark Lords at that) and are both farces, are quite different from each other.
Dreadful has much more heart and it is delightful. It is cute, and it is sweet. (And how you can be sweet and have a garlic festival goes beyond me, especially because I detest garlic with a passion, and here I was, completely in love with a garlic festival). It is funny, and it is heartwarming (again, dark lords, evil wizards, goblins, and killing moat squid don’t usually go hand in hand with heartwarming, but this one will surprise you, in all the best possible ways!).

We follow Gav, who comes to his senses without memories. He doesn’t remember who he was, he doesn’t remember his previous plans at all and he doesn’t know why in hell he has a princess in his dungeons, scared goblins all around, and a sack full of moat squid death set on killing them all. What he knows is that his previous self wasn’t really a good person, some greater plan is in motion, and some really bad people are involved. And things aren’t looking up for him or his castle and his village.
He tries his best to improvise and to unravel, at least a bit, all the bad things his previous self had done but… it’s not so easy, especially since all the heroes in the kingdom are trying to kill him to free the princess (and in doing so they would probably kill her horrifically but that’s not the point here), and a congress of dark mages has to be had in his castle in less than a week. And hey! they also have a garlic festival to organize, because they found themselves with an abundance of garlic and no other things.
Following Gav around while he tries to be a better version of himself, and while he get to know, really know, the people who live around him is a small pleasure.
Sure, we have a plot that is full of twists, action, funny moments, sweet ones, and scary ones… it is quite the complete plot, there is something for everyone, really! And we also have some in-depth moments and food for thought, sure. But to me, the best thing in this book was the characters.

I may not be the greatest fan of the princess, but she is a good character too, it’s just personal preference. That said, I loved a lot of these characters and there are so many fun moments in there. The Goblins and Siraco, the steward, were just so cute. Sort of… But I loved them all! It was delightful, it was fun (a lot of fun!) and it was also heartwarming. We have a lot of “awww” moments, too.
The only complaint here is that we don’t have enough squid. Not nearly enough!!!

This book is highly original and yet so comfortable. It really has a sort of cozy vibe to it, even if this is not a “proper” cozy book, and it is completely new even if it feels like your snuggly comforter. It is a hard mix to obtain, but the author did an amazing job with it. I had fun, I had comfort, and I was quite happy while reading it. I don’t think I could have asked for more! And a last, small thing but… have you seen that cover?? It is so dark and cute and… aww!!!!!

Dreadful is a hilarious misadventure of a Dark Wizard who’s forgotten pretty much everything about himself and why he’s missing his eyebrows.

As Gav figures out who he was (apparently a Dread Lord in a castle full of goblins), he also has to come to terms with his past self’s extravagant decor choices, a princess locked in the cells, and evil colleagues that have an evil plan to execute.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC!

I found Dreadful to be laugh-out-loud funny. Caitlin Rozakis has brought to life a seriously unfortunate bloke who only has himself to blame for the predicament he’s garnered.

This very much reads like the Dungeons & Dragons movie that recently came out (Honour Among Thieves). There’s cantrips and fireballs, and moments where you could easily imagine the player has rolled a critical fail. And I think my background of playing D&D made this tale a rich experience.

Characters like Orla and Valevna were fantastic and really highlighted a diverse cast. And there was a strong message of the woes of toxic masculinity without being preachy. The inclusion of frank conversations between characters were refreshing and made sense to help show growth in certain parties. Again, these were done in a way that didn’t shove ideologies down your throat.

Overall, this was a fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the messes that arose from the tomfoolery. The crescendo of the narrative could have had more payoff, but it didn’t ruin the reading experience. If you enjoy sassy bickering, an unfortunate sod untangling disasters, and quaint sidekicks that will steal your heart then you’re in for a treat with Dreadful. Just look out for the moat squids. They’re no joke.

Review TL;DR
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Strongest elements: World building and comedic scenes.
Content warnings: Slavery, murder, sexism, gore, kidnapping, confinement, racism, and violence.
Genre: Fantasy

DREADFUL by Caitlin Rozakis is a light-hearted venture into how memories and outward appearance define oneself. It all starts when one middle-aged man wakes up in his lab, which is now on fire and one big mess. He doesn't remember who or where he is, much less that he has a princess as a prisoner. Through context clues and careful conversation, he discovers he's the Dread Lord Gavrax, who has a rather dismal reputation. But without his memories, is he really the Dread Lord? And does he have time for all this introspection when also fielding and upcoming ritual with an even darker wizard?

DREADFUL by Caitlin Rozakis is Despicable Me meets Shrek. Gavrax, or Gav, is the main character who so desires to be bad, but just can't seem to get it quite right. Naturally a hot head, Gav forces that reaction down because it doesn't serve his current situation. First he must figure out who he is and what's going on. Because he apparently kidnapped a princess, there are a number of forgettable hero types (like Prince Charming from Shrek). You know the kind: all good looks and bravado but no skills, smarts, or forethought. These golden hero archetypes make themselves known in the latter half of the book and provide some minor entertainment.

Eliasha, the princess, has a strong moral compass and essentially serves as Gav's conscience. She of course doesn't let him assuage his guilt and is obviously quite annoyed at being his prisoner. But she has some flaws as well, which I think shows that even seemingly perfect storybook figures aren't so impeccable after all. Eliasha learns from her bias and becomes comfortable with her other "flaw," deemed as such by her family.

With respect to the storytelling, the writing style worked just fine for my preferences. Given the official synopsis I had hoped for a bit more banter and humor, maybe something more over the top. The moat quid is more of a side piece (until it isn't) rather than a feature. But I still found it entertaining between the goblin kitchen staff mishaps and the low stakes relative to the fantasy I tend to read. I also thought it was a tad bit slow and wanted a little more action, but that didn't stop me from finishing it.

Even though DREADFUL is a lighter read, it presents some philosophical questions. Who are we without our memories? If we lose them, are we still the same person everyone knows? Should we be held accountable for actions we don't remember, especially if we no longer seem to be that past person? And can we be a different person without our memories and will people accept that?

It also touches on the importance of appearance. Even though Gav no longer desires to hurt others, he keeps up appearances until he gets his bearings. In this case it's foreboding decor, furnishings, and clothing. When people see him appear this way, they expect evil actions, particularly since they know past Gavrax. Gav slowly comes to realize perhaps this is a shield for his own cowardice.

Overall, DREADFUL by Caitlin Rozakis is a fun standalone fantasy debut. Betwixt and between the expected evil Dread Lord nonsense are some existential nuggets. There's just enough philosophy to chew on while Gav has to figure out who he wants to be. Those looking for something that doesn't take itself too seriously will appreciate DREADFUL.

I'm so glad I took a chance on this book. I had very low expectations on it from the blurb. I was not sure I would like it, but I ended up absolutely loving it.

When the Dread Lord Gavrax loses his memories, he experiences an existential crisis that causes him to grow a conscious. There are some seriously laugh out loud moments throughout the books.

I absolute love the characters, especially the goblins.

My only very slight complaint is that in some places the pacing dragged just a bit. Overall, an excellent read, however.

Dreadful was a reasonably amusing book, if entirely unsubtle in its messaging. I mean, I didn’t expect subtle. If there’s one thing a lot of books round about now are if they’re on this topic (i.e. toxic masculinity, i.e. feminist retellings) it’s unsubtle. Like, I don’t know guys, maybe I want to have to read between the lines a bit sometimes. Maybe I don’t want it all spelled out for me.

But I digress. I didn’t expect it so I wasn’t disappointed when it wasn’t. And it wasn’t a bad read by any stretch of the imagination. It was fun! The overall experience of it was good! It was a little weirdly lighthearted at times for the violent misogyny that (appeared) to be on show, yes, but overall good.

The story follows a character whose name I’ve already forgotten (good start!), who wakes up to discover he’s lost his memory. It is, however, apparent that everyone around him expects him to be an evil wizard. Oh, and he’s in the middle of a villainous plot along with some genuinely evil wizards. That he knows nothing about thanks to his memory loss.

This is a book that relies quite a bit on generic fantasy worldbuilding and doesn’t really provide a whole lot new in that respect. Which is, I guess, alright. It’s not trying to tell a story like that, it’s trying to tell a story about toxic masculinity within a fantasy context. So depth in worldbuilding is hardly the priority: depth in character is.

It’s an interesting balancing act between making Gav likeable enough to root for, while still allowing that he’s a violent misogynist. I have more to say about this later, but for now let’s stick to the positives. It’s mostly good at doing this. Watching Gav recognise his faults and challenge his own instinctive behaviours means that you’re rooting for him to overcome them and change. The memory loss is (mostly) a good vehicle for this. (Yes, I am, in part, trying to hedge what I’m saying here because there is a but coming.)

The characters around him are also fun, especially the goblins who, really, have to be my favourite part of the book. The whole network of Gav, princess (no, I don’t remember a name), evil secretary (reviews say his name is Siraco), and the goblins was clearly meant to tug on your heartstrings as some kind of found family. And I’m not above admitting that it worked to an extent. Hey, I could read a whole series of them and the villagers bullying Gav like that. Alas, not the story being told. But they were fun! As a group of characters to root for, they filled that requirement admirably.

If I had one slightly finicky complaint, it’s that memory loss of all the most horrific things Gav did was required for him to change. It’s that, actually, he does these horrific things (which, by the by, he actually did want to do. To not beat about the bush, this involves burning a woman alive because she rejects him which is what I meant earlier by the violent misogyny that just feels tonally out of place in this one) but it’s okay really because firstly, he’s a new person now who’s horrified by that behaviour and secondly, everyone around him was good and rescued the people he thinks he did this to, so really, he hasn’t done it in the first place. And he can separate present-post memory loss-Gav from past-Gav. Present-Gav doesn’t do these things, that was past-Gav’s problem. Okay, having put it like that, maybe it’s less finicky. The more I think about it, the more it seems to kind of undercut the story that the author’s trying to tell. I get it, she doesn’t want him to be wholly irredeemable and some of these things would absolutely for sure put him on that list for some readers. But I think that might have been a more interesting take: at what point do you give up on someone like this? Do you ever? Is redemption at all possible? But I get it. One, that takes a lot of skill, and two, this is a book that’s really just a light-hearted chance for one man to unlearn toxic masculinity and his incel ways. But that violent misogyny does pose a conundrum here: this is a book that is written in a way that’s quite light-hearted (or feels it, for all the obvious sexism of its main character, sorry past main character). Then you get to the reveal of what he’s done and it hits you like woah, okay. What I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t really fit going back to that light-heartedness after that reveal, and it feels like doing so almost misses the point. I don’t know how clear I’m being here but basically, it’s about the dissonance of it all. It starts to feel a bit dismissive of the real violence of Gav’s misogyny.

So here we come to the strange point of me, in having written this review, thinking that perhaps I didn’t like it as much as all that. I’ve almost talked myself into giving it a lower rating (in fact, there may be no “almost” about it). The idea here might have been good, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

Honestly this book was not at all what I expected, but I think that made me love it all the more. Imagine waking up and having no knowledge of who you are, and then finding out you're an evil wizard who has captured a Princess for a secret ritual... enter Gav. He knows that the Dread Lord Gavrax must have been a scary person, all his staff are terrified of him blowing them up, in fact the only person who doesn't seem scared of him is the Princess herself, something he can't help but admire. Gav's not sure he wants to go back to being evil, but he's also not sure of who else he could be. His character is certainly quirky, at once both eager to return his memories and remember who he was, but also fighting against the person he used to be.

I think I enjoyed this book so much because it's just fun, it's lighthearted, there are stakes but you just know that things are going to work out in the end and the journey is what you're here for. The Journey of seeing the Dread Lord Gavrax become just Gav, someone who likes being liked, would enjoy being respected, and someone not quite so willing to follow his evil superiors as blindly as he was before. It definitely gives off those cozy fantasy vibes and, although there are a few plot twists, they're more there for the humour factor over shock.

It's a story that turns most tropes on their head, with an evil lord who is actually quite nice after he looses his memory, a Princess who is better at scheming and planning than turning heads with her beauty. One that acknowledges that the hero's determination to stop the villains, whatever the cost, can be just as, if not more dangerous than the villains themselves. These bits gave me almost Kingfisher vibes and definitely added to the humour and just overall fun the author gives us. I also adored all the side characters from Siraco, the Dread Lords most trusted assistant to the pretty incompetent Goblins who run the castle... seriously though Grrribeetle was too cute... even Gav's fellow 'evil' wizard friends. But I especially loved our Princess who was anything but a damsel in distress. She really brings a bit more depth to the story, calling Gav out on his evilness and making him want to be a better person.

Dreadful was just one of those books that I had so much fun reading. It's very much character focused, but there is a plot in there I promise, it's just one that's tangled up in Gav's self discovery, one that very much relies on him making the right decisions, ensuring that he, and everyone under his care makes it out alive. It's exaggerated in parts (in the best and most humorous ways) and also bizarrly heartwarming in others, but it's just entertaining as a whole and I would definitely recommend it for fans of T. Kingfisher, or just people who love a good quirky/cozy fantasy.

I loved the concept! It was funny, quirky, and cute. If I hadn't read a book in a similar genre that hit just a little better immediately after this would have been a five star for me. I think the only fault of the book was that the side characters ended up with a little more personality than Gav did. Gav was, admittedly, too busy wrestling with moral dilemmas and frequent disruptions to his introspection to really reveal much personality other than confused and desperate. Overall this was a book I really enjoyed reading and I am definitely planning to stock and handsell in my indie bookstore.

The comps for DREADFUL are "for fans of T. Kingfisher, K. J. Parker and Travis Baldree".

Now, T. Kingfisher is one of my favourite, auto-buy authors, and I love Legends and Lattes, so I went into DREADFUL fully prepared to be disappointed.

But, I have to say, I don't think the comps could have been any more on the nose. That's exactly how this felt to me, possibly -- and this is the highest praise I can offer -- with a touch of Pratchett thrown in for good measure.

It's dark and funny, and dips in-and-out of the absurd, but there's a sharp eye for social commentary there too, which didn't feel overdone but added extra layers of depth to the characters and the story (hence my comparison to Pratchett). It's also genuinely great fun though, and I do think that's the most important thing. The pacing is quick and the story gallops along, pulling in all sorts of (seemingly) unrelated characters, plotlines and problems all delivered with a fantastic sense of irreverent, dark humour.

A delight of a book that knows exactly the tone it's aiming for and hits it out of the park. One for rereading, for sure! DREADFUL is an incredibly confident, well-crafted debut, and I'm really excited to see what Caitlin Rozakis can do next!

Dreadful is a hilarious and slightly absurd fantasy novel about an evil dark wizard with amnesia. We follow Gav who is caught up in a dark ritual that he can't seem to remember. Gav struggles to understand his past self's actions and motives and tries to become a better version of himself.

This book was so funny and ridiculous in the best way! The writing was self-aware so none of the clichés came across as cheesy. I really liked that Gav was frequently held accountable for his actions and had to confront his past time and time again.

I recommend this to anyone who's looking for a story with heart and is also in for a laugh.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A sharp-witted, debut high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, evil wizards and a garlic festival - all at once. Perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, K. J. Parker and Travis Baldree.

It's bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard's workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, 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 realize 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 as he realizes that nothing - from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess - is quite what it seems, Gav 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?

A high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, an evil wizard convocation, and a garlic festival. All at once. All in all, Dread Lord Gavrax has had better weeks."

Has a strong Nimona vibe... Also it's wrong that the garlic festival is the thing that really grabs my attention right?

Who doesn't love a good story from a villain's perspective? Especially one that can't even remember that he is one! This story has it all: an evil villain with memory loss, a captured princess who is more than she seems, a moody castle full of goblins, clumsy heroes, and a garlic festival! The Dread Lord Gavrax has quite the time figuring out just who he is a who he wants to be which makes for some interesting scenes where he's just not quite sure how to act. Are we who the world thinks we are based on how we look or act or are we maybe something more?

Trying to be a light, humorous fantasy story (like T Kingfisher or Terry Pratchett perhaps) with a villain redemption arc, but it didn’t quite land. For one, it wasn’t particularly funny and it didn’t have enough ties to real-world issues to work as a kind of satirical metaphor (Pratchett’s expertise).

I got through the whole book with a kind of “meh” feeling. Overall enjoyable but not particularly memorable.

Gav wakes up in the half-destroyed workshop of what could only be an evil wizard and comes to two startling realizations. One, he has no memory of anything before waking up, and two, with the way everyone is treating him, HE must be the evil wizard. Faced with a town full of terrified villagers, a castle full of goblins, an ominous meeting of powerful dark wizards, and a captive princess to contend with, Gav - or Dread Lord Gavrax - must try to keep himself alive long enough to discover who he is and who he wants to be.

This was such a fun, witty, whimsical read from start to finish. The dialogue in this book was particularly skillful, with each character having their own unique vocabulary and way of speaking, and the descriptions really painted a clear picture of the characters and settings. Though this is a high fantasy at heart, the book is written with modern speech and values, and anachronisms as a stylistic choice, but this did not interfere with my enjoyment of the story at all. If anything, they enhanced the tongue in cheek nature of the writing.

Gav was a great main character, and I particularly liked seeing him struggle with his own desires to be cruel while trying to improve himself. Giving him real negative impulses made his journey come across as much more of a struggle than if his evil had just been erased entirely. Equally, I also very much enjoyed the characters who were evil because, frankly, they found it fun. The themes of shame and the pressure of meeting expectations were very clear throughout. Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

5/5 Squid, garlic, magic, and meddling heroes.

This was fun! The plot had a few solid twists, and one scene in particular had me snorting with laughter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Dreadful is a fun fantasy romp with a pacey story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I found this to be a perfect bit of light relief between chunkier fantasy tomes; it’s a light-hearted standalone novel with a solid premise and good execution.

The story revolves around Gav, who has woken up in the castle of an evil dark wizard, only to discover that he IS the dark wizard with a severe case of memory loss. The resulting plot feels akin to a classic sitcom, with Gav trying his best to blag his way through conversations with staff, captured prisoners and other evil wizards, pretending he has a clue what's going on. I thought the progression of the story was very well done; every time the situation was on the brink of feeling repetitive or stale, a twist was dropped to keep the interest going and the story progressing. There’s a sense of urgency throughout, as Gav finds himself in a situation where he’s unable to take his time and work things out; he has an evil master plan to enact, if only he could remember what that was!

I didn't think there was a lot to be said for character building or development outside the lead protagonist (or antagonist I guess?), but I really enjoyed Gav’s personal dilemma surrounding his evil past - his process of learning how to be evil again leads to some wonderful moments of charming (if unsubtle) character building. There is a cast of minor characters including goblin chefs, exasperated stewards and captured princesses (all terrified of him), and while many of them have their own minor developments and reveals, this is absolutely Gav’s show.

There have been a few amnesia-based plots in modern SFF times, most notably Brandon Sanderson’s Frugal Wizard’s Handbook and Andy Weir’s masterful Project Hail Mary; while I don’t think Dreadful was quite at the level of the latter, it was still a great entertaining read - particularly for a debut novel! This is a definite recommendation if you enjoyed either of those mentioned novels, plus I think there’s a strong cosy charm to this story that would feel welcoming to readers of Jade Linwood’s Charming and Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes.

This was exactly what I was expecting and more - it was funny, chaotic at times, smart, and the perfect kind of weird. Everything I want in cozy fantasy.

Having read this book I will read anything written by Caitlin Rozakis because we have the same sense of humor. It's not often I find the exact humor I love in fantasy books, but this one was perfect. I laughed and highlighted over 80% of this book. But there was also complex themes about morality, gender, and even beauty culture that pushed this book to the next level and does so without ever losing the humor. There is nothing bad I can say about this book - the worldbuilding, the side characters, the character development, the plot were all perfect. Even at the most chaotic it was easy to follow all the converging plotlines (and still be on the edge of my seat to see how it would all work out).

So if you love funny fantasy, here please read this. I love it (and there is a beautiful sprayed edge edition coming out which is really just the cherry on the cake in my opinion).

Now this book was right up my alley and something I had a good feeling I was going to love and it surpassed all my expectations. It’s a lighthearted comedy fantasy romp that reinvents the classic fantasy trope of the evil villain and makes readers question is the villain really all that bad? Is what there doing really so terrible? We have Gav our main character who wakes up with no memory in a fantasy castle filled with goblins. Absolutely lovely, hilarious. Such a nice change of pace to my reading.

I think this was a decently good first book. It had some really funny moments and was all sorts of quirky and fun. I did have a major problem with the main character and how unlikable he was. I found it hard to really root for him and was fighting to keep focused on the story. It felt almost TOO chaotic at points when it didn't need to be. Overall, it was a good first story and I'm excited to see what future books the author dreams up.

Titan Books provided an early galley for review.

The description for this one sounded interesting and fun. I always enjoy a story where a villain is the protagonist as those stories are often few and far between. The cover jumped out to me too. Together, the perfect draw for this potential reader.

Rozakis plays well with the amnesia angle and the absurd situations that can arise from it. The fantasy genre works here, with the worldbuilding delivered in measured, as-needed doses. As the layers are added to the characters so are the layers added to the plot, all culiminating in a final confrontational situation.

This was a fun fantasy novel. I am eager to see what the author does next.