Vox Machina: Kith & Kin
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-12 09:15:54
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Marieke Nijkamp
- ISBN：1529101239
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp， Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin will follow a brand-new story， featuring the cunning ranger Vex'ahlia and the conning rogue Vax'ildan （and， of course， Trinket） years before they meet Vox Machina。
After leaving the unwelcoming refuge of Syngorn， the twins become entangled in a web spun by the Clasp， and for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years。
After leaving the unwelcoming refuge of Syngorn， the twins become entangled in a web spun by the Clasp， and for the first time Vex and Vax find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict that threatens the home they have carried with each other for years。
Reviews
Amanda
，
I'm new to the world of Critical Role， so I have very little knowledge of campaign one。 Even so， I think this story is a neat fantasy tale and is accessible even if you're not familiar with CR or Dungeons and Dragons。I listened to the audiobook and I think Robbie Daymond was a fantastic narrator！ I'd love to see him narrate more books。My only complaint is that I felt the book had a lot of f-bombs。 Don't get me wrong， it's one of my favorite F words， but they felt forced rather than natural most I'm new to the world of Critical Role， so I have very little knowledge of campaign one。 Even so， I think this story is a neat fantasy tale and is accessible even if you're not familiar with CR or Dungeons and Dragons。I listened to the audiobook and I think Robbie Daymond was a fantastic narrator！ I'd love to see him narrate more books。My only complaint is that I felt the book had a lot of f-bombs。 Don't get me wrong， it's one of my favorite F words， but they felt forced rather than natural most of the time and took me out of the story。 That said， I was able to brush it off and continue listening， so it wasn't too much of a distraction。Overall， the story was fun， kept me invested in the characters， and I would recommend it。 。。。more
Allison S-B
，
I loved this so much！！ Highly recommended listening to the audiobook because it is performed so well。 I could listen to Robbie Daymond narrate grass growing， and it was so fun hearing the voices of Vex and Vax！ Also， A+ for bisexual rep！！ I couldn't be happier with how this turned out and I can't wait for more CR novels in the future。 I loved this so much！！ Highly recommended listening to the audiobook because it is performed so well。 I could listen to Robbie Daymond narrate grass growing， and it was so fun hearing the voices of Vex and Vax！ Also， A+ for bisexual rep！！ I couldn't be happier with how this turned out and I can't wait for more CR novels in the future。 。。。more
Greta
，
I listened to this novel in audiobook version which I feel made it much more enjoyable， making it more similar to a podcast thanks to Robbie's， Laura's and Liam's amazing performances。 The written language isn't anything particularly good， in multiple points it's simplistic and repetitive。 But it made me care about the twins when I had no previous knowledge about them; there's also a really good amount of queer representation （wlw， mlm and nonbinary characters） and ethnic diversity， which made i I listened to this novel in audiobook version which I feel made it much more enjoyable， making it more similar to a podcast thanks to Robbie's， Laura's and Liam's amazing performances。 The written language isn't anything particularly good， in multiple points it's simplistic and repetitive。 But it made me care about the twins when I had no previous knowledge about them; there's also a really good amount of queer representation （wlw， mlm and nonbinary characters） and ethnic diversity， which made it even more enjoyable。 It was overall very nice listening to it and I hope CR will publish even more novels to further deepen their characters' backgrounds or even explore Exandria's potential。 。。。more
Beth
，
Good fantasy novel。 I didn't watch season 1 of Critical Role so I don't really know Vox Machina but this story does a good job of establishing Vex and Vax before that， including flashbacks to their early years。 The narrator is very good and having Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien voice their characters' dialogue makes it perfect。 Good fantasy novel。 I didn't watch season 1 of Critical Role so I don't really know Vox Machina but this story does a good job of establishing Vex and Vax before that， including flashbacks to their early years。 The narrator is very good and having Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien voice their characters' dialogue makes it perfect。 。。。more
Marie
，
I love watching these guys and listening to the audio version with their voices is just as great！ Good book！
Rachelle Puzzitiello
，
My rating for this is probably closer to 3。5 but I’m rounding up。 A solid first time novel for Critical Role - if you’re a Critter and a fan of the twins it gives good insight into their lives before C1。 Any non-CR fans would have an easy time as well， especially being a prequel with no former knowledge needed。 My main complaint was I didn’t really get the “someone is after Vex” side plot in the beginning of the novel。 I’m not sure if a sequel is planned and it will eventually go somewhere or if My rating for this is probably closer to 3。5 but I’m rounding up。 A solid first time novel for Critical Role - if you’re a Critter and a fan of the twins it gives good insight into their lives before C1。 Any non-CR fans would have an easy time as well， especially being a prequel with no former knowledge needed。 My main complaint was I didn’t really get the “someone is after Vex” side plot in the beginning of the novel。 I’m not sure if a sequel is planned and it will eventually go somewhere or if it was only meant to give the author a reason to go down the path that gets them to the main plot… if that’s the case， I feel like there could have been an easier way to do that。Admittedly i had a little bit of a hard time following some of the plot and keeping track of who the side characters were but that could be because I listened to the audio version （while working none the less） rather than reading the physical book。 Or maybe it’s a fault of the author， I don’t know， but I’m going to place blame （this time anyway） on me。 While it was a little hard to follow “reading” it for the first time via audible， I DO recommend listening to it。 Robbie Daymond’s performance was outstanding and Liam and Laura reprising their roles as Vax and Vex made the experience even more amazing。 I couldn’t imagine reading it versus being able to listen to them give life to the twins。 One of the best audiobook performances that I’ve listened to - if I only rated based on it I’d give it 5 stars。 I’d recommend Kith & Kin to fans of Critical Role， friends of Critters who just want to dip their toes into the world to see what it’s about， and anyone who has not watched Critical Role but wants to and plans to watch Legend of Vox Machina （for extra context if they want it though I’m sure it’s not necessary to do so）。 A fun read overall。 。。。more
Alex
，
I don’t really know who to term the genre of ‘books-written-about-characters-who-someone-else-created-from-popular-media’ but this was actually really enjoyable。I am a simple gal。 I see Critical Role content， I consume Critical Role content。 （Particularly if it involves my favourite twins）。 The audiobook version of this is excellent， and quite frankly should be the version you get if you are looking into this。 Laura Bailey and Liam O’Brien deliver great performances as their OG characters and it I don’t really know who to term the genre of ‘books-written-about-characters-who-someone-else-created-from-popular-media’ but this was actually really enjoyable。I am a simple gal。 I see Critical Role content， I consume Critical Role content。 （Particularly if it involves my favourite twins）。 The audiobook version of this is excellent， and quite frankly should be the version you get if you are looking into this。 Laura Bailey and Liam O’Brien deliver great performances as their OG characters and it’s so nice to hear them again， and Robbie Daymond is really nice as the narrator （for those in the know， I haven’t watched EXU or C3 yet so I haven’t watched him in action）。Overall， I would say this is definitely more of a fan service book， but still a decent read。 。。。more
Leni
，
Getting to spend time with the twins again is such a delight。 I hadn't realised how much I missed their bantering and love。 I also thoroughly enjoyed how casually inclusive this entire book is。 Just goes to show what is possible， if you just pay attention to it。 More please！ Getting to spend time with the twins again is such a delight。 I hadn't realised how much I missed their bantering and love。 I also thoroughly enjoyed how casually inclusive this entire book is。 Just goes to show what is possible， if you just pay attention to it。 More please！ 。。。more
Bryan House
，
I was a little bummed by the beginning of the story - everything seemed oddly surface level。 As the story continued I enjoyed it more and more and I love the ending conflicts I love critical role so I am super biased， but I really enjoyed this
Cholie
，
Man I miss the Twins and the rest of Vox Machina。 I really love Vex and Vax and it was really cool to see a pre-CR story with them and it helps explain why they were the way they were in CR。
Abbott
，
The writing is fine。 The story is good。 The voice acting is great。 Definitely a must-read for Critical Role fans！
Raven Hollimon
，
When I finished reading this book I immediately wanted to read it again。 I found myself tearing up towards the end because I really didn't want it to end。 I'm really glad that my favorite pair of twins were represented so well！ The sibling relationship I felt was very true to character; and I definitely want to hear the audio version to hear Laura and Liam bickering again。 I adored the disabled and LGBT+ representation。 The fact that it was treated so casually; so ordinarily in a fantasy setting When I finished reading this book I immediately wanted to read it again。 I found myself tearing up towards the end because I really didn't want it to end。 I'm really glad that my favorite pair of twins were represented so well！ The sibling relationship I felt was very true to character; and I definitely want to hear the audio version to hear Laura and Liam bickering again。 I adored the disabled and LGBT+ representation。 The fact that it was treated so casually; so ordinarily in a fantasy setting is such a breath of fresh air。 I do believe that the plot was sometimes a little clunky; and the ending was something I called a mile away。 However predictable doesn't mean bad！ It was still interesting to see how it all unfolded。 It's harder to write a story when it's not entirely your own， but I think the author did a good job of breathing life into it regardless。 。。。more
Mike Morrison
，
Absolutely wonderful。 I hope they make prologues for each campaign one character。 Felt so magical hearing the twins again。 Robbie did such a great job narrating…very similar to Luke Daniels！
Marcus O'Dell
，
In reality， this is a two star book， it’s just really not that special and is somewhat mediocre （even as a fan of Critical Role）。 That being said an extra star is given because the audio book reading is fantastic and wholly elevates the material。 If you must read this， I’d recommend the audio version。
Gaby
，
I don't normally listen to audiobooks， but I had to make an exception for this one。 Robbie Daymond did a phenomenal job narrating it！ Also， Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien shine so bright when they play Vex and Vax， it never ceases to amaze me。 These people are all so talented， maybe they should become voice actors！ （ha！）The story itself is very captivating for long time critters （I didn't think it was possible to love the twins even more than I already did） and also totally works for newcomers， e I don't normally listen to audiobooks， but I had to make an exception for this one。 Robbie Daymond did a phenomenal job narrating it！ Also， Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien shine so bright when they play Vex and Vax， it never ceases to amaze me。 These people are all so talented， maybe they should become voice actors！ （ha！）The story itself is very captivating for long time critters （I didn't think it was possible to love the twins even more than I already did） and also totally works for newcomers， even if they never even heard of CR。 Vex and Vax together are pure magic。 。。。more
Yours Truly
，
I'd give the story and writing itself a three: as general fantasy for those unfamiliar with Critical Role， this novel would be a sorta-okay， fair-to-middling， not-too-bad kinda book; the writing style itself isn't great （but it isn't bad）， the story itself is simple and predictable but focused， and the pace is easy but often slows to a crawl。 It will be more entertaining for fans of Critical Role， who， let's be honest， are just here for the twins （and Trinket， of course） - their presence alone k I'd give the story and writing itself a three: as general fantasy for those unfamiliar with Critical Role， this novel would be a sorta-okay， fair-to-middling， not-too-bad kinda book; the writing style itself isn't great （but it isn't bad）， the story itself is simple and predictable but focused， and the pace is easy but often slows to a crawl。 It will be more entertaining for fans of Critical Role， who， let's be honest， are just here for the twins （and Trinket， of course） - their presence alone kept me turning pages when I might otherwise have set this novel aside in favor of a more creative and better paced adventure。 I did switch to the audible version about 25% through， and I have to give that a solid 5， fan of the show or not。 The performances of the cast- Robbie Daymond （narrator）， Laura Bailey， and Liam O'Brien （as their characters Vex and Vax， respectively） - were perfect， which is what I'd expect from this crew after watching them for this long （for non-fans: all three are very well-known VO actors for anime and video games; Bailey and O'Brien played the twins during CR's first publicized campaign， Vox Machina， while Daymond joined the cast during their third campaign， Exandria Unlimited）。 So， I'll split the difference and give this one a four。 For fans of CR， and especially Vox Machina， this prequel will be a must-have for their collections， and it'll scratch that itch until the animated series kicks off。 Just save yourself the trouble and money and go straight for the audio version。 。。。more
Karena
，
3。5
Amanda
，
I absolutely adored this book。 I do think it wouldn't be enjoyable for folks not familiar with Critical Role， especially campaign one， as you will probably miss a lot of the emotional beats that reflect in the grown twins from the show。 That aside， this book was so， so good。 The sibling love was *chef's kiss* I absolutely adored this book。 I do think it wouldn't be enjoyable for folks not familiar with Critical Role， especially campaign one， as you will probably miss a lot of the emotional beats that reflect in the grown twins from the show。 That aside， this book was so， so good。 The sibling love was *chef's kiss* 。。。more
Bree Levey
，
Disclaimer: this was always going to get 5 stars from me。 Campaign one of Critical Role means so much to me。 I was so excited to hear more about Vax， Vex and Trinket’s adventures from before they met the rest of Vox Machina。 Loved the little nods to campaign canon。 Loved it。
Sydney
，
i’m a simple woman。 i get good vex content and i am happy。
Amy Braun
，
I have been looking forward to this book all year。 The Twins are some of my favourite characters on Critical Role， and I was thrilled to dive into the audiobook to experience their personalities once more。And it did not disappoint！ Vex and Vax continue to be fierce and loyal and troublesome。 New characters like Darrowyn and Thorn help mirror the dynamic of the twins。 Trinket is Trinket， who can never go wrong。The plot has some exciting moments， twists， and drama， but it is a little slower for pa I have been looking forward to this book all year。 The Twins are some of my favourite characters on Critical Role， and I was thrilled to dive into the audiobook to experience their personalities once more。And it did not disappoint！ Vex and Vax continue to be fierce and loyal and troublesome。 New characters like Darrowyn and Thorn help mirror the dynamic of the twins。 Trinket is Trinket， who can never go wrong。The plot has some exciting moments， twists， and drama， but it is a little slower for pacing。 There were also a couple plot holes that could have been resolved with a little more clarity。 That said， the flashbacks are amazing and were among my favourite moments。 While I have the hardcover as well， I absolutely recommend the audiobook。 Laura， Liam， and Robbie put in mesmerizing performances， making for an immersive listen。For Critters， this is a must have to your collection。 For new fans， this is what you need for more content and understanding of the Twins。 For casual readers， you can pick this story up and enjoy a fantasy adventure with a ranger， a rogue， and their fantastic bear。 。。。more
Gigi
，
I mean， of course I loved this book。 I’d say it’s somewhat of a good intro to the series and world？ I’m too ingrained into the fandom to say for sure by my mom read it as well and said it sort assumes that you know some elements of the worldbuilding but that overall it wasn’t too confusing。 If you’re looking for a fun fantasy adventure with some sibling bonding or want to find a good jumping off point into Critical Role that doesn’t involve watching 500+ hrs of tabletop playing this is the book I mean， of course I loved this book。 I’d say it’s somewhat of a good intro to the series and world？ I’m too ingrained into the fandom to say for sure by my mom read it as well and said it sort assumes that you know some elements of the worldbuilding but that overall it wasn’t too confusing。 If you’re looking for a fun fantasy adventure with some sibling bonding or want to find a good jumping off point into Critical Role that doesn’t involve watching 500+ hrs of tabletop playing this is the book for you！ （Also of course the audiobook was amazing， never doubted it for a second） 。。。more
Bobbi Trimble
，
I enjoyed this as a proud CR newbie。 What really made it was the audiobook - Liam & Laura voicing their characters themselves was great and it couldn’t have been any other way。 Having them read made it easier to feel like I knew Vax & Vex。 Of course Robbie Daymond’s narration was just delightful。 Looking for to more books to come from the CR universe！！
Vae
，
Great pacing， great adventure， very Critical Role in tone but without needing any knowledge of the world to enjoy this prequel。 Looking forward to listening to the audiobook too！
Lay
，
there'll be a full review after I've turned my incoherent screaming into nice words but for now I'll say this: this book is SO FUCKING GOOD！Marieke Nijkamp spins an epic tale that feels like something told around a campfire while also perfectly fitting in with Matt Mercer's in-campaign narration。 Friends， I am absolutely obsessed with the writing in this book。 Like genuinely "won't stop thinking or talking about this for a while" obsessed。 I listened to the audiobook version and as an audiobook there'll be a full review after I've turned my incoherent screaming into nice words but for now I'll say this: this book is SO FUCKING GOOD！Marieke Nijkamp spins an epic tale that feels like something told around a campfire while also perfectly fitting in with Matt Mercer's in-campaign narration。 Friends， I am absolutely obsessed with the writing in this book。 Like genuinely "won't stop thinking or talking about this for a while" obsessed。 I listened to the audiobook version and as an audiobook lover。。。Kith and Kin is definitely in my top 5 audiobooks。 Robbie fucking Daymond is magical and carries this story with confidence and ease while also somehow managing to play seemingly hundreds of NPCs with distinct voices。 He created a full world in my ears as if it was nothing！ Laura and Liam reprise their roles as Vex and Vax and their dialogue just slots right into the narration， it's absolutely brilliant。other things I loved: - all of the characters are so complex and multidimensional- the world feels real and lived in- the central conflict has depth and nuance and constantly makes you question your assumptions， SO FUCKING GOOD- it feels like returning home for me （a Critical Role fan） but I'm also 99% sure that it's perfect for anyone who has no interest in CR or DnD because at its heart， it's a fantasy adventure about family and what we're willing to do for the people we love。 And who doesn't love a badass set of twins？！- Vax is bi as fuck and we love to see it- the way the action is described？？ Marieke Nijkamp， teach me your ways。 - so much backstory！！ childhood flashbacks to important moments！- Vax says "fuck" like， a lot。 If you ever wanted to hear Liam O'Brien say fuck in his Vax voice in all kinds of situations， do yourself a favour and get the audiobook。- Trinket！I'll happily buy both anything Marieke Nijkamp has written and will write （time to buy some books！） and any future Critical Role books because oh boy， time well spent！so yeah， this book was everything I hoped and more， I'm glad I listened to the audiobook version and I'll happily tell both my critter and non-critter friends to read it because it fucking slaps！ 。。。more
BlackfishGirl
，
I was never going to be able to give this book a fair review because I was clearly already invested before buying it。 That being said， I was pleasantly surprised， I thin even for non Critical Role fans this would be a nice read though it may lack detail if you're not already familiar with Taldorei。 Hope there's more！ I was never going to be able to give this book a fair review because I was clearly already invested before buying it。 That being said， I was pleasantly surprised， I thin even for non Critical Role fans this would be a nice read though it may lack detail if you're not already familiar with Taldorei。 Hope there's more！ 。。。more
Paula -
，
4。5。 Really enjoyed having some more Vex & Vax backstory。 The audiobook was amazing obviously。
Sue
，
So much fun learn some more backstory about the twins。 The audiobook is really well done。
Magpie6493
，
Audio book format wise this may have been fun but the physical version just wasn't for me。 I was realky excited when u read this and ended up being realky disappointed esspecially since the book in Canada was nearly 40 dollars。 The plus I will say about this is that the representation was amazing and is definitely something I want to see more of within the fantasy Genre。This book however had severe pacing problems and could have really benefitted from more editing。 I'm a big fan of critical role Audio book format wise this may have been fun but the physical version just wasn't for me。 I was realky excited when u read this and ended up being realky disappointed esspecially since the book in Canada was nearly 40 dollars。 The plus I will say about this is that the representation was amazing and is definitely something I want to see more of within the fantasy Genre。This book however had severe pacing problems and could have really benefitted from more editing。 I'm a big fan of critical role and Vax is my favorite all time character and that was pretty much the only thing propelling me through this and even then at a certain point reading this kind of became a bit of a chore。 As someone who reads a lot of fantasy I probably have a bit of a higher standard than most people。 This book had it not been Cristal role related I probably would not have even gotten past the first few pages。 It's fairly average as far as fantasy books goes and doesn't really offer much more than that。There's a ton of Easter eggs hidden in here and im sure a hard-core fan would probably enjoy that part of it but there are certain elements that end up feeling kind of forced in。Either way this book may have been a bit of a disappointment for me but again I think tge work this author does and the diversity included in this is definitely something worth talking about and supporting。 Overall this book is more just gonna end up as something with a pretty cover sitting on my shelf。 。。。more
Anniken Haga
，
I don't have a relationship to Vex and Vax from before， as I never watched Campaign 1， so I didn't originally plan on reading this book， but it was the only thing that sparked some interest at the time， so I gave it a go。 I'm glad I did。 I now want to watch Campaign 1， despite the sound that gives me a headache every time I try。 （It's not bad for ''normal'' people， but I have a messed up sound sensitivity） The book in itself is well written。 It has an interesting story about humanity and how the I don't have a relationship to Vex and Vax from before， as I never watched Campaign 1， so I didn't originally plan on reading this book， but it was the only thing that sparked some interest at the time， so I gave it a go。 I'm glad I did。 I now want to watch Campaign 1， despite the sound that gives me a headache every time I try。 （It's not bad for ''normal'' people， but I have a messed up sound sensitivity） The book in itself is well written。 It has an interesting story about humanity and how there's two sies to every story， and ever villain and person。 I will admit that it was slow at times， and I did space out， but if that was just my depressed mind wandering or the book at fault， I don't know。 I did really appreciate how real the world felt to me， though！ Not only did the book feel like a Critical Role ARC - which I'm surprised at， that a writer could capture - but there was also disabled and LGBT+ people all over， which is how the world actually is！ It was fantastically real。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Vox Machina: Kith & Kin
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Vox Machina: Kith & Kin&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft