Title: Vox Machina: Kith & Kin
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: November 30, 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Explore the past of Critical Role’s daring half-elf twins, Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan, in this original prequel novel to their adventures with Vox Machina.
 
Vex and Vax have always been outsiders. A harsh childhood in the elite elven city of Syngorn quickly taught them not to rely on others. Now, freed from the expectations of their exacting father and the scornful eyes of Syngorn’s elves, the cunning hunter and the conning thief have made their own way in the world of Exandria. 
 
The twins have traveled far and experienced great hardship. But with the help of Vex’s quick wit and Vax’s quicker dagger, they’ve always kept ahead of trouble. Now, unknown perils await them in the bustling city of Westruun, where the twins become entangled in a web spun by the thieves’ guild known to many as the Clasp. Trapped by a hasty deal, Vex and Vax (along with Vex’s faithful bear companion, Trinket) set out into the wilds to fulfill their debt to the infamous crime syndicate. 
 
As the situation grows more complicated than they ever could have imagined, 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.
 
Written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp, Critical Role: Vox Machina—Kith & Kin follows a brand-new adventure that delves into the twins’ unexplored history, and returns to some of the iconic moments that forged Vox Machina’s most unbreakable bond.

Following another book from one of my favorite shows, Critical Role, we follow the twins from campaign one, Vex and Vax, on a journey before their time with Vox Machina. This story takes place over their lifetime, jumping from the present day to moments in the past where events would reflect each other in ways that made you understand why they were happening or give more insight into how things came to be the way they are.

As I stated in my The Nine Eyes of Lucien review, I love to read about character backstories, especially of ones that I care about. As of writing this review, I haven’t finished campaign one yet, but I know the twins and that they’re a chaotic duo who are thick as thieves and would do anything to protect the other. Which, we love to see such a strong family dynamic, but it’s also a dynamic that can and will be used against them time and time again throughout their lives.

In this book, though, we switch between alternating points of view, following either Vex’ahlia through her actions and thoughts, or from Vax’ildan’s thoughts and actions, and I think that it was a delicate balance of the two that was woven well into the story. Though, I also feel like we definitely saw more of Vex’s point of view than that of her brother, but in ways it made sense, especially for the scenes that were playing out before us.

The parts of the book that takes place in the present follows them over just a short series of a couple of weeks, where Vex finds herself in trouble and being targeted by someone who was paid by a noble to have her caught and brought to him, but Vax is never far behind his sister and ends up apprehending the person following her – which causes him to be caught himself and get himself into a situation that he doesn’t have much choice of getting out of if it means protecting his sister.

The parts that take part in the past flow over a time period of about five or six years, following the twins from the time they were about ten years old until they were sixteen and showed the cruelness that can come from growing up unwanted by a singular parent – and their entire community around them – while also showing the softer moments of learning about the self and discovering that there’s more to the world that what’s been shown to them so far.

I found the pacing of the book to be stunted in ways. I found myself not completely drawn into the story, but I chock that up to not being as attached to these characters as I am The Mighty Nein characters. However, there were moments where the plot was fast paced and full of action, bringing you into the moments and wanting to see how it played out, and moments that were slower and calmer that allowed you to be able to soak in the moment in question.

Vex is a strong willed woman who is always seeking approval from those around her, and always has her walls up as a result because there is more than one occasion where she was put down by those she tried to make proud. I liked that we got to see her in the early stages of becoming a ranger (D&D class) and how she learned how to track, hide objects, and befriend Trinket – her bear companion.

Vax is an impulsive man who acts on a whim and tries to blend in with the shadows, always going against the grain of what’s expected of him. He’s cunning and smart, though he puts himself down in ways that compare him to his sister, whom he holds in such high regard.

The contrast between the two is apparent in the campaign setting as well as the book, and I highly appreciate that. They bounce off one another effortlessly, and they have a bond that almost transcends time itself. It’s one of my favorite parts of the book, even when the story itself wasn’t engaging me as much as I had wanted it to. There were moments I was full in on, and others I found myself pushing through to get to the next chapter.

Overall, though, I did enjoy the book, though less that I was imagining. I recommend this book if you’re a fan of Vox Machina or Critical Role, and I also recommend it to those who don’t know what the show is about but are looking for an adventure with siblings and high stakes involved.

★★★.5☆☆ (3.5 stars)