Truly a fun read! It's a Warhammer story, so it's going to be dark and gory no matter what, but it's got an odd little twist of being a monster romance. Not just, like, the warrior of the Colonnade (a city of purity), being drawn to one of the Vengorian Lords, but it's more about her romantic draw towards <i>monstrosity</i>. Though it's that first one too! There's even a ball scene so they can dance together!

It's a bit predictable in places (like ah, yeah, the bard whose pride got injured will keep riling people up against the alliance no matter how much of a bad idea it is) but not in a bad way; it feels just, to some extent, things are inevitable and it's what the individuals choose to do that matter. I really feel like it set out to do everything it meant to do.

This was a fun read. The character development is excellent and the story is decent, if not a hit predictable. Annandale is very good at describing the environments and appearance of characters, and I believe this is what really made this book great. The image he paints of the city, the countryside, battles, and other locations really gives the reader a great idea of what he is trying to convey in his writing.

The story follows a bard that happens to learn of an impending threat to his home city. From there the story shifts to following several different characters as the attack draws closer and the culminating events are predictable in the end, but still very entertaining. The novel involves the warhammer fantasy race of beast men as the main big bad. But also introduced me to the unfamiliar Age of Sigmar race, the avengorri (like vampire/dragon hybrids) I very much liked how they were described and their overall traits and abilities. As someone not to familiar with age of Sigmar I think they are a pretty neat faction.

The two main characters go through some pretty heavy development in such a short story and I found this refreshing.

If you want some good age of Sigmar undead faction reading this is a good one to pick up. I can even think someone whose not familiar with warhammer at all but likes vampire stories, might enjoy this one as well.

Dark and fun, another excellent creepy tie-in novel by Annadale. The Colonnade is a great city high above the ground, which keeps it safe from the roving monsters that plague the countryside. Convinced of their own superiority and purity, an alliance with the Avengorii and their queen, Lauka Vai, is controversial, even as it is the only chance the city has to survive an incoming assault. Even for those who are unfamiliar with Warhammer lore, this is a great read.

As with most Black Library books, I found myself enthralled with A Dynasty of Monsters. Such a great world that has been created and Annandale fits his particular story of darkness and chaos in beautifully. The tension is high, it is a quick read, and delivers on the chills that make these BL books so damn great when compared to the boring tropey nonsense that plagues much of the genre. Would recommend this one very highly and I should have a full review up on the blog very soon with the appropriate link. Great stuff!

Storyline was superb throughout and the characters were intriguing. Great world building with plenty to offer, can't wait to see what happens next.