Getting Reacquainted with Ravenloft and Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson
Author: Delilah S. Dawson
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Representation: Bisexual
As someone who cut their fantasy teeth on the original Dragonlance novels, and who fell in love with the whole Ravenloft setting back in the 80s, I was excited about Delilah S. Dawson drawing us through the mists again for another encounter with the legendary Darklord, Strahd von Zarovich.
The first half of Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd was everything I could have hoped for. Dawson does a fantastic job of setting the scene, creating the atmosphere, and grounding us in Barovia. The characters are a fun group of adventurers, a mad assortment of strangers from other D&D realms who must band together against zombies, wolves, and more. There’s action, violence, banter, and even some moments of genuine heroism. I was interested in this party, excited to get to know them and learn their backstories, and curious about how their encounter with Strahd would challenge and change them.
As for Strahd, he was played a bit too thin for my tastes, evil and cruel from the get-go, with none of the seduction into darkness that I remember from the original stories. For all that, I did like his brand of evil, and enjoyed the way he played on the fears and dreams of the party, but then he disappears for half the book and my interest waned without him.
The second half of the book, I’m afraid to say, was a bitter disappointment. The party is split up, with a side quest outside of Barovia that really added nothing to the story, and what little we do see of Strahd is tied to character changes that don’t ring true. To make matters worse, when the story finally brings us back to where it all started, we’re dropped into the middle of the climax, with most of the epic-final-battle-against-the-villain already over. Seriously? How was that a creative decision that slipped past editorial?
Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd had potential, but then it abandons what’s working to pad the page count, only to come back and abbreviate the battle where additional page count was needed.
Rating: 
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
