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370 ratings | 129 reviews | avg rating:4.06

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Nikki Stafinski

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Born

September 21, 1989

Member Since

March 2014

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Nikki Stafinski’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 12 ratings · 2 reviews · 1 distinct work

Chasing Shadows

4.08 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions

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Nikki is Currently Reading

Nikki Stafinski is currently reading

Astarion: Baldur's Gate 3

by T. Kingfisher

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in August 2026

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Nikki Stafinski said: " Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

So...I have to start this off by saying I'm incredibly biased as a diehard Astarion lover. I've played the game multiple time and it's almost impossible not to just romance him again and again-- I once shamelessly p Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

So...I have to start this off by saying I'm incredibly biased as a diehard Astarion lover. I've played the game multiple time and it's almost impossible not to just romance him again and again-- I once shamelessly printed out like a ten page guide of how to unlock the perfect romance with him LOL sorry not sorry. That being said, I really did enjoy this (obsession aside). If I were to pick an author to write something like this, it would have been T. Kingfisher. Their style is absolutely perfect for capturing the right amount of snark for his character, but also balancing comedy with deep emotion and feeling. If you've played the game, you know going into this that it's not going to be butterflies and cotton candy. Astarion has a dark and deeply traumatic backstory. He's complicated as a character, which is part of his appeal. He's witty, charming and theatrical, but also manipulative and very morally gray. In this story, we get a much closer look at his time with Cazador and his relationship with his fellow spawn. Considering where he's at when we meet him at the beginning of Baldur's Gate 3, it's safe to say that we know he's not getting a happily ever after here.

The book alternates between Astarion living underneath Cazador's rule and his life before he was turned. We get snippets of his childhood, his parents, how he came to be a magistrate, etc. At times it was a little bit confusing because there are no real chapter breaks. It was a little jarring at times to suddenly realize we were back in the past. A little bit more of a solid divide between current and past scenes would have been helpful. And while seeing how he grew up was interesting, I'll be honest that I was more interested in the present day chapters. Cazador has implemented a contest among his spawns-- whoever can bring him the rarest, most interesting blood will finally be turned into a full vampire. Which, of course they all know is a long shot anyways because why would he ever give up willing servants, but the spawns all can't help but jump at this one chance. Astarion gets word of a cult beneath the city that worships the blood of a dead god. Of course he decides to steal it, and he finds help in the most unlikely of places-- with a Paladin.

His relationship with the Paladin was by far my favorite bit of the story. I'm a sucker for a good romance obviously, but especially when it's between two people who could not be more unlikely. A Paladin is essentially the opposite of everything Astarion is, but we get the added bonus of this one being sworn to hunt the undead. Forbidden af, love to see it. The banter and yearning was on point. I had moments where I was giddy or laughing, followed by moments of seriously feeling so upset that these two could not end up together for the long run. Anyways, I think this is definitely worth a read for Baldur's Gate fans but I do think there's also some enjoyment to be had for those who haven't played the game. I'm curious now if there will be further novels released following the other characters (Gale, I'm looking at you). ...more "

Aug 03, 2026 07:11AM · see review

Nikki Stafinski is currently reading

The Pumpkin Bride

by Fiona Buttercup

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Sep 28, 2026 05:33PM

Nikki Stafinski is currently reading

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #6)

by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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May 30, 2026 09:43AM

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