Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd

De: Delilah S. Dawson

Narrado por: Ellie Gossage

A party of adventurers must brave the horrors of Ravenloft in this official Dungeons & Dragons novel!

Five strangers armed with steel and magic awaken in a mist-shrouded land, with no memory of how they arrived: Rotrog, a prideful orcish wizard; Chivarion, a sardonic drow barbarian; Alishai, an embittered tiefling paladin; Kah, a skittish kenku cleric; and Fielle, a sunny human artificer.

After they barely survive a nightmarish welcome to the realm of Barovia, a carriage arrives bearing an invitation:

Fairest Friends,

I pray you accept my humble Hospitality and dine with me tonight at Castle Ravenloft. It is rare we receive Visitors, and I do so Endeavor to Make your Acquaintance. The Carriage shall bear you to the Castle safely, and I await your Arrival with Pleasure.

Your host,

Strahd von Zarovich

With no alternative, and determined to find their way home, the strangers accept the summons and travel to the forbidding manor of the mysterious count. But all is not well at Castle Ravenloft. To survive the twisted enigmas of Strahd and his haunted home, the adventurers must confront the dark secrets in their own hearts and find a way to shift from strangers to comrades—before the mists of Barovia claim them forever.

©2025 Delilah S. Dawson (P)2025 Random House Audio

Interesting story

I bought this book as I love curse of strahd. the story is a bit scatterbrained due to the multiple viewpoints but a solid story.

Over very good listen

Overall great, the ending seemed a bit lackluster and I don't want to spoil anything. I was just expecting more of a focal point in one aspect. All in all great listen.

Fun read, but veers far from Barovia

Overall, this was enjoyable. However, Barovia is near and dear to me and there was some disappointment. That said, this was the kind of tale I excepted from WOTC. It fit within the canon of CoS without exposing too much of the 5e module.

What was fun: the characters, the style of prose, and the narrator. The characters were the stars of the show and I loved how the narrator brought them to life. I also liked Strahd's portrayal in the beginning of the book. I had mixed feelings about the end but overall thought it fit.

What I didn't like as a CoS fan: Half the book takes place in a different domain of dread!
(Again, I don't know what limitations WOTC gave the author, but I did not want to go to Lamordia.) Another bit I found very unsatisfying was that Strahd as a villain was undermined by his "heir." For me, there needed to be more buildup of fear surrounding Strahd himself.
Another reviewer hit the nail on the head when they said the book missed what makes
"Strahd" and "Ravenloft" so iconic.

But if you like Dungeons & Dragons and want a fun story this book was well worth it!

Fun characters

I wish we had more time with them exploring the mist (woods). I need the next book immediately!!!

Interesting characters, and good story pace

Very enjoyable story setting, the characters are the strongest element, the only negative is the conclusion to the story doesn’t share the excellent built pace of the first half of the tale.

that ending

The ending while kind of obvious it makes me really want another book, can't wait to see what else they do

The Narrator carries the Performance

As a fan of Barovia, this feels like a cash grab. it seems lazy and somehow manages to show so little of Barovia. You get the edge of the mists, a butcher shop and the castle. knowing how vast the castle is, it's only a pittance of what was possible. the only saving grace would be the Narrator. she was pleasant and could provide enough variety to manage to keep it entertaining enough.

do you want to revisit Baravoia, yeah thats not going to happen.

If you dont know anything about the curse of strahd story, then this is a good dungeons and dragons story.

If you do, and wanted to revisit the places the tsar pool, Amber temple, Valkaki, the ominous Barovian country side. I also bet youre excited to see the characters, the hag, the burglemister, the fiesty Ireena, the brave Esemeralda, all the other locals.



Awesome, but none of thats going to happen, no madam Eva, no exploring Barovia, just no, its not happening.
but, Rudolph von-exposition is there to fill in story gaps and then be useless.

instead how about a entirely different demiplan? if thats not what you're looking for the street clear, this was badly written but it absolutely missed the heart of what made COS the powerhouse 5e adventure, its not that and wont scratch itch.

Another Weak DnD Modern Novel

I didn’t like the narrator’s voice, found it distracting. I found the story to be weak and boring, it didn’t engage me. I didn’t find any connection to the characters, I didn’t care if they lived, died or completed their mission.

feels like im in the D&D party

I love this book due to it truely grabbing the vibe of ravenloft and the struggle for survival