Hellfire Girls

Finished this recently. I am that rare creature who looks for and often enjoys spin off media. I don't hold my nose about it, either. Writing a story is writing a story. It's difficult. It rarely pays, and even more rarely pays well. Few people do it, and even fewer do it well. I don't care whether it's  your sandbox or someone else's--all I can ask is that you entertain me.

Brimstone Angels entertained me. It's a Dungeons and Dragons novel, set in the world of the Forgotten Realms. It tells the story of a tiefling called Farideh, who becomes a warlock by accident kinda? Because of this, she, her twin sister and her adopted Dragonborn old man have to amscray from their home and make their living as mercenaries. Following this unexpected career path, they run into new friends, old conspiracies, and a devil who--despite giving Farideh her powers--may not have her best interests completely at heart.

Erin M. Evans goes above and beyond the expectations of the genre here. She gives Farideh more depth than you'd find in a Salvatore novel, even if at times Brimstone Angels slides into YA novel territory, with its focus on crushes and bad boy boyfriends. With a devil as a supporting character, it's no surprise that she works in the Realms version of Hell and all the politics simmering away down there. This was darker than I had expected to be, to be honest. Evans ties it all together quite well.

While the novel feels like it wanders a bit in the middle, Evans brings things to a satisfactory conclusion. The story continues in a second volume, which I have yet to pick up.

The only problems I had with the book are really just problems with the source material. I'm not a fan of easy magic in novels, and this being Dungeons and Dragons, fireballs and healing spells fly around like nobody's business. I also find myself wondering just how the economy works in this place, since everyone seems to be either out on a quest, hiding their true identities, or plotting some epic malfeasance. Aside from a few guards and shop owners, no one seems to have a job. How does anyone eat in this place?

These are the questions that plague me.

Having only read on Dungeons and Dragons novel before, Brimstone Angels was a definite improvement.