Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I requested The Blade Between because a friend of mine was absolutely raving about it. I’m glad that I requested it because I flew through this book. I don’t know that I would say I enjoyed it, but it was definitely and experience.
So, I want to mention first that the writing was incredible. There were so many great lines and fantastic description in this book. I cannot say enough good things about Miller’s writing. He managed to make it a creepy and atmospheric story, but also convincing us to love these very flawed characters. I think there were some really interesting topics covered in a thoughtful way. This story follows Ronan as he returns to his home town of Hudson, a place he has no fond memories of. But his father is dying and it’s time he finally returns. But things escalate and suddenly he’s fighting against the gentrification of a town he grew up hating. I really liked this aspect of the story. Ronan has so many mixed feelings about his hometown, but he still does his damnedest to save it. I also loved all of the antics that Ronan and his friends participate in to ‘save’ the town. I think there were definitely some moments that were a bit extreme, but the author did a really good job showing character motivations that were almost understandable. It wasn’t hard to sympathize with these characters.
I also think the author did a really great job of creating different and interesting characters. Even though the story sort of jumped around with who it was following, I had no issues distinguishing between any of them. They were all unique and interesting. Now, the plot was fascinating. I loved the fantasy elements that were included in the story. The bits about the whales was absolutely creepy, but only got creepier with the inclusion of the ghosts that play a role in the story.
Overall, I think this was an horrifying and excellent story. I will absolutely be reading more books by this author. Miller’s writing was exceptional and memorable. I think the characters were easy to love, even when they were doing shitty things. I just couldn’t put this book down. I highly recommend this one for fans of horror or darker fantasy books.
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence