Reviews

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

sigrros's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

thistledownhair's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

kaiacat's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

iambigsmelly's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

fargestift's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

venti's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

ahhh so close to perfect 

sunseveria's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

3.0

jselliot's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was actually a much better book than I thought it'd be, going into it. The opening made me a bit skeptical, and I'm picky about horror. I'd actually classify this more of a dark historical fantasy than horror now that I've reached the end. 

It does help to have some knowledge of biblical figures, so you won't be lost with the cast of characters that rotate in and out through the  background and as antagonists, but you can always look them up if you're willing to pause your reading for context. The book is, as a whole, thoroughly researched but also thankfully not absolutely mired in period-accurate sexism of the 13th century. There's absolutely whispers of it, but it fades into the background as the importance of the plot and character development pushes to the forefront.

I also loved the epilogue of this book. It provided closure in more ways than one for the characters, which is what I think sets it apart from the horror that it is tagged as. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Antisemitism, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Rape and Homophobia

bulwerka's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A medieval acid trip that was an excellent read.

agenn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5