Reviews

Entre Ciel et Enfer by Christopher Buehlman

avalikebook's review against another edition

Not really sure how to rate this one. Or what I just read. Or why I just read it.

svan1995's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

dsaint25's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.5

ametxa's review against another edition

4.0

I feel like this eventually becomes more dark fantasy rather than horror, which seems like splitting hairs but the first proper encounter in this book feels incredibly sinister and isn't really fully matched the same way for the remainder of the book.

The scope and stakes change in a way that feels less like every nerve in your fight or flight system is being activated, and more seeing of how the scrappy heroes will escape yet another ambush.

That's not to say this is a bad book, though. It's brutal and horrifying (which is what horror is meant to do) and touching and emotional. I even teared up unexpectedly at one point.

Medieval horror seems to be rarely touched in literature, and this is a mostly well-rounded take on it.

tazerfish's review against another edition

3.0

I read it for the book club.
Not my type of book.

Medieval historical fantasy with devils and angels.
There was a bunch of nice characters with good "chemistry" so to speak.

Still, the whole christian hell motiv, a rough constantly swearing asshole brigand for a protagonist and the repeated talk of rape, especially concerning minors really wasn't for me.

To be fair, Thomas, our "swearing asshole brigand protagonist", is much more redeemable and charming than I've made him out to be.

It's pretty well written. It's pretty unique (as far as I can tell). But it's not for me.

bottledyeti's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

ouremr's review against another edition

4.0

I haven’t been so terrified by someone’s vision of hell since I first read Dante’s Inferno.

groovygroves's review against another edition

3.0

I’m bummed, because I had such high hopes for this book and I seemed to have missed the greatness. I really enjoyed the main characters and their development, but the religious aspect and references of the story lost me a lot throughout. The writing was great and I could enjoy the talent, and the environment was extremely bleak in its medieval French plague ridden setting. Too many dream sequences for me personally, that always seems to take me out of a story regardless of the genre.

I can tell Buehlman has something here, but I was never able to fully piece it together for myself on the journey. 3.5/5 for me.

wittytipple's review against another edition

3.0

did a plague doctor tour in prague which prompted me to read this. perfectly scratched the itch of what I wanted, very pleasantly spooky in a grown-up goosebumps/campfire story way without actually leaving me with nightmares or anything. suffered slightly from feeling a bit like a witcher ripoff (big gruff soldier with dark past carts a thin magical blonde girl to safety) but what can you do

appalatchun's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

4.25