Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

43 reviews

robotfanclub's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

hamstringy's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

Unexpectedly really emotionally resonant! Pitched via Twitter as medieval Black Plague horror, and it’s definitely horror but a much quieter and disturbing horror rather than a nonstop onslaught of Big Events. Also somehow still very vulnerable and three-dimensional when approaching characters who have lived some contradictory and not-so-great choices. 

It’s also a particularly humanizing portrayal of a pandemic & a deeply religious response to that pandemic. It’s interesting to me that a lot of the attitudes around *somehow still living during horrible times* match very closely with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Grief

marinableu's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Antisemitism

matt4hire's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

A sometime knight meets a strange young girl during the Black Plague in France, and ends up getting pulled along on a strange quest.

Do you like religious horror? Do you like post-apocalyptic horror? Do you like dark fantasy? Do you like really well-written, flawed characters trying to do their best in life? This is a book you should read.

Buehlman’s writing is pretty aces. His characters are interesting, his senses of action and pacing are top-notch.

The one thing to know, if you do pick this up, is that this book is actually scary, and fairly gruesome, too. It’s not exactly splatter stuff, but there’s quite a bit of violence.

Still, definitely recommend if you’re into that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Gore

ajay913's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Animal death, Rape, Torture, and Antisemitism

jellygh0st's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Antisemitism

It's not ill-spirited, i.e. portrayal is obviously not condonement - but antagonists mention/voice intent on sexual assault, antisemitism, and religious supremism very frequently. The author doesn't take pleasure in the idea of exploring those ideas out of morbid curiosity, as some books might, but they are mentioned and given proper emotional weight and punishment when necessary.

thenoboshow's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

shadowdra126's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-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

5.0

This book is one part Dark Souls, two parts Hieronymus Bosch, set to the soundtrack of every heavy metal band ever created, and finally seasoned with wit and humor through and through. 

This book was amazing and moving and also completely and totally fucking bitchin’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, and War

garrettcz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-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

4.25

I liked it, but it felt longer than necessary and the ending was pretty confusing. I kept having to reread parts of the end over again before I really understood what was going on. The last 15% could have been tightened up. 

The characters and dialogue were the best parts. 

It had a lot more horror tropes than I expected. Very dark in places. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

darkpizza's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, and War