A review by zsabella
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

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

2.0

I really wanted to like this, but my interest fizzled out after part 2. I admire the author’s enthusiasm for medieval history and the creative energy he put into researching the cultural and religious aspects of 14th century france, but this felt like him rushing to cram history, fantasy, and religious horror together in a way I didn’t find very effective. the premise is so cool and ambitious, but sadly wasn’t engaged by the characters or story.

the writing isn’t awful, but the confusing dialogue/POV nagged me. buehlman randomly switches between first names, full names, titles, or no names of new and core characters which was so distracting! as for the horror, I think the genre’s tropes work best when we get to dwell on them and build a sense of dread, so I was surprised to read that each scary scene wraps up pretty neatly by the end of its chapter. you could read most of the chapters with scares and fever dream sequences out of order without messing up the sense of continuity. but if you don’t care about chapters feeling like vignettes it might not bother you as much as it did me… on to the next I guess 🥲
Expand filter menu Content Warnings