A review by hhollins
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman

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

3.25

This one was difficult to read, for more reasons than it was good to read.
  • Although it is reasonable to expect for the time period and location, I still couldn't stomach the overt racism.
  • The pacing was really slow. 
  • The storyline of "investigating the plantation and writing a book about it" really dropped off, and it would have been more compelling/to build more tension if it were addressed more throughout the book than at the end.
  • The main character and his wife were too horny, for how slowly paced the book was, and I really felt like it was adding to scenes dragging out.
  • I think I could have lived without all of the war montages. His history of war added some complexity to his character, but I don't think it did much.

Pros:
  • The setting is established well and it is an interesting place to imagine.
  • Historical accuracy, I think?
  • The scarier parts had good description and tension.
  • The overall concept was interesting.

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