Scan barcode
A review by thenovelstitch
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Huh.
I am not so sure where I stand with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Overall, it was a solid 3.75 star read for me. I thought the characters were really intriguing and very distinct, I enjoyed Jones’ fresh take on vampires and I thought the dual POVs were done so well. Each character’s voice was so distinct, which is what made the dual perspectives so fun to jump back and forth between.
This book is LONG and SLOW and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was surprised by my desire to stick it out and finish it because I usually DNF’d just on pacing alone. Im not sure I’m better off for sticking it out though, as much as I enjoyed the depth of Arthur and Good Stab’s stories there were a multitude of issues I had with the story outside of the pacing.
The first and biggest issue for me is Etsy’s character and the flimsy wrappings of her story that contained the deeper narrative. Honestly could have done without the entire Etsy storyline. It felt so jarring to jump back into her perspective after such a sweeping saga that it practically killed the vibe for me. Her character wasn’t funny (even though she was desperately trying to be) or clever. The book would easily be 4.5 stars if her part wasn’t in it. I struggled with understanding the necessity of her story. It felt like Jones couldn’t let go of this characters and needed to just drag out their existence a little bit more. I could have done without it.
The rest of my gripes are small and probably insignificant. Trying to understand what the hell a “dirty-face” was or what they meant when referring to items or other food sources was confusing and took me out of the story often. Jones would follow up with a definition or clarity later in the chapter, but it was so far past the new phrase or word that you’d then spend multiple pages wondering what the hell this thing meant. Again a small gripe, and I get that these are historically accurate words and names for things like cows and prairie dogs, it was just a bit tough to navigate.
All in all, I probably won’t read this again but I would recommend it for a horror lover who wants a fresh take on vampire and the Wild West. There are some significant potential content triggers in here so please read content warnings if you need.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
I am not so sure where I stand with The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Overall, it was a solid 3.75 star read for me. I thought the characters were really intriguing and very distinct, I enjoyed Jones’ fresh take on vampires and I thought the dual POVs were done so well. Each character’s voice was so distinct, which is what made the dual perspectives so fun to jump back and forth between.
This book is LONG and SLOW and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was surprised by my desire to stick it out and finish it because I usually DNF’d just on pacing alone. Im not sure I’m better off for sticking it out though, as much as I enjoyed the depth of Arthur and Good Stab’s stories there were a multitude of issues I had with the story outside of the pacing.
The first and biggest issue for me is Etsy’s character and the flimsy wrappings of her story that contained the deeper narrative. Honestly could have done without the entire Etsy storyline. It felt so jarring to jump back into her perspective after such a sweeping saga that it practically killed the vibe for me. Her character wasn’t funny (even though she was desperately trying to be) or clever. The book would easily be 4.5 stars if her part wasn’t in it. I struggled with understanding the necessity of her story. It felt like Jones couldn’t let go of this characters and needed to just drag out their existence a little bit more. I could have done without it.
The rest of my gripes are small and probably insignificant. Trying to understand what the hell a “dirty-face” was or what they meant when referring to items or other food sources was confusing and took me out of the story often. Jones would follow up with a definition or clarity later in the chapter, but it was so far past the new phrase or word that you’d then spend multiple pages wondering what the hell this thing meant. Again a small gripe, and I get that these are historically accurate words and names for things like cows and prairie dogs, it was just a bit tough to navigate.
All in all, I probably won’t read this again but I would recommend it for a horror lover who wants a fresh take on vampire and the Wild West. There are some significant potential content triggers in here so please read content warnings if you need.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault