A review by jselliot
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was actually a much better book than I thought it'd be, going into it. The opening made me a bit skeptical, and I'm picky about horror. I'd actually classify this more of a dark historical fantasy than horror now that I've reached the end. 

It does help to have some knowledge of biblical figures, so you won't be lost with the cast of characters that rotate in and out through the  background and as antagonists, but you can always look them up if you're willing to pause your reading for context. The book is, as a whole, thoroughly researched but also thankfully not absolutely mired in period-accurate sexism of the 13th century. There's absolutely whispers of it, but it fades into the background as the importance of the plot and character development pushes to the forefront.

I also loved the epilogue of this book. It provided closure in more ways than one for the characters, which is what I think sets it apart from the horror that it is tagged as. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings