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Welcome—

to my nekoweb dot org meow :3

Book Reviews—

Between Two Fires, Christopher Buelhman | 9/10

Dark Fantasy Medieval Historical Fiction

After reading The Lesser Dead (8/10), which was great by the way, I wanted to pick up another book by this author since his prose is amazing. I think in comparison to the latter, this one is far more gruesome because of the realistic historical aspects. Not that The Lesser Dead was any *less* good with its historical elements, 1970's New York, this one is definitely more visceral-feeling, set in the 14th century. I enjoyed and appreciated the Christianic religious symbols depicted as downright terrifying creatures, the Black Plague and the affects on the commonfolk is far worse (in my opinion). I don't know much about religions, including this one, but as popular as it is in my country, I do have some knowledge in passing, so I can still imagine what was intended. The beginning is quite slow and not in a bad way, the author does well in building up the characters in their world and building the world itself, I was never bored. Halfway through, it *really* started going and it was incredibly worth the build up to it. And the Lord gave no answer...

Heavy Spoilers:

And the reason "he" didn't was because she was a 12 year old girl. The start of the plot follows Thomas, a disgraced knight on a quest for revenge and his subsequent arc of redemption, and Delphine, who (unbeknownst to them) turns out to be a reborn Christ, as they embark on a journey together. Their very-slowly evolving relationship, which grows into familial paternal love, was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Later on, they meet Matthieu, a gay alcoholic priest, but on their travels to Avignon, he unfortunately dies saving the girl. I sort of figured he might die, but still. I enjoyed his additions to the story, and how he was a voice of reason at times and a source of comfort to Delphine. Her reaction to his death was :(((((((((((((( ... Their mission led them to Avignon to confront demons who had installed a false Pope and aimed to start a war while the "Lord" remained silent. The demons are creatively depicted, with the statues being particularly eerie. My favorite was the scarecrow demon because of its morbid skeleon nun hands. The ending battle sequence was beautifully written and horrible and amazing. Delphine is killed by the Holy Spear and her body rips apart as the divine holy Thing escapes her to defeat the army. Thomas dies, his soul depicted in Hell, suffering forever, until Delphine comes to rescue him. I only wish the battle had a lot more written for it, but what was is still brilliant (in my opinion). He wakes up and everyone but him believes the angelic and demonic battle was just an earthquake, and in the epilogue, his adoption of Delphine as his daughter in his old age provided an unexpectedly heartwarming end to their odyssey. I loved the character developments, the plot, and the ending. I will very likely re-read again!!!

Recommended Reads—

Cabin at the End of the World, Paul G. Tremblay | 8/10
Fiction Thriller Mystery

The Lesser Dead, Christopher Buelhman | 8/10
Urban Fantasy Vampires Horror

Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon | 9/10
Non-Fiction

The Devil Takes You Home, Gabino Iglesias | 7/10
Fiction Crime Thriller Mystery

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir | 9/10
Science Fiction Thriller Mystery