The Vibe Check
Genre: Medieval Horror, Thriller, fantasy
Rating: 5 / 5 Paws 🐾
Perfect For: A month in which you want to get sucked in by a story that you wont be able to stop thinking about.
Tropes/Keywords: Grimdark Fantasy/Medieval Horror/ Lone Wolf and Cub/The Quest/Road/Apocalyptic Christianity/Metaphysical Horror:
The Hook (No Spoilers)
This is a different level of horror; you are caught between a historical fiction and theological horror. I couldn’t have imagined a novel quite like this. The world is caught in a war between Heaven and Hell, and humans are being destroyed by a plague that is stripping away every ounce of faith left on the planet.
The Deep Dive
This book is incredibly descriptive. You will feel the death, the smell, and the fear. The author perfectly captures the "end of the world" atmosphere of the 14th century, a time when people truly believed the apocalypse was unfolding around them.
The creatures and demons encountered are truly unsettling; they aren’t your typical movie monsters, but rather surreal, biblical nightmares that feel ancient and terrifying. Despite the gore, the heart of the book is a story of redemption. The bond that forms between the violent knight and the young girl provides a flicker of light in an otherwise very dark world.
What I Loved:
My favorite part of this novel is its deep layer of symbolism; I was completely sucked into it. I have the best time when I can research as I progress through a book, and the historical accuracy here is remarkable. It allowed me to learn about historical moments I knew nothing about.
As someone who usually reads "cozy" stories, it was refreshing to find such wonderfully descriptive writing. It fills you with so much fear that you might even have nightmares as you read!
Even though the novel is set during the 1300s, it feels oddly familiar. The characters have an uncanny resemblance to people in power nowadays, and beneath the religious connections, there is a thrilling political commentary. In some moments, the novel felt more dystopian than horror (which I love) but that also made it even more terrifying.
The plague was another element that struck me. Its resemblance to our recent experiences with COVID-19 made me wonder if this was a curse set upon us, one orchestrated by a man connected to a fallen angel, all designed to hurt God.
What Missed the Mark: There were moments where we were given flashbacks to their past, and to be honest, it really affected the pacing of the story. I mostly skimmed through those chapters, which is something I really don’t like to do.
Favorite Quotes
Now in these days the Lord God had turned His face from the business of men; and the angels who had remained loyal to Him said to one another, we must look after the children of Adam. And they did so, as best they could.
If she’s a saint, this is a holy pilgrimage. If she’s a witch, I might try to mitigate her wickedness.
Heaven was a woman holding your head in the crook of her arm and looking down at you. Heaven was a warm hand on your cheek and the smell of soup with garlic on the fire.
Two angels and a devil had tumbled into the water. Three angels came up. Forgiveness, then, was possible even for the worst.
Through the Lens
I read this novel at all moments of the day! even before bed and I would get awful nightmares
The Wandering Paw's Verdict
I fully recommend this book if you are over 21 years old; it is very dark, and it takes a more mature perspective to consume such a heavy story. I have never been more consumed by a novel than I was by this one. I genuinely feel like I gained historical knowledge from reading it.
The ending was incredible. Usually, authors try to speed through the conclusion, but that wasn't the case here. Christopher took his time to make the closure feel real, giving the characters the space to finish their development. I cried so much at the end! Also, knowing that Delphine was HIM all along makes me want to re-read the entire book with that in mind.
It’s been a month since I finished this novel and I’ve read four books since then… yet it is still so fresh in my head. This story makes me feel so grateful that I love reading!
