Das Ende ist etwas zu sehr hollywood, aber ich bin insgesamt positiv überrascht, und hatte bereits hohe Erwartungen. Die einfache Struktur könnte man noch bemäkeln. Ansonsten ist das ein sehr gut geschriebenes Horrorbuch mit genau überlegten und eingesetzten Elementen aus der christlichen Religion. Das Grauen ist effektiv und vielseitig und zeigt sich nicht nur durch Übernatürliches. Die Pest und der unendliche Schmutz erzeugen eine wahre Dystopie. Im Sinne von sie ist tatsächlich geschehen.

<b>4 ⭐ – This was horrible in the most beautiful ways...</b> Before I start: This book is from 2012, and that is why I forgive it, but in today's times, one could edit a few content warnings: Death, Violence, Murder, Antisemitism, Religion, Body horror, Implications of rape—just to name a few. I somehow can't quite pinpoint my thoughts about this book and I wanted to give it 5 Stars so bad, but there were these minor things... It is brilliant in its own way, throwing you straight into the horrors of plague-ridden France. The world is dark and hopeless. I keep on thinking it is like <i>Dark Souls</i> but in book-form. People are evil, hope is scarce and as if the plague in a medieval setting isn't enough <i>hell</i> the story actually turns out to be about a war between heaven and hell. Devils wear human faces and unleash horrors into the world and use the despair of humans. The book itself sometimes <i>lingers</i> in sequences that aren't really important for the plot for way too long, which sometimes kills off the perfect vibes just a little. It wasn't a complete bother but one that happened throughout the entire book which let me to go with 4 Stars in the end. Other than that, it is exactly what one would look for when turning to a medieval horror book. Brutal, honest, and disturbingly vivid. At times, I physically recoiled, as the author's descriptions painted scenes so graphic and visceral they felt almost tangible. Buehlman crafts a narrative that refuses to let go, immersing the reader in a grotesque yet strangely captivating world. It scratches the itch you have when you have a fascination for the morbid. His characters are flawed—a mix of the admirable and detestable—adding to the unease he manages to pull off with ease. With an unrelenting commitment to his vision, he achieves an atmosphere that is both chilling and dreadful. It was my first book of Buehlman, but it surely wasn't my last.