The undertaker has a secret — she could commune with the dead. When she finds her son murdered on his birthday, her world is shattered. She journeys to hell to find him.
The detective also has a secret — one that nearly killed her partner. She is called to investigate the boy’s murder and uncovers something much darker at work.
Since this is a debut, I will write a review after a while. My rating is based on the entertainment that the novel brought to me.
Although I’m not well versed in the fantasy genre (I don’t read that much fantasy but still try to) this novel was entertaining enough but I think my literary tastes are differing on what I think about it.
This is a book with 2 POVs, Jean and Taura. We open with an emotional prologue which lead me to think that this novel would go in a more emotional way but I was wrong. The direction of this novel went into full action mode and, relatively, a lot of plot twists for my liking.
One point in favor is the description of sceneries but for me, it lacked in creating the atmosphere. It felt beautiful but empty (if that makes any sense). Since the author uses 3rd POV for both characters, I’m conflicted if the voice used affected my perception of how it is being executed. I liked the scenery with the scenes with The Ferryman!
When it comes to the main characters, again, I think this is more so about my preferences, I found them lacking profoundness a little bit. I wanted more of their thoughts, their feelings… And will say, that maybe the choice of voice was also affected by this (again, by my taste).
When it comes to side characters… I see it as… Since this is a novel focusing a lot on the action and plot, I felt like they were kind of “damaged” too. We are treating mostly with side characters that should have more mythological feeling rather than, of what I feel, “characters with supernatural elements”. I would have given such characters more importance in describing their presence rather than just go along with it in simple sentences. I mean, you can definitely do it with simple sentences but again, that goes hand in hand with the lack of profoundness within the main characters.
The ending of the epilogue actually gave me chills so I’ll give it that!
At entertainment value this is a 4⭐️ but I can’t give that rating as I’d rather be honest with my own preferences.
Final words: I recommend this for people who like their fantasy action packed that includes religion, grief! Also loved every illustration at the beginning of every chapter! Really talented!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Brimstone Inferno is the perfect example that a book can be exceptionally well written without going through traditional publishing.
I don't usually read this genre—in fact, this is only my second time—because I'm not particularly interested in Christianity. That said, I grew up rewatching Constantine over and over, so I'm very selective when it comes to stories about demons and angels. However, the author executed the concept in a way that never feels overwhelming with biblical references.
Even as someone who's only familiar with the basics, I found it easy to follow. The story kept me engaged with its emotional twists and compelling plot.
I almost wish I could give it another ⭐️ just for the artwork. The cover and chapter headers were beautifully designed by the author himself, and every detail reflects the years of dedication he poured into creating this story.
I wish I could read this again for the very first time!
The author's writing style is spectacular. It's vivid, poetic, and he has a way with words that just hits you. He doesn't reveal everything all at once. Instead, he drops small details that slowly grow into something much bigger as the story unfolds. I absolutely love books that are written like that.
We follow an undertaker whose son dies on his sixteenth birthday. Determined to bring him back, she travels to the underworld. Meanwhile, a detective tries to uncover what really happened to her son.
I don't want to give anything away because this is one of those books you simply have to experience for yourself.
I could never have guessed where Brimstone Inferno would take me. I had goosebumps more than once, and there were several moments where tears were streaming down my face. The plot twists completely caught me off guard! I never saw any of them coming and I absolutely loved that!
Tom, the author, is also the illustrator behind everything in this book. He created the stunning cover as well as the beautiful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. I genuinely wish more books included hand-drawn artwork like this. It adds so much to the reading experience. The whole book is truly a work of art and its so clear that much time and love has been poured into this story.
I wish I could give this book more than five stars because it deserves every single one. And now I need book two! That ending is going to haunt me for a long time.
This book is incredibly well crafted and beautifully written. I loved every single second of it!
Listened via Spotify Very interesting new world and new author for me. As a debut, this is ambitious and sweeping in its scope. Religion focused and centered on the characters experience of traumatic grief, the emotion runs high. The language is lyrical and beautiful. A highlight for me is all the original art done by Tom himself and the fact that he did the narration for the audiobook and he provided a PDF of the gorgeous chapter heading art with the audio. Really happy with that! Highly recommend giving this dual POV fantasy story a try.
I received this from the author Tom D. Han and I'm really glad I did. This is a book totally different to what I usually read and I really enjoyed it. This did for me what Between Two Fires couldn't, it took a difficult and emotive subject (Christianity/religion etc) and made a compelling story