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studiouspencil's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved a lot of the characters, particularly Doctor Toth and Olivia Sanderson, but I felt we never delved as deep as I wanted to go into their emotional states.
I thought Olivia was really interesting as autism representation. She reminds me of myself in that she’s clearly high masking and using scripts, repeated phrases, and and studying the people around her to get through social interactions. She’s constantly mentioned as having a flat affect and little to no emotion on her face unless she’s “performing” it deliberately, something I also struggle with. However I kept expecting her to crash. One cannot go through a deeply stressful situation like this as an autistic person without stimming, going nonverbal, melting down or shutting down, and just plain losing it. She seemed unrealistically composed to me.
As for the science. I’ve seen some complaints about the scientific infodumping but I LOVE the way marine biology was incorporated. Everything felt soooo realistic and it made things much eerier in my opinion. I could picture how these creatures looked and moved and thought and it was a constant reminder of how unexplored the ocean really is.
I enjoyed the ‘angler fish’ twist at the end but I thought the ending itself was a bit rushed- I would have liked to see the siege of the ship start earlier so we could develop who these characters are in a crisis before everything ended. I wanted to see more of the siren’s language and the captive siren. I wanted more tension around the toxin element, I wanted more moments where the mimicry came into play.
All and all a solid book with a rushed final section
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal death, Blood, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Medical content and Misogyny
librarymouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Heads up: It's very gory. Remember going into the novel that mermaids originated from myths in which they lured sailors to their deaths to eat them.
The book does finish quickly after extended suspense, but I think I may enjoy that a good part of it was left unresolved. Tori coming to tolerate and then to love(?) Olivia was good closure for the plot point of Anne's death that started the novel, offering the possibility of Tori being able to move forward from her sister's death, if not move on from it. I hope there's a sequel. There's enough still left unfinished for one, though I've seen that the publishing company may have rejected McGuire's proposal.
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Cannibalism, Confinement, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Body horror, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual content
Cannibalism tagged for humanoids eating humanslady_smith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
On the one hand, it is a very well-written book with detailed science, engaging and diverse characters, vivid descriptions, and a good plot. So objectively it should get at least 4 stars for all that.
But I'm writing this review 2 years after reading it and honestly cannot reread the SYNOPSIS without starting to hyperventilate because this book was so bloody terrifying (for me). I know there are people out there who would enjoy the stress of
So if you like mermaids, oceans, boating, or HEA... probably don't read this book.
If you like terrifying monsters attacking a bunch of characters that you're emotionally invested in... go for it??
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Grief, and Violence
literarykitten's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
asafekindofhigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Grief
gawdz0rz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
also, the implosion of heather’s submersible would not have left any remains behind, and she would not have lived long enough to see water make it into the submersible at that depth.
overall a really good book and clearly written with another one in mind!
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Biphobia, Misogyny, Ableism, and Animal cruelty
catinaflatcap's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, Gore, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism and Drug use
itsheyfay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Blood, Gore, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Abandonment, Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Minor: Child abuse
pocketeds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
feralsarah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Death, Medical trauma, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror