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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
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The Depths by Nicole Lesperance is a horror novel filled to the brim with gorgeous and horrifying imagery, unique Edgar Allan Poe inspired references, and a cast of grim and unreliable characters. Lesperance’s writing enveloped me as a reader, and I was at once terrified and in awe of the world she created. This is one of the most well written horror novels I have read in a long time. If you are into tropical horror, The Depths is an absolute must-read.
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The Depths by Nicole Lesperance follows Addie, a teenage girl who is a competitive freediver. She recently had an accident while freediving and ended up dying before being resuscitated. Since then, she has been unable to freedive as she heals, and she suffers from coughing up blood due to her accident. Addie ends up tagging along on her mother’s honeymoon to an island called Eulalie, but something is off about the island, and Addie soon finds herself involved with undead previous residents, a mysterious boy, and bouts of sleepwalking.
There is so much going on with this novel, but Lesperance weaves classic gothic storylines with modern technology and characters in a way that few authors can. Her story and characters are at once traditional and classic, but her ideas about life after death are unique and original. There was some young adult romance thrown in, which I’m not usually fond of in my horror, but it played a big part in the theme of the story, so I found it to be essential.
But what made this novel an absolute knockout was the writing. Lesperance’s ability to paint a picture was beyond measure. I felt like I was surrounded by the island while reading, and it was both beautiful and grotesque. Lesperance managed to make a beautiful location horrifying and nasty, while also forcing the reader to be drawn to it. This novel is the epitome of tropical horror, and while it is a young adult novel, it can be appreciated by readers of all ages.
I don’t know how Lesperance was able to expertly weave gothic horror with tropical horror so beautifully, but she pulled it off. The Depths is probably one of my new all-time favorite horror novels because of the grotesque imagery, gothic references, and supernatural elements. It is a novel that will stick with me for a very long time, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you choose to pick this one up, make sure you are prepared for one hell of a ride!
The Depths by Nicole Lesperance is a horror novel filled to the brim with gorgeous and horrifying imagery, unique Edgar Allan Poe inspired references, and a cast of grim and unreliable characters. Lesperance’s writing enveloped me as a reader, and I was at once terrified and in awe of the world she created. This is one of the most well written horror novels I have read in a long time. If you are into tropical horror, The Depths is an absolute must-read.
TELL ME MORE
The Depths by Nicole Lesperance follows Addie, a teenage girl who is a competitive freediver. She recently had an accident while freediving and ended up dying before being resuscitated. Since then, she has been unable to freedive as she heals, and she suffers from coughing up blood due to her accident. Addie ends up tagging along on her mother’s honeymoon to an island called Eulalie, but something is off about the island, and Addie soon finds herself involved with undead previous residents, a mysterious boy, and bouts of sleepwalking.
There is so much going on with this novel, but Lesperance weaves classic gothic storylines with modern technology and characters in a way that few authors can. Her story and characters are at once traditional and classic, but her ideas about life after death are unique and original. There was some young adult romance thrown in, which I’m not usually fond of in my horror, but it played a big part in the theme of the story, so I found it to be essential.
But what made this novel an absolute knockout was the writing. Lesperance’s ability to paint a picture was beyond measure. I felt like I was surrounded by the island while reading, and it was both beautiful and grotesque. Lesperance managed to make a beautiful location horrifying and nasty, while also forcing the reader to be drawn to it. This novel is the epitome of tropical horror, and while it is a young adult novel, it can be appreciated by readers of all ages.
I don’t know how Lesperance was able to expertly weave gothic horror with tropical horror so beautifully, but she pulled it off. The Depths is probably one of my new all-time favorite horror novels because of the grotesque imagery, gothic references, and supernatural elements. It is a novel that will stick with me for a very long time, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you choose to pick this one up, make sure you are prepared for one hell of a ride!
I loved the creepy island atmosphere mixed with ghosts. Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC.
This was such a great book!
I'm generally very finicky over YA books, and even more so with horror or ghost type stories, but holy moly this was wonderful!
The pacing was great, start to finish. The characters are well rounded and fit very well into their rolls. I felt no conflicts or issues with the story development and absolutely loved the ending (I also didn't expect that Epilogue!).
I devoured this book in 2 days, thought I could have finished it in one if I didn't have to work. I highly recommend this piece.
I'm generally very finicky over YA books, and even more so with horror or ghost type stories, but holy moly this was wonderful!
The pacing was great, start to finish. The characters are well rounded and fit very well into their rolls. I felt no conflicts or issues with the story development and absolutely loved the ending (I also didn't expect that Epilogue!).
I devoured this book in 2 days, thought I could have finished it in one if I didn't have to work. I highly recommend this piece.
So I don’t normally go for horror/gothic/mystery novels, but the plot of this one was very intriguing. So I picked it up. The writing of this story is amazing and fast passed and easy to digest. I loved the relationships between the characters. It’s kinda hard to explain but the ending was predictable in an unpredictable way. Like I had guessed what was going to happen, but the author took it in a very interesting and unpredictable route from there. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is like me and always prefers romance.
This book was a m a z i n g ! I didn’t know what to expect going in, but it had the same sort of vibes as House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig in respect to all the ghostly Victorian horror elements, but was set in a gorgeous, vivid, unique setting (a mysterious tropical island)!with a mind-bending plot. I absolutely adored this book and will be re-reading again soon. I even got to talk to the author in a podcast interview with That Pretentious Book Club and she was just as delightful as her book! Five stars all the way.
The Depths is the definition of all vibes and no substance. Lesperance has some beautiful prose, but however the beautiful the prose are, the weak characterization and frankly bland plot really laden this narrative.
meh. fun, predictable and enjoyable to read if you have nothing better to do
TW/CW (from the author): death, past child death, blood, drowning, venomous insects/arachnids (spiders, centipedes, etc.)
I’m not much of a horror person, but after The Wide Starlight captured my heart, I was willing to give this novel a try. Sadly, The Depths didn’t blow me away like her previous novel did, but it still held its own with its unique take on a spine-chilling ghost story.
What really saved The Depths for me was its unique approach to the genre. Even though I don’t read/watch much horror at all, I’ve seen hardly any horror stories that take place in tropical locations. The secluded setting of Eulalie Island was the perfect, underused setup for a story like this—a chilling history of shipwrecks and sickness, cave systems that are all too easy to get lost in, and plenty of creepy crawlies to go around—not to mention the color-changing flowers that appear to bleed. (If I hadn’t already been dissuaded before, The Depths further convinced me that I’m not going caving any time soon.) Despite the supernatural elements, there were so many elements that felt real, and that’s part of what made it so successful. The Depths is a fantastic case study in using all aspects of your setting to make the most of your story.
I also love how Lesperance wove all of these centuries of history into her mystery; it’s easy to establish recurring events in your story, but the detail that she put into each part of the timeline—plus the presence of the ghosts and each one of their stories—gave the plot a more tangible sense of scale and weight. Even though I’ve repeated that The Wide Starlight and The Depths are two very different novels, when they stand together, you can see how skilled Lesperance is with building history and establishing a clear and well-thought-out timeline.
However, I found several elements of the story to be rather predictable. As detailed as the timeline was, the “plot twists” were often left behind, making for plot points that were easy to see coming—and I’m saying this as someone who hardly ever reads or watches horror. Without spoiling anything, the most obvious was the twist with Sean—I remember seeing that one coming from at least 100 pages before it was revealed. To be fair, it was at least a decently clever twist, but the fact that it was so easy to predict took a little bit away from my enjoyment of the story, even though I’m not the best at maneuvering plot twists.
All in all, a solid horror story that excelled in its unique setting, but fell flat in its predictability. 3.5 stars!
I’m not much of a horror person, but after The Wide Starlight captured my heart, I was willing to give this novel a try. Sadly, The Depths didn’t blow me away like her previous novel did, but it still held its own with its unique take on a spine-chilling ghost story.
What really saved The Depths for me was its unique approach to the genre. Even though I don’t read/watch much horror at all, I’ve seen hardly any horror stories that take place in tropical locations. The secluded setting of Eulalie Island was the perfect, underused setup for a story like this—a chilling history of shipwrecks and sickness, cave systems that are all too easy to get lost in, and plenty of creepy crawlies to go around—not to mention the color-changing flowers that appear to bleed. (If I hadn’t already been dissuaded before, The Depths further convinced me that I’m not going caving any time soon.) Despite the supernatural elements, there were so many elements that felt real, and that’s part of what made it so successful. The Depths is a fantastic case study in using all aspects of your setting to make the most of your story.
I also love how Lesperance wove all of these centuries of history into her mystery; it’s easy to establish recurring events in your story, but the detail that she put into each part of the timeline—plus the presence of the ghosts and each one of their stories—gave the plot a more tangible sense of scale and weight. Even though I’ve repeated that The Wide Starlight and The Depths are two very different novels, when they stand together, you can see how skilled Lesperance is with building history and establishing a clear and well-thought-out timeline.
However, I found several elements of the story to be rather predictable. As detailed as the timeline was, the “plot twists” were often left behind, making for plot points that were easy to see coming—and I’m saying this as someone who hardly ever reads or watches horror. Without spoiling anything, the most obvious was the twist with Sean—I remember seeing that one coming from at least 100 pages before it was revealed. To be fair, it was at least a decently clever twist, but the fact that it was so easy to predict took a little bit away from my enjoyment of the story, even though I’m not the best at maneuvering plot twists.
All in all, a solid horror story that excelled in its unique setting, but fell flat in its predictability. 3.5 stars!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s very gothic feeling but I don’t think I would necessarily call it horror or scary. It’s got a creepy vibe and I think nails the tropical gothic feel it was going for.