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vyralvyris's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Cutter has such a captivating writing style, but the story feels disjointed and tacked together in a rush, especially at the end. With such a fascinating concept, I can't believe I was bored through the first 7 hours of the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Murder, Self harm, Abandonment, Gore, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Death, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Mental illness, and Cancer
aemesserlie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Incest, Child abuse, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Child death
afinalgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the troop has stayed in my head since i read it, and so i had high expectations of the deep. tim bought me this book for valentine’s day 🖤, knowing how much the troop messed with me. this book also messed with me, the descriptive way nick cutter writes is so disgusting at times and yet i devoured this book!
the claustrophobia of a deep sea station and the unbalanced minds of the scientists working within was unsettling, the sounds and the experiments added to the atmosphere. there was a few times i had to put the book down, crank open a window and get some fresh air. books that make me physically queasy are a firm fav - the power an author has to elicit a response like that is so 🤌🏽
unfortunately the ending really confused me. it felt like that movie “the house that jack built” where it was interesting and intense and then the ending devolved into some weird hellish acid trip that left me far behind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Child abuse
shawcrit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
Moderate: Sexual violence and Pedophilia
the_reading_sweater's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
yearofthesnk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Masterfully brutal and revolting. He describes violence, body horror, and psychological collapse in incredibly compelling and vivid ways — which made this hard to endure. I took a year-long break partway through after the dog's torture .
I gave it a high rating because it delivers exceptionally well on what it promises. I have no doubt I'll still think about parts of this years from now.
That being said, the flashbacks can get tedious. I also didn't feel the ending entirely lived up to the harrowing journey through rest of the novel.
I gave it a high rating because it delivers exceptionally well on what it promises. I have no doubt I'll still think about parts of this years from now.
That being said, the flashbacks can get tedious. I also didn't feel the ending entirely lived up to the harrowing journey through rest of the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Incest, Confinement, Gore, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Body horror
m0onb3am's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
body horror (n when animals are subjected to it) <<<<
this is good for someone who liked the troop, but definitely not for someone who didn't. better premise for me but same execution.
there was a scene that felt like a cheap attempt at stirring emotion in the reader. though successful, it cost probably a star n a half sooo
this is good for someone who liked the troop, but definitely not for someone who didn't. better premise for me but same execution.
there was a scene that felt like a cheap attempt at stirring emotion in the reader. though successful, it cost probably a star n a half sooo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Animal death, and Fatphobia
Minor: Murder and Animal cruelty
keiraonyxraven's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
TW: Extreme animal cruelty, suffering and death
TW: Child abuse
The Deep really had promise. I enjoyed the general concept along with the claustrophobic atmosphere and unnerving events. I loved the eeriness of the setting and I can’t think of many other books that have had such a unique narrative. I found myself rooting for certain characters and despising others, so I also cannot fault Cutter for his ability to write complex and interesting characters. Unfortunately, there were just a few, not so small, aspects of The Deep that significantly lowered my overall enjoyment of the book.
Firstly, I found myself extremely disappointed with the ending. The suspense, build up and the first three quarters of the book had such promise, I was enthralled by the story and was desperate to find out how it concluded. However, I personally felt the ending bordered on laughable. Without including spoilers, I cannot fully explain my reasoning, however, the explanations given for certain events really fell flat for me.
However, the primary reason for my reduced star rating and what mostly quashed my enjoyment of The Deep was the unnecessarily graphic and incessant animal cruelty and suffering. I am painfully aware that The Deep is not alone in this graphic use of animals for nothing more than an easy shock factor, however, Cutter in-particular takes this to a distressing level, and not in a good way. This theme occurred so often that I took it upon myself to create a list of page numbers to avoid for readers who, like myself, are particularly sensitive to this sort of content but are still interested in reading this novel.
Please see below but beware of minor spoilers:
Key:
💚 Mentioned in passing and/or not overly upsetting
💛 Suffering/death described with more detail, somewhat upsetting
🧡 Detailed description of suffering/death, overtly upsetting
❤️ Extremely detailed description with very upsetting and disturbing content
Page 31-34 🧡
Mouse experimentation, suffering & death
Detailed & upsetting
Page 44-46 💛
Mouse experimentation & minor suffering
Page 127 💚
Insect death
Page 145
Bee death 💛
Lizard death 💚
Page 168-172 🧡
Guinea pig experimentation
Guinea pig suffering & harm
Page 179-181 🧡
Guinea pig experimentation, suffering & death
Page 223 💛
Raccoon suffering & death
Page 243 💛
Squirrel corpse description
Page 248-249 & 251 💚
Mention of bee deaths
Page 254 💛
Bee killed
Page 260-261 💛
Bee deaths
Page 262-264 & 266 🧡
Bee suffering & death
Page 315-316 🧡
Dog injury & cruelty
Page 322 🧡
Guinea pig cruelty & death
Page 336 💛
Detailed description of using maggots as fishing bait
Page 341-350 ❤️
Dog cruelty & experimentation
Dog on dog injury & suffering
Detailed description of the pain and sadness of euthanising stray dogs
Long and detailed description of a very upsetting and graphic dog death with suffering and extremely emotional descriptions
DO NOT READ IF YOU’RE AN ANIMAL LOVER: this destroyed me.
Page 353 & 356 💛
Bee death
Page 375 🧡
Description of dead dog & suffering
In conclusion, The Deep was by no means a bad read, and there were many things that I really liked about the story and the writing, but it certainly isn’t without its pitfalls. I advise proceeding with caution if animal cruelty/suffering and themes of child abuse are particularly triggering for you, but I also wouldn’t entirely steer others away from giving The Deep a chance, especially if you are an avid horror fan and love creepy and claustrophobic settings.
TW: Child abuse
The Deep really had promise. I enjoyed the general concept along with the claustrophobic atmosphere and unnerving events. I loved the eeriness of the setting and I can’t think of many other books that have had such a unique narrative. I found myself rooting for certain characters and despising others, so I also cannot fault Cutter for his ability to write complex and interesting characters. Unfortunately, there were just a few, not so small, aspects of The Deep that significantly lowered my overall enjoyment of the book.
Firstly, I found myself extremely disappointed with the ending. The suspense, build up and the first three quarters of the book had such promise, I was enthralled by the story and was desperate to find out how it concluded. However, I personally felt the ending bordered on laughable. Without including spoilers, I cannot fully explain my reasoning, however, the explanations given for certain events really fell flat for me.
However, the primary reason for my reduced star rating and what mostly quashed my enjoyment of The Deep was the unnecessarily graphic and incessant animal cruelty and suffering. I am painfully aware that The Deep is not alone in this graphic use of animals for nothing more than an easy shock factor, however, Cutter in-particular takes this to a distressing level, and not in a good way. This theme occurred so often that I took it upon myself to create a list of page numbers to avoid for readers who, like myself, are particularly sensitive to this sort of content but are still interested in reading this novel.
Please see below but beware of minor spoilers:
Key:
💚 Mentioned in passing and/or not overly upsetting
💛 Suffering/death described with more detail, somewhat upsetting
🧡 Detailed description of suffering/death, overtly upsetting
❤️ Extremely detailed description with very upsetting and disturbing content
Page 31-34 🧡
Mouse experimentation, suffering & death
Detailed & upsetting
Page 44-46 💛
Mouse experimentation & minor suffering
Page 127 💚
Insect death
Page 145
Bee death 💛
Lizard death 💚
Page 168-172 🧡
Guinea pig experimentation
Guinea pig suffering & harm
Page 179-181 🧡
Guinea pig experimentation, suffering & death
Page 223 💛
Raccoon suffering & death
Page 243 💛
Squirrel corpse description
Page 248-249 & 251 💚
Mention of bee deaths
Page 254 💛
Bee killed
Page 260-261 💛
Bee deaths
Page 262-264 & 266 🧡
Bee suffering & death
Page 315-316 🧡
Dog injury & cruelty
Page 322 🧡
Guinea pig cruelty & death
Page 336 💛
Detailed description of using maggots as fishing bait
Page 341-350 ❤️
Dog cruelty & experimentation
Dog on dog injury & suffering
Detailed description of the pain and sadness of euthanising stray dogs
Long and detailed description of a very upsetting and graphic dog death with suffering and extremely emotional descriptions
DO NOT READ IF YOU’RE AN ANIMAL LOVER: this destroyed me.
Page 353 & 356 💛
Bee death
Page 375 🧡
Description of dead dog & suffering
In conclusion, The Deep was by no means a bad read, and there were many things that I really liked about the story and the writing, but it certainly isn’t without its pitfalls. I advise proceeding with caution if animal cruelty/suffering and themes of child abuse are particularly triggering for you, but I also wouldn’t entirely steer others away from giving The Deep a chance, especially if you are an avid horror fan and love creepy and claustrophobic settings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Incest, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
electronaut6's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
Minor: Child abuse
Horrifying. Terrifying. Gut wrenching. Definitely for fans of Clive Barker, as well as fans of the family and relationship horror of Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary), with hints of sci-fi. Impossible to put down. Hits you like a freight train in every way imaginable.roach_okay's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape and Sexual content