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lindsbal's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.5
I don't often read horror but, I love period and dual timeline books. This book was such a thrilling read and I loved how the narrative jumped between the modern day shipwreck exploration story and the days leading up to the ship sinking in the 1920s. A lot of suspense was created from knowing that the ship was going to sink but not how it was going to happen. The chapters are short and often leave you with a cliffhanger as they whip you back and fourth between the two timelines.
I'm not a diver, but the descriptions of the mechanics of a dive this deep felt plausible and it seemed like Darcy had done a lot of research into how an expedition like this would work.
My only criticism is wishing the book would have followed more than one character in the 1920s. We get to know one of the crew members but I would have loved a passenger perspective as well. (Even if it would have come at the expense of the fast pace.) There were five divers plus two people aboard the ship in the modern day timeline so it felt a bit unbalanced with the 1920's narrative where we primarily followed one person.
Overall highly recommend this one!
I'm not a diver, but the descriptions of the mechanics of a dive this deep felt plausible and it seemed like Darcy had done a lot of research into how an expedition like this would work.
My only criticism is wishing the book would have followed more than one character in the 1920s. We get to know one of the crew members but I would have loved a passenger perspective as well. (Even if it would have come at the expense of the fast pace.) There were five divers plus two people aboard the ship in the modern day timeline so it felt a bit unbalanced with the 1920's narrative where we primarily followed one person.
Overall highly recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Suicide
Minor: Murder
seawarrior's review
5.0
From Below is a bone-chilling and original horror novel with organic scares. I've always been fascinated by scuba-diving and underwater worlds, but Coates used our innate fears of drowning and being stranded in the sea against readers, frightening even me, who doesn't have a natural-born fear of water. The book was gripping the whole way through, and the switches between timelines and characters were the perfect length to hold suspense. I was thoroughly entertained by this haunting story and highly recommend it for other horror readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Confinement
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
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