Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Deep by Nick Cutter

18 reviews

thebigemmt505's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

“It’s as strong as it needs to be. It exists- it, and everything in it- at the benevolence of something far greater and more terrible than itself.” 

The Deep is a a book that encapsulates the horror and mystery of the deep blue sea. We follow Luke, a veterinarian with a troubled past, as he’s called to see his brother in a base built at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. 

I really, really loved the atmosphere in this book. It’s consistently eerie and unforgivingly grimy and gory, which, is not for everyone. I’m personally a fan of the body horror in this book as it served a purpose to the main plot, (it showed how disgusting and powerful the ambrosia is). It was not meant to be just for shock value. The world building was really unique. I loved the description of a semi-post apocalyptic world, with a population whose collective head is barely above water against an incurable illness. Everything in The Deep kills slowly; everything is driven to madness then stamped to a pulp. The descriptions are written well and the tension is sustained well throughout the book. We feel the pressure build with those eight miles of water above. There were parts that meandered, and certain flashbacks that felt unnecessary, but overall the pacing was fine. I liked Luke as a character; he was be no means extremely profound or deeply relatable, but likeable and easy to root for. He was perfect for this plot. The plot, speaking of, is really want drew me back to this book over and over. I absolutely love horror that tackles themes of trauma and this struck a great balance for me… well… until… the end. 

I was planning to give this four stars until the last part. Admittedly, the full last 50-75 pages or so I found to be a bit messy, but not so bad it impacted my enjoyment. It felt as though it couldn’t wrap up all of its themes, drive them home, so they were left scattered in a pile of gore at the bottom of the Trieste

like everyone else in this book.

The last part of this book, The Fig Men, was so, so bad. It read like a shitty villain speech, dumping unnecessary and cliché exposition to wrap up all of the parts of this story that were best left to the imagination.

I mean come on man, two alien creatures calling the character my child, ancient beings that control parts of the human experience, oOoOoOohhhhh we want to be fReE, fReE so Luke accept our GIIFFTT, everything just…

… listen I finished this book moments ago so my thoughts aren’t fully collected, but GOD that really pulled down the rating for me. I legitimately thought that whole section would be revealed as a dream, or at least a mix of dream and Luke’s mind succumbing to grief and madness. When it wasn’t, I let out such a disappointed sigh, my first breath at the surface of this ocean and I was so annoyed I couldn’t even inhale. After reading other reviews, it seems I’m not alone in that thought, at the very least. 

Anyways, ending aside, I want to offer my opinion on a part of the book that is quite divisive. There’s lots of talk about the gore in this novel too, notably,

the death of LB. Usually, I would have a huge issue with this, not even because of the concept, but because dogs are so often killed off unnecessarily in horror stories purely to shock the viewer. In the case though, I can actually make a pass. LB’s death scene was written with so much care and emotion, much more so than the human deaths. It was gross, it was awful, I did shed tears, but Luke’s love for that creature was evident. I hated her death but I ended up really liking the scene. In addition, everyone else died too, so her death felt less like a sacrifice to the plot and more like a part of it.

That’s just my take, though. It was still upsetting to read. 

I want to recommend this book, especially if you love aquatic horror but god the ending… you choose on this one. Maybe you’ll love it. The read was still worth it for me, but boy am I let down. Oh well! I would still recommend it more than Our Wives Under The Sea. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Grief, Incest, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Cursing, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Fatphobia

Minor: Murder

amandank's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

3.0

like Michael Chriton meets Stephen King

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Child abuse, Fatphobia, and Animal cruelty

jn0016's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Confinement, Violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Dementia, Incest, Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence

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

oliviavm8's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Decent book with amazing detail and body horror. Many moments left me feeling grossed out which is perfect for me. Characters seemed detached and unrealistic, I didn’t form any meaningful attachments to them. I’d say about 70% of the book was worth reading and good- the last 30 was too based on shock value with little/no resolution. The ending left me frustrated as it had so much potential and the writing was wonderful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Grief, and Pedophilia

aparker89's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.25

A titillating journey into the Mariana Trench and the mind. Be prepared for the monsters in your closet to come put to visit as you dive deep into the realm of horror! A well written story that leaves much to the tortures of your imagination! 
Find yourself stuck in a loop of endless and increasingly terrifying nightmares with Luke who just wants to help save mankind... don't look to hard at the shadows, they might be looking back!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Incest

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pandemic/Epidemic

duckleberryferry's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

What WAS that? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body horror, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Fatphobia, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, and Self harm

gssll_lpz's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Animal cruelty, Gore, Animal death, Body horror, and Grief

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Incest, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

lithoerary_atria's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

the troop by nick cutter was one of absolute favourites this year and truly the mastery over body horror this guy has makes me wanna study his brain. and that thing persists here too!! that being said i didn't like this one as much i hoped to do.

lemme break it down for ya:

parts 1, 2 & 3? utterly boring and mind-numbing and the whole writing down the sounds made didn't help. also i DIDN'T appreciate the numerous flashbacks that went on for pages. they could've been done away with. 

parts 4 & 5? HELL YEAH, that's my stuff!! horrors beyond human comprehension & feeling helpless? fuck yes!! the writing was still meh tho especially with those internal voices inside luke's mind. it was silly & brought you out of the story lol.

part 6? i- we don't speak about it lol.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Child death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

juliaaa02's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book actually made me gag. I’ve never read anything quite as graphically unnerving. I almost didn’t finish because of the physical reaction I had to the book. I honestly am still confused about the ending. I had a hard time rating this book, since I was confused for a lot of it. I gave it a 4 due to the physical reactions I had and how genuinely scared I felt for a while after reading 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pedophilia, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Self harm, Torture, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Incest, Pregnancy, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis