Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

40 reviews

cryptidkay's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.25

 This book came highly recommended on several best horror lists I looked at following my yearly kid-fic deep dive in 2021. The horror sections of this novel are gory and satisfying in the way all monster horror should be. Visceral descriptions make this a great choice for anyone who is a fan of modern slasher flicks but also needs to have a healthy fear of the ocean. I enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters trapped on this Saw cruise. The scientists can be a bit info-dumpy but the science is almost believable enough that, since the book takes place in 2022, if I get news of something being pulled from the ocean, I'm moving farther inland.

It is a bit of a long haul though. There are a lot of characters to meet and figure out their motives, why they were on the ship, why you should care about them... There's also a lovely and modern queer romance. To me, it seemed a bit out of place in regards to the plot (especially since it comes in so late in the game after everyone knows that the sirens are killing people) but I understand that it is representative of the same thing going on elsewhere on the ship amongst the background characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

thegr8estangell's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

 Welp... I ain't going in the ocean for a while. The story is pretty scary at some points. My blood pressure was higher, that deep pit of dread that forms in the center of your chest formed when the sirens appeared and it never went away. It was good book. She explains why the mermaids are where they are, why they can do the thing that they can do, and she does not skimp on the gore. The story itself was slow at the beginning. There was a lot of exposition to get the scene set. But, once they got on the boat and things started moving, it didn't stop. The deaths were gruesome as expected when dealing with face eating mermaids, but some of the deaths were honestly pretty unexpected. I loved how she heavily shoved climate change science into the narrative. That was awesome. The lesbian love was a minor plot in the story. It was nice to see it treated as such in a horror story. The fact that Olivia is an autistic lesbian with a job of being a TV personality was really cool. That kind of representation is rare and is a gem when you find it done well. This is a gem. I really liked the ending, but it did feel rushed. I wanted more out of the epilogue. I needed more out of the epilogue. The pacing was all over the place sometimes. Sometimes the story was really fast paced and racing while other times the story was slow and science-y. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I hope to see more out of Mira Grant. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Medical trauma, Blood, and Gore

Minor: Drug use

inuy21's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Drug use

keenanmaree's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Ableism

Minor: Biphobia, Chronic illness, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

ehawk's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, and Violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, and Torture

words_and_coffee's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism and Drug use

Minor: Biphobia

booknerdnative's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Maybe 3.5 stars? The beginning & the last 150 pages or so were so fun - but this one struggled in the middle. I don’t think this book needed to be almost 500 pages. But, unique & fun story, and definitely scary in parts! I’m now perfectly terrified of the deep ocean.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Medical content

Moderate: Vomit, Drug use, and Cursing

patricia_epub's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Tentative 4 stars, still deliberating what I feel about that ending and the characters themselves. Might move it down to 3.5 but that's the lowest I'd give this.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Ableism and Biphobia

Minor: Drug use and Chronic illness

random_shoes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have only just finished this and I really just am still incoherently screaming into the void.
But the book is amazing, the writing is fantastic, the story itself pulls you in quick and keeps you there. I loved the build up to the trip and the fact that the pacing of the book increased as you got farther into it.
Definitely recommend if you are a fan of horror, of secrets in the deep ocean, of mysteries, and fun characters. (Including twins who are deaf and both work in STEM (as well as their older sister), a bi woman, a gay woman, a person with nerve damage)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Biphobia

iviarelle's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

If you like horror and/or mermaids, I firmly believe that you have a good chance of enjoying this book. It's pretty incredible. A wide range of characters so that the deaths of the ones you like don't feel token or tropey, plenty of tension, a generous dash of nerdery saving the day. I might think of things to complain about later, but if I do they'll be small and nothing that should dissuade other readers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use