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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

153 reviews

frantic_vampire's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Holy shit. HOLY SHIT! This was one of the most terrifying and also enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had in such a long time. I’m not usually a fan of the horror genre, but this? This was amazing and it was so cinematic that I got utterly lost in it. I loved every gory detail and I would happily dive back into this world for more.

I loved the way this story was told through alternating pov’s. We got everything from Tory (our semi main character), to the mermaids/sirens, to fish and dolphins, to literally everyone and everything in between. I also really liked that the more science-y side of this book was so accessible, it wasn’t hard to follow what was going on and things were explained in a way that makes sense. And I think that added so much to the overall experience!

I think this is honestly one of the best books that I’ve read all year, and that’s really saying something. I don’t think I can ever look at a cruise ship the same way again (not that I ever wanted to get on one of them anyway🤢). I already had a very healthy respect for the sea, but this book would put the fear of the gods in you if you didn’t. Into The Drowning Deep is getting a solid five stars. It’s one of those books that I think will stick with me for a very long time.
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ches2496's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A satisfying sy-fi thriller. I loved how the author did a deep-dive (pardon the pun) into mermaid biology. The author also did a good job of making even the unlikable characters sympathetic. Definitely going to look for more by this author.
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roksyreads's review against another edition

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dark 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? No

5.0

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ehamlett's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

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emmaeden93's review against another edition

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

3.0

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t necessarily love it. 

I enjoyed the creepy mermaids… but honestly it took WAY too long for the creepy mermaids to do creepy mermaid things. I felt like I was 80% into the book until something actually happened, except one scene right at the very beginning which was scarier than the rest of the book. The rest of the time was just a lot of talking/describing/reminiscing and that’s just not me. 

I prefer my horror books to be fast paced, atmospheric and claustrophobic with some terrifying imagery, this one just didn’t do it for me unfortunately.
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tersirat's review against another edition

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

3.0

WAAAY too many humans and not enough mermaids
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judassilver's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The end is wrapped up in an extremely unsatisfactory way, the writing became extremely repetitive with an overuse of rambling (parenthetical tangents that went no where), and I didn't feel that any of the characters actions had real impact. Suspension of disbelief only takes me so far when
suddenly the mermaids that ate everyone else without discrimination spare you, multiple times, because you're the main character.
Everything just wraps up a little too conviently for there to be real tension. How many times do you have to come to the revelation that the killer mermaids want to kill you?? I thought these people were adult scientists but they read incredibly juvenile. I also didn't need the point of view of every single character--
the dolphins? Are you serious? And the mermaid (sorry, Siren) POV completely took me out of it
. Would recommend for those looking for a YA novel with horror elements and a diverse cast, otherwise, skip it. 
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sallie_ees's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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shadowspinner's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

5.0

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theaceofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have read some of Mira Gant's books before (not recorded on here) and I found this was the same blend of attention-grabbing tension and questioning why I like this book. The writing is addictive, but at the same time it doesn't particularly stand out. I don't mean that in a bad way though. It was a fun read, which is what really matters.

The crew of the Atargatis disappeared near the Mariana  Trench. Seven years later, a second ship is sent out to try to find out what happened. The footage says mermaids but the world doubts this is true - particularly since the ship was sent by an entertainment company. Unfortunately for everyone involved, they are real. And they are hungry. The ship soon finds itself under attack by creatures from the deep, who seem determined to drag everyone on board under the waves.

Overall I loved this book. It was more than a little creepy and had a great tone. I imagine it would be even worse if you are already afraid of the sea and what lives down there. It was a little repetitive at points though (certain details being repeated more frequently than necessary) and, unfortunately, while not a bad one, I found the ending a little bit disappointing and rushed, Especially after the long build up. As a biologist, I also loved the scientific aspects of this book. I'd love to know what the scietists are up to. (although I take offense at the fact that security members think we can't take care of ourselves. Maybe a hoard of mermaids is a little different, but field biologists are definitely not soft). But at points the science is questionable. Or a wrong term is used. Probably not noticeable to non-scientists though. The example which sticks with me most (because of its simplicity) was the use of the word necropsy - a dissection with the intent to find the cause of death - rather than dissection. Small things though and probably wouldn't be picked up by most.  

If you want a book about vicious mermaids killing people who can't get away, this is the book for you. It features a diverse cast, where the diversity simply is and the people are allowed to just be people. It did take a bit of time to get into, but it definitely starts getting tense when the mermaids emerge.

Some notes on some of the content warnings:
  • Death, gore, blood, etc:
    A lot of people and mermaids are killed.
  • Grief:
    Surrounding deaths caused by the mermaids
  • Animal death:
    Both on page and described by two hunters on the ship. Don't want to give more details because of spoilers.
  • Confinement:
    To various degrees - areas ranging in size from ship to pipe.
  • Medical trauma:
    A character gets poisoned by an unknown mermaid-related venom and has terrible side effects, which they are treated for. There is also a dissection.
     
  • Chronic illness:
    A character has nerve damage he has to take injections for (pain management)
  • Drug use:
    Cannabis is allowed on the ship. Weed infused chocolate balls are used to teat pain.
  • Biphobia:
    An off hand comment, which is later clarified. The character has heard it before though.
  • Ableism:
    A deaf character gets upset at so few people being able to use sign language.  It seems most characters didn't even know she would be there (one person mentions having seen the manifest beforehand and someone else replies it would have been nice if the rest of them had). Unintentional, but is taken as ableism by the character, who gets upset).
  • Drowning
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