Reviews

Down by Ally Blue

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graysonahrensbennett's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

anareadstochencho's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-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? N/A

4.0

I wish the book wouldve hurried up and get to the point it was so drawn out even though it was so predictable from the start, i knew exactly what qas gonna happen at the end.

iguanasarespicy's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

cseanread's review against another edition

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5.0

Absolutely loved this. It's always so refreshing to find a book that features queer characters as just a part of the story, not the main focus. The relationship in this book is not front and center, and honestly isn't really fully formed until 2/3 of the way through.

This is first and foremost a horror story, and what a great horror story it is! There were moments in this book where I literally got a chills -- and I consider myself pretty jaded to the genre. The tension is perfectly paced, with enough time between thrills to help you unwind just enough to be ready to wind back up again. The creatures and the descriptions of such are deliciously envisioned, with enough left to the imagination to spark terror.

The characters themselves are so beautifully formed and fleshed-out. I love the inclusion of characters of color, and women! SO MANY WOMEN! IN A STEM FIELD! Ugh it's so great. My little social justice heart wept with joy.

Even the ending,

Spoiler

which was not the happy kind I typically need,

was just as fulfilling as the rest of the story. It pulled together all the loose ends and questions I had, and resolved the main arch in a beautiful and true way that suited the story best.

I can't recommend this book enough (if you like horror! because this is very solidly a horror story). I couldn't put it down, and I plan on buying a copy for my own bookshelf at home.

thereistime's review against another edition

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4.0

This was such a great book. It was spectacularly creepy, and the description was great. It played just like a film in my head and I could definitely see this being a brilliant sci-fi/horror film. It reminded me a lot of the film 'Sphere' and had a very Deep Blue Sea vibe to it.
There were parts however that were quite obvious, and I had already guessed one of the 'big reveals' at least 100 pages before it happened. But that didn't stop me enjoying the narrative.
The romance between Mo and Armin felt too fast, and much like an afterthought, like the author had gone back at the end of the book and thrown in a bunch of kisses whenever the two characters were in the same vicinity. But other than that the characters were well rounded, and they seemed real.
All in all this was a good read and I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys deep sea horror.

emmjay's review

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.5

Relatively juvenile writing but still surprisingly creepy, though the ending dragged a bit and lost the creepy factor.

Content Warnings

coleyglasses's review

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writing didn't catch me

vanessa2603's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense

5.0

hello?? i cannot believe this book is so less talked about because i just finished it and I'm reeling. can't articulate my thoughts well rn but it had EVERYTHING i want in a book and the ending has shaken me.

also i love the way the author chose to write this, because the mermaids have fully convinced me. i want to Know 😭

Content Warnings

f18's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-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

3.0

Content Warnings

nikitheunicorn's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

oh my god. this book is insane. loved it

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