julis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you don’t already have a fear of cave diving don’t read this.
I’m not a big horror person, and this is on the sci-fi side of horror anyway, but holy shit. Nabbed it from Jo, who told me how much Gyre and Em’s dynamic is Gideon & Harrow (which, yes) and would add that it’s also Csorwe & Shuthmili from The Unspoken Name. If that helps.
Tight, tight writing, hellishly plotted, flawless–but 25 pages too short. I would not change a thing about the ending except to add 25 pages; some emotional resolutions were rushed.
namorgan's review against another edition
1.0
finally I’m fucking freeee!!!! I have no clue why this was ever hyped up. A sapphic horror about a cave exploration gone wrong sounded awesome, but what I got was a 400 page snoozefest. No horror, no suspense, no likable characters... nothing.
pelargonia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sunderwood05's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tbewing's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jmbz38's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
makethegrade's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I feel bad scoring this book this low. It's very well-written, there's a lot of sensory detail and some strong character development.
...but it just wasn't for me.
I never felt fully immersed in the story. And it felt like a slog, and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because with the title I was expecting something very different. But it reads more like...a man vs nature story than anything else, something like Alive or that movie where the Franco kid has to cut his arm off for whatever reason.
....oh shit...it's almost exactly like that in hindsight.
And it does have some psychological components. But I guess nature and mind are not my favorite types of horror. It reads more like a men's adventure novel than anything else, and...yeah, i just couldn't connect with the book, which is a real bummer, because I can tell it's solid writing. It's just writing that never resonated with me and took me a long ass time to get through.
...but it just wasn't for me.
I never felt fully immersed in the story. And it felt like a slog, and I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because with the title I was expecting something very different. But it reads more like...a man vs nature story than anything else, something like Alive or that movie where the Franco kid has to cut his arm off for whatever reason.
....oh shit...it's almost exactly like that in hindsight.
And it does have some psychological components. But I guess nature and mind are not my favorite types of horror. It reads more like a men's adventure novel than anything else, and...yeah, i just couldn't connect with the book, which is a real bummer, because I can tell it's solid writing. It's just writing that never resonated with me and took me a long ass time to get through.
selisabethc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
qtcarolyn's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tails1815's review against another edition
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5