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stuffhanreads's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2 Stars
”That was the look of somebody resigned to being the monster they knew they were.”
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling follows our main character Gyre and her ‘handler’ Em. Now, I saw a review on this that had it at a solid 4 stars, so I thought what the hell, let’s see what that reviewer was thinking. And I have zero idea what they were thinking. While this book is obviously Sci-Fi, I fail to see where in this book it’s supposed to be classified as Horror. I didn’t find a single part of this book creepy. Sure it was tense in some parts but that doesn’t classify it as a Horror.
It took until around 80% for me to actually find anything worth mentioning while reading this book. The last 20% was intense, with a lot of variables at play. It seemed like the first 80% were boring, repeated lines. Especially between Em and Gyre. It became so repetitive that when the comms were off I felt a sense of relief that I didn’t have to deal with this monster of a character who manipulated Gyre and sent 27 other cavers to their deaths just to follow a whisper of her mother!
I wouldn’t recommend this unless you want to drag yourself through hell. It took me 4 days to read this. More than it would’ve taken if I’d actually found anything to enjoy. So many things felt under-utilised. The Tunneler for one. Like what was that? Why was it only mentioned lightly! That could’ve been a major plot point. The fungi and spores too! For all it’s worth I just feel underwhelmed and frustrated after finishing this.
”That was the look of somebody resigned to being the monster they knew they were.”
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling follows our main character Gyre and her ‘handler’ Em. Now, I saw a review on this that had it at a solid 4 stars, so I thought what the hell, let’s see what that reviewer was thinking. And I have zero idea what they were thinking. While this book is obviously Sci-Fi, I fail to see where in this book it’s supposed to be classified as Horror. I didn’t find a single part of this book creepy. Sure it was tense in some parts but that doesn’t classify it as a Horror.
It took until around 80% for me to actually find anything worth mentioning while reading this book. The last 20% was intense, with a lot of variables at play. It seemed like the first 80% were boring, repeated lines. Especially between Em and Gyre. It became so repetitive that when the comms were off I felt a sense of relief that I didn’t have to deal with this monster of a character who manipulated Gyre and sent 27 other cavers to their deaths just to follow a whisper of her mother!
I wouldn’t recommend this unless you want to drag yourself through hell. It took me 4 days to read this. More than it would’ve taken if I’d actually found anything to enjoy. So many things felt under-utilised. The Tunneler for one. Like what was that? Why was it only mentioned lightly! That could’ve been a major plot point. The fungi and spores too! For all it’s worth I just feel underwhelmed and frustrated after finishing this.
nittiotvaan's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Drug use
royalraspberry's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Gore and Vomit
jovethg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.0
Boring ass book! Skip it!
omskivar's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
doom_inique's review against another edition
5.0
I skimmed a bit towards the end between scenes I couldnt remember. But overall definitely holds up almost 3.5 years later. Absolutely stellar debut.
sleeprunreadrepeat's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
solleron's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
i was in a cafe reading this. i think i was alone. i flailed like crazy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, and Toxic relationship
rhensie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
This is an odd one for me to rate. For a lot of it, I was super intrigued, I love the spooky cave/underwater vibes a lot. But I had problems with the pacing (which seemed way too slow at times), the way the climbs were described (I didn’t have enough background information to always be able to understand/picture what was actually happening), and the resolution. I love the dynamic between Em and Gyre though: one think Starling does well is write unhinged women having unhinged relationships. I actually think I’d really enjoy learning more about their story post the events of this book.