Reviews with content warning for Murder - Into the Drowning Deep

I picked up this book to start reading horror narratives from female authors with a queer spin. This book was absolutely perfect. It's so thrilling, it has an incredible sci-fi backbone, and it has an interesting, cliff hanging ending. I'm sure I will think about this book for a long time.

Content Warnings

obscurepages's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? No

4.5

HOLY SHT. This is one of the wildest rides I've ever been on.

This part horror, part science fiction is a masterpiece. It takes you on a damned journey to find the truth about about a ship and the creatures that attacked it. But it also takes you on a journey to know more about people, about humans, our environment, and both the known and unknown history and mysteries of our world.

This was just so so good. Atmospheric, poetic, dark, gritty. Also I loved the diversity in the cast.

Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire is a blessing in literature 🤧

Find me elsewhere: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/obscure.pages/">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lxndrnae">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://enthralledbookworm.wordpress.com/">Blog</a>

Marking this book as part of reading challenge: <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/de133357-4196-421b-8d50-0445bfec4ec3/">#ReadQueerly2023</a>.

Content Warnings

nefariousbee's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

the constructed atmosphere in this book is absolutely phenomenal. I did not think I'd love all the science talk half as much as I ended up to, and the ease with which the author gets in the heads of all kinds of different people is so effortless and real... I just loved it

Content Warnings

siobhanward's review

Go to review page

dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

I'm not normally a huge sci-fi/fantasy person but for some reason I'm always down for a good, creepy mermaid book. Maybe it's because the sea is mysterious and creepy enough, so mermaids just add another layer. Who knows.

This was a solid read - definitely some events that didn't make a whole lot of sense, like people risking careers to do stupid things and go against orders, but aside from that it was pretty solid. The mermaids/sirens were creepy and well-described and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book, which really made an impact for me. I was surprised by how old this book was - honestly some of the things the author predicted for 2022 were pretty bang on!

If you're not a huge sci-fi/fantasy person, this is a great read. It's not too deep or full of lore, but it has enough to draw you in and keep you engaged.

Content Warnings

jessicastaylor's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

This was a really, really good book. It focuses on the horror aspect of mermaids/sirens and that was a fun spin to see on things. My only real complaint was that it ended really fast. It all got wrapped up in almost a chapter at the end, and then that was it. I know it was quite a long book already, but the ending just felt rushed to me. That said, I still loved it. The rep was fantastic, the storyline was engaging, the writing style was immaculate. Highly recommend!

Content Warnings

shadestate's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Loved the premise and most of the book. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I think that's because she meant to write a third book to finalise those open ended threads. Loved the world building.

Content Warnings

haylzno's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Overall, I enjoyed this book (I mean, killer mermaids?? Hell yes)

I really enjoyed the science jargon; I think it was well done and not overly complicated. It added a lot to the story and ultimately helped it all feel more authentic. Once the action started, I was on the edge of my seat trying to "dissect" these mermaids right along with the scientists on board.
I only have a few gripes:

It could have been 100-150 shorter. There were about 1-2 key point character aspects that were brought up repeatedly. Every single time the hunters had a turn in the page, we had to hear about how they were always chastised and what animals they hunted and how much they loved one another. We get it. It added a lot of unnecessary pages.
It took almost 30% to get to some action. Again, partially because we were getting a lot of repeat info about these characters.
I didn't get nearly enough info about the mermaids. And that cliffhanger at the end?!?! WTH?! I need waaaaay more info Grant. (I found out, through reading other reviews, that Grant wrote a prequel to ITDD, called Soul of the Deep. It's only 79 and IMO, worth the read. It adds a little more to the whole plot and we do get a tiny bit more mermaid info.

Anyways, I'm glad I read this book. It scratched that spooky-season thriller itch and spoke to my ocean science heart

Content Warnings

More...