A review by applesodaperson
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was genuinely incredible. I mean it definitely made me want to never step foot in a cave again, because so many of the scenes, especially when Gyre was underwater, made me feel so icky and claustrophobic. 
I think this book did such a good job of having consistent suspense. There were a couple small mysteries woven in that I found myself theorizing about. It also had so many times when Gyre got so close to succeeding, but then failed, which left me feeling so stressed out for her.
So this book only has two characters really, but yet it does such a good job of staying interesting. Gyre and Em are deeply complex people and also very flawed, which felt realistic and made me root for them. 
I also liked the sci-fi setting. It wasn’t too complex, which was nice and easy to understand, but it also explained things well. 
I also of course liked the romance.
But even though I liked it, I will say that I do not think they should have ended up together. I think they should have just ended as friends. Because despite how close they feel, the majority of it came from trauma bonding, not from naturally building up romance.

Another thing this book did great was having Gyre go slowly crazy. I loved the slow build up and her constantly doubting herself. She was a perfect example of an unreliable narrator that kept me guessing at what was real constantly.
Loved this book! And it also had great representation!
Listened to on Libby.
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