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A review by sagek
Submerging Inferno by Brandon Witt
2.0
*I received a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“No matter what memories came flooding back, the ocean could never be tainted.” (1%)
Submerging Inferno had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat. The beginning had so much promise! It was a great start, intriguing and it had a great flow to it. But then an attack kick-started a path to overwhelming sadness and a romance that is almost completely instant.
My main problem with this book is the plot. At first, it seemed like it could lead to great things, and I was really excited and ready for epic action and mind blowing discoveries! But that didn’t happen. After the initial attack, Brett stayed with Finn and his family, learning more about the supernatural (lots of information all at once, tbh), about the dangers in the world, and about himself. And then someone got killed and he landed in a depression of sorts. And then he got out and was always mad, but trying to focus on his relationship. And then someone else got killed and he took off, suddenly so sure of who he was. Basically, romance was #1, full of Brett being angry and happy and then scared, and #2 fell to the vampire who appeared what? Three times in the entirety of this book? Where is the plot, the buildup, the epic battles?!
More on the romance now. There was honestly no real development for it. Brett and Finn hardly know each other. They know they’re supernaturals, Finn’s insecure, Brett’s gorgeous, and Brett has killed anyone even though he should have by now. The romance wasn’t even all the exciting anyway. Since there was no real development or buildup, I didn’t really care about it. Plus, it was hard to tell the difference between the two a lot as well, since the tone set them so similarly.
As for characters, other than being all so similar, they were also called brave, selfless, and strong, though we were told that, not shown. Which didn’t really prove anything and made them seem underdeveloped. They didn’t develop or grow much either. I was disappointed, to say the least.
The writing however, was really good in multiple parts of the book though. The mystery/intrigue in the beginning was well done. It’s one of the main reasons why I had such high hopes at first. It sucked me right in and I loved it.
“He had green eye. Emerald-green eyes. Clear as glass. Bright and shiny as glass. I couldn’t tear myself away from his eyes. I wanted to, but they held me, denying me the right to choose.” (9%)
“A scream cut through the night. Pure terror and anguish laced the sound. Wave after wave of emotions washed over me. His fear was increasing to a level that was nearly impending my ability to move.” (12%)
The descriptions for Brett’s sadness were well worded as well. There was a point where I was actually in love with hearing how he put certain things together. It was one of the only times where I could really tell the difference between Finn and Brett.
“I knew that if I stood up, if I lifted off the blanket, if I unwrapped my arms from around my torso, that my chest would rip open, my heart would crush into thousands of pieces and fall out in a cascade of ashes onto the floor.” (47%)
“The sobs wracked my body until it felt as if not only would my head splinter, but my entire being would fragment, every particle splitting and ripping asunder.” (47%)
So while the plot and characters and romance could have been better, the writing made it enjoyable.
“No matter what memories came flooding back, the ocean could never be tainted.” (1%)
Submerging Inferno had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat. The beginning had so much promise! It was a great start, intriguing and it had a great flow to it. But then an attack kick-started a path to overwhelming sadness and a romance that is almost completely instant.
My main problem with this book is the plot. At first, it seemed like it could lead to great things, and I was really excited and ready for epic action and mind blowing discoveries! But that didn’t happen. After the initial attack, Brett stayed with Finn and his family, learning more about the supernatural (lots of information all at once, tbh), about the dangers in the world, and about himself. And then someone got killed and he landed in a depression of sorts. And then he got out and was always mad, but trying to focus on his relationship. And then someone else got killed and he took off, suddenly so sure of who he was. Basically, romance was #1, full of Brett being angry and happy and then scared, and #2 fell to the vampire who appeared what? Three times in the entirety of this book? Where is the plot, the buildup, the epic battles?!
More on the romance now. There was honestly no real development for it. Brett and Finn hardly know each other. They know they’re supernaturals, Finn’s insecure, Brett’s gorgeous, and Brett has killed anyone even though he should have by now. The romance wasn’t even all the exciting anyway. Since there was no real development or buildup, I didn’t really care about it. Plus, it was hard to tell the difference between the two a lot as well, since the tone set them so similarly.
As for characters, other than being all so similar, they were also called brave, selfless, and strong, though we were told that, not shown. Which didn’t really prove anything and made them seem underdeveloped. They didn’t develop or grow much either. I was disappointed, to say the least.
The writing however, was really good in multiple parts of the book though. The mystery/intrigue in the beginning was well done. It’s one of the main reasons why I had such high hopes at first. It sucked me right in and I loved it.
“He had green eye. Emerald-green eyes. Clear as glass. Bright and shiny as glass. I couldn’t tear myself away from his eyes. I wanted to, but they held me, denying me the right to choose.” (9%)
“A scream cut through the night. Pure terror and anguish laced the sound. Wave after wave of emotions washed over me. His fear was increasing to a level that was nearly impending my ability to move.” (12%)
The descriptions for Brett’s sadness were well worded as well. There was a point where I was actually in love with hearing how he put certain things together. It was one of the only times where I could really tell the difference between Finn and Brett.
“I knew that if I stood up, if I lifted off the blanket, if I unwrapped my arms from around my torso, that my chest would rip open, my heart would crush into thousands of pieces and fall out in a cascade of ashes onto the floor.” (47%)
“The sobs wracked my body until it felt as if not only would my head splinter, but my entire being would fragment, every particle splitting and ripping asunder.” (47%)
So while the plot and characters and romance could have been better, the writing made it enjoyable.