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A review by abrittlebee
Beneath the Loch by S.D. Simper
2.0
As a general fan of monster romance, I decided it was high time I explore the sapphic side of the genre. Unfortunately, as much as I adored the concept of Beneath the Loch, I just found it a little lacklustre in terms of its emotional affectation, pacing, and horror elements. That is to say, beyond the lady loving, it left me wanting.
Starting with the easiest aspects to pinpoint. Beneath the Loch is 40 pages, meaning that is short even by novella standards. What this story attempts—a dark horror infused tale of lust, danger, and deception—would be equally as hard to tell in 100 pages. As such, the narrative feels rushed. We barely have any chance to acknowledge the characters or understand their relationship before we, as the reader, are forced to move on to the next plot point. The overall feeling left is that of a highlight reel as opposed to a fully developed story. To put it simply, for as grand as this concept was, it needed time to simmer and build tension. Similarly, while the horror elements (which I will not mention for the sake of avoiding spoilers) were present, they felt passive due to most of them occurring either off screen or with vague involvement. They felt a little glossed over, as opposed to embraced as an element of the narrative. Which, for a book attempting to ride the line between dark romance and horror, didn’t feel satisfying.
In the end, I probably wouldn’t recommend this, but I will be interested to see where this author goes in the future. As an alternative, if you’re looking for queer themed horror, I would suggest The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate. For a specifically sapphic experience that’s more creepy than outright scary, The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould.
Starting with the easiest aspects to pinpoint. Beneath the Loch is 40 pages, meaning that is short even by novella standards. What this story attempts—a dark horror infused tale of lust, danger, and deception—would be equally as hard to tell in 100 pages. As such, the narrative feels rushed. We barely have any chance to acknowledge the characters or understand their relationship before we, as the reader, are forced to move on to the next plot point. The overall feeling left is that of a highlight reel as opposed to a fully developed story. To put it simply, for as grand as this concept was, it needed time to simmer and build tension. Similarly, while the horror elements (which I will not mention for the sake of avoiding spoilers) were present, they felt passive due to most of them occurring either off screen or with vague involvement. They felt a little glossed over, as opposed to embraced as an element of the narrative. Which, for a book attempting to ride the line between dark romance and horror, didn’t feel satisfying.
In the end, I probably wouldn’t recommend this, but I will be interested to see where this author goes in the future. As an alternative, if you’re looking for queer themed horror, I would suggest The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate. For a specifically sapphic experience that’s more creepy than outright scary, The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould.