A review by prosepander
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a claustrophobic thriller about isolation, desperation, and loving someone despite their flaws while also having that love returned.

I loved the relationship. Gyre and Em are two toxic and broken people, but they love each other, and the building of trust between the two was compelling to me. Watching Em grow from a person with the singular goal of

finding her mother and father, no matter how many people have to die to get there to someone that is willing to risk her own life to rescue Gyre

was an immensely satisfying arc. 

While I greatly enjoyed the novel, I would understand if some readers would find the plot slow and not terribly exciting. Personally, I found the laser focus on Gyre and Em’s relationship to be wholly engrossing. I think it’s important for readers to understand that this is a character-focused novel rather than a plot-focused one, if that makes sense. 

All in all, this was one of my favorite reads of the year. I would recommend it to anyone that’s interested in slow-build psychological horror and deep characterization. If you are a person who prefers fast-paced action in your novels, this may not be the one for you.