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fromthefoxhole 's review for:
This Gilded Abyss
by Rebecca Thorne
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a ride, this book!
I usually hate when books are marketed "X meets Y, for fans of Z!" It feels cheap and inauthentic 90% of the time. That said, as a massive fan of Arcane and a Locked Tomb enjoyer? Yeah, they nailed that. I can't speak to Bioshock aside from the whole retrofuturism underwater aspect, but. I wouldn't necessarily quantify This Gilded Abyss as a horror, more that it has horror elements (a disease that makes people inexplicably violent and mindless, a haunting (?), I have thalassophobia so this entire premise is my nightmare anyway). It is, definitely, a SFF book.
So what didn't work?
1. The worldbuilding - There are moments in this book that are crystal clear, I could basically see the movie adaptation in my mind. There are others that had me flipping back through my notes like "how did I miss that?" only to find out that I hadn't missed anything, it just hadn't been mentioned. Lumos is probably my best example of this - we never got backstory on Lumos outside of Nix constantly using the name where we would use "God" in a sentence.Then like 3/4 of the way through the book, there's the barest exposition that immediately gets flipped on its head. It would have been helpful to have from the beginning, to explain why Lumos = God in this world, the importance of Lumos to Valkeshia, etc. It would have made a better base for the Lumos-specific twist toward the end of the book.
2. Pacing - The first portion of the book kind of drags, where in later chapters every single one ends with another Major Event Cliffhanger. I understand ramping up the action as the stakes get more dire, but there comes a point where it becomes hard to hold onto all of the different threads. It could have benefited from being a touch shorter, or maybe omitting a thread or two to provide more space for the rest.
3. Writing style - I understand the frustration in several of the reviews about Thorne's style being very straightforward. There's a good amount of telling over showing, but I personally don't really mind that. Worth noting, however. There are several instances where something is explained 2-3 times within like 2 chapters, and if Kess is on the page, you can bet Nix is making a remark about her ichoron eye. That repetition felt unnecessary and stilted, at times.
What did I love?
1. Twists and turns abundant - I may have gotten a bit overwhelmed by the end, but I enjoy intrigue and suspense. It was hard to trust anyone throughout, and I know my heart rate was elevated at least several times based on my "oh god" note count.
2. Nix and Kess. Queen and Knight sapphics where they're both badasses?"There hasn't been anyone since you"? "I had to do what I could to protect you, even break my own heart"???? God, I love lesbians!
3. Worldbuilding - Where I do have some clarity issues, as mentioned above, good lord this world is amazing. I'm a sucker for that steampunk retrofuturist aesthetic, and This Gilded Abyss absolutely nails that. There's no way in hell I would ever take a trip on the Luminosity, even before the events of this book (thalassaphobia, remember?), but the idea is so cool and the aesthetics are imacculate. All the rose gold, the geometric designs, even the outfit details are so specific and it really helped me feel immersed in the world.
I will say I wish there was a note in the title that this was part of a series, because when it ended I about threw my phone seeing "to be continued". But overall I really enjoyed This Gilded Abyss and I can't wait for the other two books to drop!
I usually hate when books are marketed "X meets Y, for fans of Z!" It feels cheap and inauthentic 90% of the time. That said, as a massive fan of Arcane and a Locked Tomb enjoyer? Yeah, they nailed that. I can't speak to Bioshock aside from the whole retrofuturism underwater aspect, but. I wouldn't necessarily quantify This Gilded Abyss as a horror, more that it has horror elements (a disease that makes people inexplicably violent and mindless, a haunting (?), I have thalassophobia so this entire premise is my nightmare anyway). It is, definitely, a SFF book.
So what didn't work?
1. The worldbuilding - There are moments in this book that are crystal clear, I could basically see the movie adaptation in my mind. There are others that had me flipping back through my notes like "how did I miss that?" only to find out that I hadn't missed anything, it just hadn't been mentioned. Lumos is probably my best example of this - we never got backstory on Lumos outside of Nix constantly using the name where we would use "God" in a sentence.
2. Pacing - The first portion of the book kind of drags, where in later chapters every single one ends with another Major Event Cliffhanger. I understand ramping up the action as the stakes get more dire, but there comes a point where it becomes hard to hold onto all of the different threads. It could have benefited from being a touch shorter, or maybe omitting a thread or two to provide more space for the rest.
3. Writing style - I understand the frustration in several of the reviews about Thorne's style being very straightforward. There's a good amount of telling over showing, but I personally don't really mind that. Worth noting, however. There are several instances where something is explained 2-3 times within like 2 chapters, and if Kess is on the page, you can bet Nix is making a remark about her ichoron eye. That repetition felt unnecessary and stilted, at times.
What did I love?
1. Twists and turns abundant - I may have gotten a bit overwhelmed by the end, but I enjoy intrigue and suspense. It was hard to trust anyone throughout, and I know my heart rate was elevated at least several times based on my "oh god" note count.
2. Nix and Kess. Queen and Knight sapphics where they're both badasses?
3. Worldbuilding - Where I do have some clarity issues, as mentioned above, good lord this world is amazing. I'm a sucker for that steampunk retrofuturist aesthetic, and This Gilded Abyss absolutely nails that. There's no way in hell I would ever take a trip on the Luminosity, even before the events of this book (thalassaphobia, remember?), but the idea is so cool and the aesthetics are imacculate. All the rose gold, the geometric designs, even the outfit details are so specific and it really helped me feel immersed in the world.
I will say I wish there was a note in the title that this was part of a series, because when it ended I about threw my phone seeing "to be continued". But overall I really enjoyed This Gilded Abyss and I can't wait for the other two books to drop!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Vomit