miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
*checks over shoulder*
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Vomit, Death of parent, Abandonment, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Cursing, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
ronniethereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Confinement, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
j_squaredd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Gore, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Grief, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment and Blood
opinkb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Vomit, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, and Blood
haleybre's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
lauraglovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
What I liked: the protagonist Gyre is well developed and complex, the terrifying setting is consistently well established, and I feel like the reader is given enough information to be interesting while a lot of core aspects of what's going on are unclear (as they are to the protagonist, who with more and more time underground seems to become a less reliable narrator).
What I didn't like: the book felt long. I can appreciate this re: the subject matter -- no doubt the caving expedition felt like eternity! -- but some bits were repetitive and could've been shorter. The romantic aspect should've been left out entirely; I love queer rep but it made zero sense and didn't add anything to the plot.
Content warnings: claustrophobia, violence, death, death of a loved one, injury detail, blood, some gore
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore and Blood
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings: Claustrophobia, death, loss of parents, child abandonment, loss of body autonomy, non-consensual administration of drugs, nightmares, hallucinations, feelings of isolation, blood/gore, loss of limb, and suicidal ideations.
I’ve let this book sit on my shelf for a while before finally deciding to dive in. As a huge fan of watching horror/thriller movies/shows I’ve been pretty nervous to read any…for fear that reading it will prolong the unease/anxiety/etc. After seeing a few trusted Booktok accounts discuss the book I finally felt ready to take it on. Although I did make sure to break up the reading over multiple days and also read a happier book when I needed to. 😅
The way this book was written I could easily see it turned into a fantastic horror film. The whole being alone, in a privately owned cave system, with only the voice of your handler as company. Fear of not knowing if you can trust what you see and hear and constantly having a sense of being watched. The suspense alone had my anxiety peaking constantly…always curious and afraid of what the next section of the cave would lead to.
As I’ve never read a book like this before…I can’t say what books it reminds me of. I can however tell you about movies and video games that I was reminded of while reading this book. Without reasoning I’ll just leave my list: The Descent [movie], Until Dawn, As Above So Below [movie], and Man of Medan. Honestly, there are probably a ton others that have similar vibes but these are the four that I kept randomly thinking about as I made my way through the book.
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
boglord's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
Moderate: Gaslighting, Colonisation, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
charley34's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, Confinement, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse