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samkurd's review against another edition
5.0
One HELL of a debut novel. Between this and The Descent, I'm more certain than ever that I never want to go caving or spelunking not once ever no thank you.
megegghan's review against another edition
4.0
I stayed up super late two nights in a row to read this, absolutely scared out of my wits. Something about the atmosphere really got to me - had to get up to make sure all my doors were locked even though this isn't a 'monster' / 'killer' book. The ending was a little deflating but overall I really enjoyed myself. I'd read another book by this author.
elise_dragon13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
leweylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Ngl I'm shocked I finished this one 😅 I think I really just wanted to know for sure whether Em's mom was actually down in the cave or not. Basically, it was just way too slow with too little of consequence happening to keep me interested, especially since the WHOLE BOOK except the very last chapter are in this cave. I kept losing track of where the MC was in the cave and why because it all just felt the same?
AND CAN WE TALK ABOUTTHE ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP?? NO. Just no. On so many levels wtf. I kind of want to recommend this book to someone just so I have someone to hate on this part with 😅 it makes absolutely no sense for the characters and feels incredibly forced on top of being toxic AF.
AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical trauma
xkait98's review against another edition
2.0
i was excited for this book. a sci-fi about a woman trapped in a cave on another planet with a dangerous creature about? plus an evil “handler” that could control her? count me IN.
unfortunately, this fell short in so many ways.
the world is shallow. we find out little to nothing about the universe this story is placed in. and the cave system is the most basic, generic cave system i’ve ever seen. the only quality it has are spores that can induce hallucinations. which brings me to my next point.
the “people” Gyre kept seeing, and whether or not they were real, kept me reading this book, hoping for a cool plot point that would really give this story an extra oomph. turns out it was literally nothing. i get it, Gyre’s mental status is suffering, but it feels like the hallucinations were just there as filler with no follow through.
the cave monster called the “tunneler” was one of the most anticipated parts for me. i waited and waited, then at 300+ pages in, it showed up. FINALLY, right? i was expecting some horrific creature that chills you down to the bone. but what i got was a worm that was too fat to hold itself up, so it just fell through the floor and that was the end of that.
Em, the handler, is very selfish, and you almost think she realizes it and grows as a character. but NOPE. even after Gyre has almost died several times, she pushes her to continue with the mission. it really makes all the supposed “bonding” moments between the two where Em realizes her mistakes seem pointless and a waste of space on the page.
Gyre makes STUPID choices just to further the plot, with no reason behind them. she spends so much time questioning Em, just to be like “i don’t care that you killed 30+ people and almost me, i NEED you” at the end.
this book was frustrating. 2 stars.
unfortunately, this fell short in so many ways.
the world is shallow. we find out little to nothing about the universe this story is placed in. and the cave system is the most basic, generic cave system i’ve ever seen. the only quality it has are spores that can induce hallucinations. which brings me to my next point.
the “people” Gyre kept seeing, and whether or not they were real, kept me reading this book, hoping for a cool plot point that would really give this story an extra oomph. turns out it was literally nothing. i get it, Gyre’s mental status is suffering, but it feels like the hallucinations were just there as filler with no follow through.
the cave monster called the “tunneler” was one of the most anticipated parts for me. i waited and waited, then at 300+ pages in, it showed up. FINALLY, right? i was expecting some horrific creature that chills you down to the bone. but what i got was a worm that was too fat to hold itself up, so it just fell through the floor and that was the end of that.
Em, the handler, is very selfish, and you almost think she realizes it and grows as a character. but NOPE. even after Gyre has almost died several times, she pushes her to continue with the mission. it really makes all the supposed “bonding” moments between the two where Em realizes her mistakes seem pointless and a waste of space on the page.
Gyre makes STUPID choices just to further the plot, with no reason behind them. she spends so much time questioning Em, just to be like “i don’t care that you killed 30+ people and almost me, i NEED you” at the end.
this book was frustrating. 2 stars.
ampersandread22's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ellakostka's review against another edition
4.0
★★★★☆ 3.5/5 this was VERY gripping and entertaining. but i didn’t buy the romance one bit