Reviews

I do not understand why this book was so highly rated. I like the premise but it's too short to develop literally anything. Right when I start to get interested in anything we've already moved the plot along since there's barely 100 pages of large writing. I legitimately thought this was a middle school book at first. The plot could be fleshed out and turned into something deliciously creepy but instead I'm left with a plethora of plot holes, unanswered questions, and a poor vague ending. The idea of writing someone's journey through a cave system where they can't see is a fascinating literary device I would love to see fleshed out because this was not it. 2.0.

bbtea's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I went into “Below” incredibly excited, but unfortunately left my time in the caverns a bit disappointed. The elements of greatness were there; creepy, horrific creatures, the mystery of Mothman, hell on psyche of our main character. But some parts missed the mark of their potential for me, and I also wanted more of the man himself from the front cover in the story.

I’ve seen others love it though, and perhaps its execution just wasn’t for me!

Content Warnings

kcc1215's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

oyiii's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kt_jams's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

madisonreads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

twinkle_flavored's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I went in with the misunderstanding this was a creature feature of sorts, centered around the mothman. While the mothman is around periodically, I feel the rich lore that could have been pulled from was largely left untapped. So if you’re a mothman fan kid- this novella may not be for you.

It was an atmospheric, and fast paced read. Though I certainly don’t need my stories polished, neatly wrapped up, and presented with a bow… I found several (what seemed, fairly important) loose ends were left hanging. The ending was an odd direction to go, which I think was a stab at showing the MC growth. It just didn’t land for me.

While I was not the target audience for this novella, there certainly is one. If you are looking for a quick read, enjoy well written body horror, a fever dream like winter atmosphere, cryptid critters, all with a feminist slant- check this out. It may just be a new favorite!

Content Warnings

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