greasertrashh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
5.0
Sitting at around 50% sapphic romance and 50% literary horror, this book explores the depths (intentional pun) of grief and loss.
I fell in love with this story very early on and it did not disappoint.
Be sure to check trigger warnings before reading.
I fell in love with this story very early on and it did not disappoint.
Be sure to check trigger warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Body horror, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
sivujenhavinaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
literarypenguin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
This was a beautifully written novel that surprised me in ways I didn't expect it to, it was a great exploration into grief and loss featuring a loving couple who each had great personalities individually just as much together.
This book's themes could be thought of in a number of ways, one of the themes I got was grief and loss. How those two things can change a person fundamentally and change how they live their day to day lives. How it can be so hard to move on after a loss, how a person can try to get back to a sense of normality but find it hard to do so. That is what Miri has to try to do, get back to a sense of normal for her and her wife Leah. After Leah's return from an ocean dive that took six months instead of the predetermined three weeks, Miri finds her once vibrant and outgoing wife acting very strangely. Not herself at all. When she can't get answers she has to try to figure out what she can do or must do to help Leah and to an extent herself.
I loved how this book explored the relationship of Leah and Miri, from the very start of their budding romance to when they got married and began to live together. It showed all the good parts of their relationship and even the bumps along the road for them. I also liked the idea of the book having the points of view between Miri and Leah, it added a lot more depth to the story and showed events from both of the women and how they reacted to it. Like Leah when she was on the dive and what happened during it, Miri back home waiting for her and dealing with the aftermath of the dive. Both of the women were both great characters as well. Miri was a hypochondriac and a gentle type of person while Leah was more outgoing and charismatic they balanced each other perfectly.
This book was much more then I expected and I am proud to have read it! I hope to read more from this author soon and explore what she has to offer.
This book's themes could be thought of in a number of ways, one of the themes I got was grief and loss. How those two things can change a person fundamentally and change how they live their day to day lives. How it can be so hard to move on after a loss, how a person can try to get back to a sense of normality but find it hard to do so. That is what Miri has to try to do, get back to a sense of normal for her and her wife Leah. After Leah's return from an ocean dive that took six months instead of the predetermined three weeks, Miri finds her once vibrant and outgoing wife acting very strangely. Not herself at all. When she can't get answers she has to try to figure out what she can do or must do to help Leah and to an extent herself.
I loved how this book explored the relationship of Leah and Miri, from the very start of their budding romance to when they got married and began to live together. It showed all the good parts of their relationship and even the bumps along the road for them. I also liked the idea of the book having the points of view between Miri and Leah, it added a lot more depth to the story and showed events from both of the women and how they reacted to it. Like Leah when she was on the dive and what happened during it, Miri back home waiting for her and dealing with the aftermath of the dive. Both of the women were both great characters as well. Miri was a hypochondriac and a gentle type of person while Leah was more outgoing and charismatic they balanced each other perfectly.
This book was much more then I expected and I am proud to have read it! I hope to read more from this author soon and explore what she has to offer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
saintyeehaw's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
This reminded me so much of "The Rememberer" by Amiee Bender, one of my favorite short stories. Unfortunately, as a long form novel, I did not enjoy this as much.
Spoiler
I thought the amount of mystery and sinister secret society stuff was just right. The "boss" with his eye ring, the eye of the creature, the disappearance of the Centre--all of it made my stomach drop when the connections started appearing. I like that we don't get the full picture; what would you want to know? That there's a group sending sacrifices down to an ancient creature that is the ocean itself? I think it works much better unclear and up to your imagination.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
archaicrobin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Our Wives Under the Sea is a beautifully written gothic tale about a submarine mission gone very wrong. Leah is a scientist who embarks on a deep sea mission for research which quickly goes wrong, stranding her at the bottom of the ocean with a small crew for months. Once she finally resurfaces her wife Miri quickly realizes that Leah has come back changed emotionally and physically in ways she can’t explain.
This story is full of lyrical prose that dissects the themes of loss and grief through Miri and Leah’s deteriorating relationship as Leah’s condition worsens. Our Wives Under the Sea is atmospheric and eerie with several horrifying scenes that will stay with you. While the mystery of what occurred under the ocean is one of the main intrigues of the novel, this horror story is also about Miri and Leah’s relationship both before and after the expedition.
While I greatly enjoyed this book, I do realize that Our Wives Under the Sea is not for everyone. I agree with other reviews stating that this is for a very niche audience, and is best for those looking for an eerie, weird, atmospheric gothic horror that leaves you unsettled. If you’re expecting answers, you will be disappointed. This eerie story leaves the reader with more questions than answers and doesn’t explicitly tell you what happened down on the sea floor or why. Instead of irritating me, this lack of conclusion left me wondering what exactly occurred and why. If you’re looking for a unique horror novel with some horrifying body horror elements, I highly recommend .
This story is full of lyrical prose that dissects the themes of loss and grief through Miri and Leah’s deteriorating relationship as Leah’s condition worsens. Our Wives Under the Sea is atmospheric and eerie with several horrifying scenes that will stay with you. While the mystery of what occurred under the ocean is one of the main intrigues of the novel, this horror story is also about Miri and Leah’s relationship both before and after the expedition.
While I greatly enjoyed this book, I do realize that Our Wives Under the Sea is not for everyone. I agree with other reviews stating that this is for a very niche audience, and is best for those looking for an eerie, weird, atmospheric gothic horror that leaves you unsettled. If you’re expecting answers, you will be disappointed. This eerie story leaves the reader with more questions than answers and doesn’t explicitly tell you what happened down on the sea floor or why. Instead of irritating me, this lack of conclusion left me wondering what exactly occurred and why. If you’re looking for a unique horror novel with some horrifying body horror elements, I highly recommend .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Grief, and Death of parent
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A story about being a hypochondriac living in a rented flat with thin walls who finds it so hard to keep up with friends, whose wife says she'll be gone for three weeks and instead stays gone for six months. And then when she comes back she comes back so wrong. How do you live with that grief? What can you even hope to do about this?
It's a love story, it's a ghost story, it's a horror story.
It's a love story, it's a ghost story, it's a horror story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicide, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual content, Vomit, Abandonment, Dementia, Gore, Blood, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Contains descriptions ofSpoiler
drowning and eye horrorpicoledenaranja's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I sadly don't get it :( the writing style didn't immerse me so I found the story hard to connect with. Overall a cool story though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
celiguti1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, and Grief
theirgracegrace's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I read this book in a whirlwind three weeks and I cannot get it out of my head. The pastiche of character moments (especially at the end) can come across as jarring but helps to solidify the main characters Miri and Leah. Their relationship deteriorates when Leah comes back "wrong" after a routine research trip in a submarine leaves her stranded on the ocean floor for six months. The point-of-view bounces between Miri trying to make sense of her wife's strange behaviour and Leah explaining how the trip might have purposefully done for some mysterious ends. A tragic ending puts this book high on my list of recommended books. A fantastic read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Body horror, Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Animal death, Terminal illness, Cursing, Dementia, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer
One of the main characters is trapped in a submarine with two other people for six months and the three of them go clinically insane.anna_17793's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
that was so good what 😭
the ending has me in tears
the ending has me in tears
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Body horror, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Death of parent