Reviews

Below, by Laurel Hightower

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dostocoded's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

pages_and_ash's review against another edition

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5.0

Selected for March’s Creep It Real Book Club

https://instagram.com/creepitrealbookclub?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This book was a thrilling ride from start to finish. Between driving in a snow storm and surviving creepy monsters, I was on the edge of my seat. I loved the spooks and scares.

I just wished the ending wasn’t so vague.

abigailsbooks32's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

srwells48's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No

2.75

This started off nice and creepy, but then just got confusing. The first 60 pages were tense and eventually gave me "The Descent" vibes, which worked for me. But all the other weirdness and unanswered questions left me feeling like there was too much going on for such a short novella. I think this would've worked if it were either just a short story or had 50-100 more pages.

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

4.5 stars. I rarely come across horror books with mimicry used as a theme. Something appearing not as it seems/posing as something else is such an interesting and rather untapped concept within horror lit. I really liked that the creature wasn't fully explained and that as the reader, we didn't even know what it was capable of. The imagination can really run wild and that's scarier than being spoon-fed and given all the answers.

Content Warnings

jasonsweirdreads's review against another edition

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5.0

My god, what a wonderful and terrifying and gory ride this book is! It’s only January and Below by Laurel Hightower is already a big contender for my top read of 2023. 4.5 stars

samlogan52's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense

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

5.0

Creature. Dread. Isolation.

This novella is a banger. The author crafts strong characters from the very beginning. You really feel the dilemma the protagonist is put in during the early pages and once decisions are made, you’re just along for the ride. There was an effective blend of character-driven relationships, isolated settings, unexplainable events, and a sparse but impactful use of a creature to drive the narrative. Highly recommended and was an absolute joy to read!

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

cmd_prompt's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

besse039's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.25

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