tigger89's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this up for the spooky horror monsters, but wound up loving it for the characters. They're such a pair of unlikely friends, a detail that isn't lost on them in-universe. I did have some concerns as I was reading about how lopsided the friendship seemed to be, along with some of Nick's attitudes towards Johnny, but I never should have doubted the author. She knew exactly where she was going with all of that, every single word and implication of it intentional, and it was fantastically done.
The story itself is set in an alternate timeline, early-mid 2000s, and takes the characters across the world from Canada to the Middle East, dodging the authorities and inter-dimensional horrors alike. Something I really enjoyed was that it was told from the perspective of the sidekick. Typically you get the story from the perspective of the hero, so the unique perspective put a new spin on the genre. I would've liked to learn more about the magic system, but maybe that's coming in the sequels.
Now, the thing I didn't like. Minor spoilers ahead, for an event in the first half of the story.
The story itself is set in an alternate timeline, early-mid 2000s, and takes the characters across the world from Canada to the Middle East, dodging the authorities and inter-dimensional horrors alike. Something I really enjoyed was that it was told from the perspective of the sidekick. Typically you get the story from the perspective of the hero, so the unique perspective put a new spin on the genre. I would've liked to learn more about the magic system, but maybe that's coming in the sequels.
Now, the thing I didn't like. Minor spoilers ahead, for an event in the first half of the story.
Spoiler
I really don't like the trope where an innocent animal/person is hurt or killed just to demonstrate that the villain means business or to motivate the hero. It makes me feel bad. And, unfortunately, this book uses that trope. I was not a fan, and actually almost DNFed the book after that happened. I think that I will continue the series, as the rest of it was fantastic(though I wonder where it's going from here, as the story seemed to wrap up perfectly). I just won't be letting myself get attached to anything that seems too vulnerable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Islamophobia and Racism
enchantressreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and Racism
Minor: Animal death
claudiearseneault's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had a rough start with this book. Part of it was that it didn't match my expectations of what kind of horror to expect, and I wound up not really scared at all, and part of it was the casual arophobia at the start, the animal death, and the insistence Morroco was in Middle East.
I stayed because I'd heard a lot about the messy friendship between Johnny and Nick, and I could already see those unhealthy lines and wanted to explore them. And in that regards I think BENEATH THE RISING satisfies well enough, pushing and prodding at the sharp edges between two friends brought together by shared trauma and seemingly separated by everything else. It kept leaving me craving more, though, their chances to really hammer out those edges either ignored or blocked by plot, until I really struggled to understand what DID bind them on a deeper level, what made them *work* at all.
In the end, I think a lot of my issues with this book are just the Not For Me kind. I did mostly enjoy the story, especially Nick's sense of humour and the way Johnny and Nick ribbed one another.
I stayed because I'd heard a lot about the messy friendship between Johnny and Nick, and I could already see those unhealthy lines and wanted to explore them. And in that regards I think BENEATH THE RISING satisfies well enough, pushing and prodding at the sharp edges between two friends brought together by shared trauma and seemingly separated by everything else. It kept leaving me craving more, though, their chances to really hammer out those edges either ignored or blocked by plot, until I really struggled to understand what DID bind them on a deeper level, what made them *work* at all.
In the end, I think a lot of my issues with this book are just the Not For Me kind. I did mostly enjoy the story, especially Nick's sense of humour and the way Johnny and Nick ribbed one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, and Racism
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
northernzephyr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Child death
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