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A review by sarah984
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A slow but tense book about a woman who gets more than she bargained for signing up for a mysterious underground expedition with a paycheque that was too good to be true. I liked the descriptions of the caving itself and the push and pull between the main characters, the caver and her handler. I do think Em wound up being a bit too soft (and it's sort of weird imo that she's so young considering she's already sent over 20 expeditions into this cave by the time Gyre tries it) and the Tunneler was scarier before the baffling decision near the end to force a confrontation with it but overall great book.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment