Into the Drowning Deep

Quotes

Genre

• Horror
• Science Fiction
• Thriller
• Adult
• LGBT
• Mermaids

Trigger Warnings

• Animal death
• Blood
• Body horror
• Death (including sibling in the past)
• Dismemberment
• Drowning
• Gore
• Poisoning
• Suicide mention
• Violence

*There may be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.

Summary

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy.

Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Characters

• Victoria (Tori) Stewart – Marine Biologist
• Luis – Tori’s friend and tech guy
• Olivia Sanderson – Imagine Reporter sent to record findings
• Ray – Olivia’s cameraman and friend
• Dr Jillian Toth – The doctor heading the expedition and Blackwell’s ex-wife
• Theodore Blackwell – Dr. Toth’s ex-husband and the lead on the expedition
• Holly Wilson – Organic chemist employed for her scientific achievements
• Heather Wilson – Deep sea diver employed to reach the Challenger Deep in her submersible
• Hallie Wilson – Heather and Holly’s older sister, an acoustician and translator

Setting

Mariana Trench, aboard the Melusine

Overview

This was a recommendation from a friend but when I got my hands on it I was sucked in. I didn’t think it was going to be my kind of book but it felt more like a familiar sort of creature feature that I would have been obsessed with in high school.

The characters were fun, the premise was wild, and the storytelling had just the right amount of anticipation. Some of the scares were in your face (quite literally in places) but the good ones were when you knew there was something just out of sight, stalking and hunting or just lurking in the dark. It was just really fun despite the horror.

Pros

It was just a fun wild ride. I liked the characters quite a bit and genuinely wanted them to survive the story. They felt realistic in the choices they would make and the whys behind them. Sometimes that made them frustrating but it makes the reader want them to succeed. The “monsters” were clever and intriguing while still being absolutely terrifying.

The writing style was one of the highlights for me. Grant really amped up the tension with the multi perspective chapters, working in all sorts of relevant (and terrifying) details in a multi shot style that really worked in the story.

Cons

I personally didn’t have many problems with it. I could see how the characters could frustrate some readers or that some of their choices felt a little to heavy-handed by the author but it was barely noticeable in my read through.

The thing I struggled with the most was the gore in some very prominent places. This is definitely a compliment for the genre I’m just a big weeny who had to physically turn away in some places. Again I’m pretty sure that’s more a compliment than a complaint but still.

Final Thoughts

I loved it.

It has a B movie creature feature type vibe but in all the right ways. The “mermaids” were interesting and different enough to keep me invested. The switching perspectives worked perfectly to keep me on the edge of my seat. The tension was good and the reveals were satisfying.

There is a prequel that I have not read yet but I really, really, want to.

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