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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. Typically, a book that's about killer mermaids wouldn't be something that would interest me, but because I love Grant's (aka Seanan McGuire) Wayward Children series so much, I was eager to read this one.
And here's where I think the crux of the problem lies: I think I like her writing better when she's doing short form literature. Wayward Children is so lyrical and beautiful it's like a feast for the senses. Pretty much every sentence is exquisite, and when I read those books I marvel over how much emotion the author can capture in such little space. With Into the Drowning Deep, however, the author has a lot more space, and I'm not sure it's to the book's benefit. There are passages where people wax poetic at times that just did not seem appropriate to me, such as when they're running for their lives. I found a lot of their conversations strangely long-winded, given the dire peril they're experiencing. I also found the book more dense with scientific jargon than I wanted it to be, and I found it odd the way scientists explained things to one another (science-splaining?).
The characters in this book are well done, something I've pretty much come to expect with this author's works. Plus, she bakes diversity into all her narratives in a way that's so effortless other authors ought to take note. Writing about non-white, non-binary, non-heterosexual characters doesn't have to be hard, 'mkay? You just write them like they're people. Astonishing, I know. This is a thing that McGuire/Grant understands implicitly, and it elevates all of her fiction. Her stories' diversity never strikes me as tokenism, and her marginalized characters always have roles to play, not because they're marginalized people, but because they're humans with backgrounds and motivations and knowledge. I cannot applaud this enough and I sincerely hope more SFF authors will follow this author's example.
Yet as diverse and great as the characters are, they still didn't feel as full of depth to me as the characters in her Wayward Children series. This may be because of the psuedoscience babble or the weird habit they have of talking and talking and talking when they ought to be running for their lives. I mean, she does develop them, but for some reason I don't feel like I understand them on the same level as I do her Wayward Children series characters. Again, this may be due to what I feel is a tendency for this book to be overwritten. Maybe the heart of the characters is getting too buried in the narrative for me to see it as much as I do in her other series. I fully admit there were times when I could feel myself kind of glazing over and skimming rather than reading attentively, as I do when I'm digging into one of the Wayward Children novels.
I'll definitely give Grant credit for her "mermaids". They are creepy and sinister, and yet she also gives them a lot of nuance and depth--in fact, I think I felt they were the most faceted characters of all, funnily enough. I was amazed at how one second I could be repulsed by them as horrific monsters and the next reflect on how nature, how lions aren't murderers because they eat antelope, are they? After all, to lions antelope are food, the same way lots of humans love steak. I assume most of us don't kill cows because we hate them but because we think they're delicious. The same held here with the mermaids/sirens. It was very interesting to me.
Still, I don't think I'm going to read the next book. I admire what she did here and was at times very engrossed in her world, but overall I just wasn't as into this book as I am her other series. That I will definitely continue to read.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Typically, a book that's about killer mermaids wouldn't be something that would interest me, but because I love Grant's (aka Seanan McGuire) Wayward Children series so much, I was eager to read this one.
And here's where I think the crux of the problem lies: I think I like her writing better when she's doing short form literature. Wayward Children is so lyrical and beautiful it's like a feast for the senses. Pretty much every sentence is exquisite, and when I read those books I marvel over how much emotion the author can capture in such little space. With Into the Drowning Deep, however, the author has a lot more space, and I'm not sure it's to the book's benefit. There are passages where people wax poetic at times that just did not seem appropriate to me, such as when they're running for their lives. I found a lot of their conversations strangely long-winded, given the dire peril they're experiencing. I also found the book more dense with scientific jargon than I wanted it to be, and I found it odd the way scientists explained things to one another (science-splaining?).
The characters in this book are well done, something I've pretty much come to expect with this author's works. Plus, she bakes diversity into all her narratives in a way that's so effortless other authors ought to take note. Writing about non-white, non-binary, non-heterosexual characters doesn't have to be hard, 'mkay? You just write them like they're people. Astonishing, I know. This is a thing that McGuire/Grant understands implicitly, and it elevates all of her fiction. Her stories' diversity never strikes me as tokenism, and her marginalized characters always have roles to play, not because they're marginalized people, but because they're humans with backgrounds and motivations and knowledge. I cannot applaud this enough and I sincerely hope more SFF authors will follow this author's example.
Yet as diverse and great as the characters are, they still didn't feel as full of depth to me as the characters in her Wayward Children series. This may be because of the psuedoscience babble or the weird habit they have of talking and talking and talking when they ought to be running for their lives. I mean, she does develop them, but for some reason I don't feel like I understand them on the same level as I do her Wayward Children series characters. Again, this may be due to what I feel is a tendency for this book to be overwritten. Maybe the heart of the characters is getting too buried in the narrative for me to see it as much as I do in her other series. I fully admit there were times when I could feel myself kind of glazing over and skimming rather than reading attentively, as I do when I'm digging into one of the Wayward Children novels.
I'll definitely give Grant credit for her "mermaids". They are creepy and sinister, and yet she also gives them a lot of nuance and depth--in fact, I think I felt they were the most faceted characters of all, funnily enough. I was amazed at how one second I could be repulsed by them as horrific monsters and the next reflect on how nature, how lions aren't murderers because they eat antelope, are they? After all, to lions antelope are food, the same way lots of humans love steak. I assume most of us don't kill cows because we hate them but because we think they're delicious. The same held here with the mermaids/sirens. It was very interesting to me.
Still, I don't think I'm going to read the next book. I admire what she did here and was at times very engrossed in her world, but overall I just wasn't as into this book as I am her other series. That I will definitely continue to read.
alexandrafren's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
darksaphira's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
literarykitten's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
midwifereading's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I was ready to love this book. I love sci-fi thrillers, and I heard that it wasn't as "horror-ish" as many other books labeled as horror. Plus, mermaids. Of course I picked it up! 🧜🏻♀️
But I have mixed feelings.
First, what I liked. The mermaids/sirens. Guys. 😳 They were so well-written, beautiful, terrifying, and realistic. The research that went into this book was obviously deep and meticulous. It rivals a good Crichton novel, frankly. We get a couple of places where the POV is theirs, and those are fantastic!
The tension and suspense are also well done, in my opinion, and even when you can tell, before the character realizes it, THAT THERE'S A SIREN ON THE CEILING, it still plays well. If it were a movie, you'd want to yell at the characters to turn around and run. So obviously, it kept me turning the pages. It's exactly what you expect in a thriller as far as that goes, though the body count isn't as high as I expected among the cast of characters. (Yes, I'm a little bummed--not enough blood and torn clothes and messy hair at the end, lol.)
There is also a chapter from the POV of some dolphins trained to attempt communication with the monsters, and that was one of my favorites. I wish it had been longer. The author's talent shines in these alternate POV passages, in my opinion.
The first death scene we witness is intense, claustrophobic, and frightening. I loved it!!! This character, of course, thinks she can push the limits , ignores her safety team, then pays the price spectacularly! There's a certain poetry to her death that sets up the rest of the story so well, a la Crichton, and then...well...it gets stickier after that.
Grant's writing style feels very young -- not immature, by any means, but definitely young. A lot of on-the-nose exposition regarding some heavier topics that felt out of place and shoehorned in. I can't really put my finger on why, but I imagine experience will really hone the author's skill, and I can see her becoming a truly great sci-fi writer.
Her characters are all pretty well sketched out, but don't feel finished. My favorites were Jillian Toth and Luis Martines, although I really only liked Luis. I agree with other reviewers that note that the interactions between characters don't feel quite organic, especially the mini-romance-subplot between Olivia and Tory. It just feels out of place to me. Man-eating mermaids on the loose and two people already dead? Sure! Let's get it on! Um. What? 🤷🏻♀️
Also. There were a lot of parenthetical passages that really didn't need to be there. Almost like an afterthought shoved in so we can understand what's going on in someone's mind. This is one area where I can see something really unique in her writing style that I think could very well turn out to be her signature, and the thing that makes her great. She's not there yet, but I hope she keeps going.
As for the ending, I felt as though none of the characters really accomplished what they set out to do, except (maybe) Jillian. It was a little unsatisfying to me, for a few reasons. While I don't need everything tied up in a neat little bow, I do need some closure. It's not "cliffhangery" enough to leave me wanting more, and not "answery" enough to leave me some satisfaction. It felt...abrupt.
Again -- I think Grant has something amazing to offer, and I hope she keeps writing. Especially about these sirens.🤩
But I have mixed feelings.
First, what I liked. The mermaids/sirens. Guys. 😳 They were so well-written, beautiful, terrifying, and realistic. The research that went into this book was obviously deep and meticulous. It rivals a good Crichton novel, frankly. We get a couple of places where the POV is theirs, and those are fantastic!
The tension and suspense are also well done, in my opinion, and even when you can tell, before the character realizes it, THAT THERE'S A SIREN ON THE CEILING, it still plays well. If it were a movie, you'd want to yell at the characters to turn around and run. So obviously, it kept me turning the pages. It's exactly what you expect in a thriller as far as that goes, though the body count isn't as high as I expected among the cast of characters. (Yes, I'm a little bummed--not enough blood and torn clothes and messy hair at the end, lol.)
There is also a chapter from the POV of some dolphins trained to attempt communication with the monsters, and that was one of my favorites. I wish it had been longer. The author's talent shines in these alternate POV passages, in my opinion.
The first death scene we witness is intense, claustrophobic, and frightening. I loved it!!! This character, of course, thinks she can push the limits , ignores her safety team, then pays the price spectacularly! There's a certain poetry to her death that sets up the rest of the story so well, a la Crichton, and then...well...it gets stickier after that.
Grant's writing style feels very young -- not immature, by any means, but definitely young. A lot of on-the-nose exposition regarding some heavier topics that felt out of place and shoehorned in. I can't really put my finger on why, but I imagine experience will really hone the author's skill, and I can see her becoming a truly great sci-fi writer.
Her characters are all pretty well sketched out, but don't feel finished. My favorites were Jillian Toth and Luis Martines, although I really only liked Luis. I agree with other reviewers that note that the interactions between characters don't feel quite organic, especially the mini-romance-subplot between Olivia and Tory. It just feels out of place to me. Man-eating mermaids on the loose and two people already dead? Sure! Let's get it on! Um. What? 🤷🏻♀️
Also. There were a lot of parenthetical passages that really didn't need to be there. Almost like an afterthought shoved in so we can understand what's going on in someone's mind. This is one area where I can see something really unique in her writing style that I think could very well turn out to be her signature, and the thing that makes her great. She's not there yet, but I hope she keeps going.
As for the ending, I felt as though none of the characters really accomplished what they set out to do, except (maybe) Jillian. It was a little unsatisfying to me, for a few reasons. While I don't need everything tied up in a neat little bow, I do need some closure. It's not "cliffhangery" enough to leave me wanting more, and not "answery" enough to leave me some satisfaction. It felt...abrupt.
Again -- I think Grant has something amazing to offer, and I hope she keeps writing. Especially about these sirens.🤩
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
aprilthelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
cosymilko's review
5.0
Into the Drowning Deep is the follow up to the limited release “Rolling in the Deep” in which the Atargatis went missing, all hands lost. This book is set 7 years in the future following the search for what actually happened to the crew of the Atargatis.
You don’t need to have read Rolling in the Deep. You don’t need to know anything about it. It is teased out and so beautifully mirrored in this book that at times I wish I hadn’t read the short story before.
Mira Grant does seem to have a standard type of character that she writes: a stoic no-nonsense male, a hard-outer shelled smug scientist, and the young person determined to show the world/seek revenge. If you can look past this then you’ll enjoy this book.
For me, the pace is better than in previous Grant novels and the info-dump from scientists feels much less forced. There is still enough science to firmly plant this in sci-fi but it is embedded in the narrative and none of it feels needless.
I would recommend this as a way to dive in* to Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire’s increasingly large volume of work. For me, this is on par with Feed for the hook* you in and keep you reading moments.
*all puns intended.
You don’t need to have read Rolling in the Deep. You don’t need to know anything about it. It is teased out and so beautifully mirrored in this book that at times I wish I hadn’t read the short story before.
Mira Grant does seem to have a standard type of character that she writes: a stoic no-nonsense male, a hard-outer shelled smug scientist, and the young person determined to show the world/seek revenge. If you can look past this then you’ll enjoy this book.
For me, the pace is better than in previous Grant novels and the info-dump from scientists feels much less forced. There is still enough science to firmly plant this in sci-fi but it is embedded in the narrative and none of it feels needless.
I would recommend this as a way to dive in* to Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire’s increasingly large volume of work. For me, this is on par with Feed for the hook* you in and keep you reading moments.
*all puns intended.
pkatrinaanne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
ecpritchard's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The pace is just right as it slowly builds towards the inevitable climax - with enough twists and turns to keep you interested. A thoroughly enjoyable, unsettling read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore