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A review by midwifereading
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
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