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The Sea Hides Its Dead
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26The Descent meets The Ritual in a cult aquatic horror about a group of academics trapped in a sea cave who must reckon with eldritch horrors as they are forced to atone for their greatest sins.
ATONE OR DIE.
Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when an opportunity arises to act as a research assistant on an anthropological expedition for her professor and lover, Edward Beck, she doesn't hesitate.
Beck assembles a team of academics and professionals to study the ancient sea-based Cult of the Leviathan, and the expedition descends into the sea caves where the cult are said to have dwelt.
But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. Surrounded by strange artefacts and scattered bones, an ancient trial has been set in motion. One by one, the members of the expedition will be tested and forced to atone for their greatest sin. . . or die.
ATONE OR DIE.
Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when an opportunity arises to act as a research assistant on an anthropological expedition for her professor and lover, Edward Beck, she doesn't hesitate.
Beck assembles a team of academics and professionals to study the ancient sea-based Cult of the Leviathan, and the expedition descends into the sea caves where the cult are said to have dwelt.
But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. Surrounded by strange artefacts and scattered bones, an ancient trial has been set in motion. One by one, the members of the expedition will be tested and forced to atone for their greatest sin. . . or die.
400 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 14, 2026
About the author
Megan Bontrager
4 books96 followersMegan Bontrager is a Horror and SFF author, and long-suffering PhD student, currently based in Yorkshire. Megan received her BFA in English from the University of Central Florida, and her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, Megan loves to play TTRPGs, and is a lifelong horse girl who dreams of rehabilitating rescues. She is represented by Clara Chuiton at The Rights Factory.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 12, 2025
Oh, hey! I wrote this!
It's only right and fair that I write myself a little review here, leaving it as a note to all readers who might stumble upon this weird little book. This is a deeply personal book that touches on some difficult things (there will be content warnings included, so please do feel free to shoot me a message on any of my socials before reading if you're unsure of tackling anything within) that I've struggled with in my own life, and it was honestly really, really healing to write once I got past the discomfort of quite literally putting all my damage on the page. Not that I've ever found myself trapped in a collapsed sea cave - I value life too much to even go there!
But really and truly, this book means so much to my own healing journey, and my own sense of self. That kind of thing is explored throughout, all lumped onto the shoulders of our intrepid protagonist, Caro. It wasn't fun to write at first, I'll admit - in fact, it was really very hard. But that's because it was all me! Everything I struggle with, everything that's too hard to talk about sometimes. Putting it on the page was a task and a half, and I felt like it was a genuine mess because of it. But then I saw the beauty in it: it's good because it's hard. And it's good because it hurts sometimes, but we persevere anyway. That's what cosmic horror is all about, too. Sometimes things feel too big. Way bigger than ourselves. But it's human nature to try.
I hope you all enjoy this wild ride of a story. And I hope it convinces you all to stay out of sea caves! Seriously. Don't even think about it!
It's only right and fair that I write myself a little review here, leaving it as a note to all readers who might stumble upon this weird little book. This is a deeply personal book that touches on some difficult things (there will be content warnings included, so please do feel free to shoot me a message on any of my socials before reading if you're unsure of tackling anything within) that I've struggled with in my own life, and it was honestly really, really healing to write once I got past the discomfort of quite literally putting all my damage on the page. Not that I've ever found myself trapped in a collapsed sea cave - I value life too much to even go there!
But really and truly, this book means so much to my own healing journey, and my own sense of self. That kind of thing is explored throughout, all lumped onto the shoulders of our intrepid protagonist, Caro. It wasn't fun to write at first, I'll admit - in fact, it was really very hard. But that's because it was all me! Everything I struggle with, everything that's too hard to talk about sometimes. Putting it on the page was a task and a half, and I felt like it was a genuine mess because of it. But then I saw the beauty in it: it's good because it's hard. And it's good because it hurts sometimes, but we persevere anyway. That's what cosmic horror is all about, too. Sometimes things feel too big. Way bigger than ourselves. But it's human nature to try.
I hope you all enjoy this wild ride of a story. And I hope it convinces you all to stay out of sea caves! Seriously. Don't even think about it!
August 12, 2025
i have said this before and i will say it again - megan never misses 🩷
November 14, 2025
I had the honour of reading an early version of this book and WOW. If you don’t know me, I LOVE caves and caving horror stories so this book activated the descent sleeper agent inside me and I finished it in a two-day rush, scrambling hungrily from page to page. For readers who love the tension of The Descent and the claustrophobia of As Above So Below, this book welcomes you with open arms.
As PhD student Caro, attempts to untangle herself from a life of manipulation — from her mother to her professor/lover — and she finds herself stuck in a cave off the coast that promises knowledge… and something darker.
Caro really hit home for me as someone who doesn’t know where they’re going in life. She’s unsure, a follower, but she really flourishes against the horrors presented to her. She becomes a survivor. Amidst the horrors, she finds her footing and comes out on top. I was rooting for her from the moment I met her, wanting to protect her from all the bad things in the world, terrible things both old and new, especially her professor.
Beck is a force. He’s deeply charismatic and well-learned and even when I knew I shouldn’t like him, I found myself drawn in. Bontrager understands all the things that make a good manipulator and employs them in Beck.
The atmosphere is perfectly tense and claustrophobic with a side of perfectly timed comedic interjections. Usually I struggle with horror books, finding dips and slow moments in the narrative, but this book had me hooked from the moment I opened it. Bontrager knows how to keep the reader on their toes, always paranoid for when the next horror will arrive. This book will sit with you long after it’s left.
As PhD student Caro, attempts to untangle herself from a life of manipulation — from her mother to her professor/lover — and she finds herself stuck in a cave off the coast that promises knowledge… and something darker.
Caro really hit home for me as someone who doesn’t know where they’re going in life. She’s unsure, a follower, but she really flourishes against the horrors presented to her. She becomes a survivor. Amidst the horrors, she finds her footing and comes out on top. I was rooting for her from the moment I met her, wanting to protect her from all the bad things in the world, terrible things both old and new, especially her professor.
Beck is a force. He’s deeply charismatic and well-learned and even when I knew I shouldn’t like him, I found myself drawn in. Bontrager understands all the things that make a good manipulator and employs them in Beck.
The atmosphere is perfectly tense and claustrophobic with a side of perfectly timed comedic interjections. Usually I struggle with horror books, finding dips and slow moments in the narrative, but this book had me hooked from the moment I opened it. Bontrager knows how to keep the reader on their toes, always paranoid for when the next horror will arrive. This book will sit with you long after it’s left.
April 8, 2026
A group of academics are trapped in a sea cave and must reckon with eldritch horrors as they are forced to atone for their greatest sins. This aquatic cosmic horror that has been described as “Dante’s Inferno meets The Descent” is well worth the hype. This book had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entirety of it, I had trouble putting it down. I had so much fun reading this captivating, gross, squishy book! This book is not for the faint of heart, so be sure to read the content warnings before diving in. I will say regarding one of the content warnings, there is “animal death” listed, which I know will scare some people away, but listen to me… it’s ok, you can read through it. I am super sensitive to stuff like that, but without giving away any spoilers, I’ll just say it’s not super graphic for that particular bit, and it’s important to the story. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read this book early, but I’m sad it’s over now. I will definitely be buying a physical copy and recommending it to anyone that will listen.
April 29, 2026
For most of this I was so sure this was going to be a 4 star or higher read, but it all went downhill after around about halfway through. But, this book isn’t without its strengths!
First off, this is a lot like The Descent, but a MILLION TIMES more creative and layered. This surprisingly liminal story is like backrooms, sea cave edition. It involves being trapped in a sea cave that rose from the sea out of nowhere, the cave being tied to some sort of cult, and the characters being picked off one by one. But, it’s not just violence for the sake of violence, which tbh I really dislike in horror, but luckily this wasn’t that. This book has layers to its creativity with everything from insane shared hallucinations to a paranormal trial of sorts that they each must endure, one by one. I’m sure you can guess what happens to those who don’t pass!
Caroline, a grad student who is sleeping with her jackass professor Beck because he’s the only one who understands her apparently, joins his expedition to explore a monolith that has risen from the sea. Beck has devoted his life to studying some cult of Leviathan. He employs this group of people to travel to this occultist sea cave that appeared out of nowhere, because that sounds like a great idea! They are somehow able evade the navy who intend to blow the cave up, plus evade the huge media circus stalking the area, and make their way inside into an unmapped cave system. None of these characters watch horror movies, do they!
In pure horror movie fashion, you see a bunch of human beings make the worst possible decisions you can think of, led by a douche bag who has no qualms sacrificing innocent lives for the sake of discovery. Beck is a COMPLETE asshole and one of the worst characters I’ve ever had the displeasure to read. He’s a sadist who doesn’t blink when the bodies start dropping, no matter how brutal the fate he just witnessed. He’s an actual psychopath and just when you think he can’t get worse, you hate him more. It also makes you hate Caro too, seeing as she spends most of the book defending him no matter how many red flags and obviously psychotic he is, not to mention the fact that she’s sleeping with him when he’s MARRIED. They both deserve each other!
For the benefit of readers who get bored easily and don’t like a slow start, there’s no slow build up either the violence starts fast as soon as they get into the cave. The descriptions are very well written and the imagery is so well described that you can practically see and hear it. Which I don’t know if you necessarily want in a book like this, but. For a horror novel, this is really well written, and has a really gripping and creative plot.
So now for the critical parts. So here’s the thing. I was enjoying this. I was so sure this was going to be 4 stars. But unfortunately the more I got into this book, the more my opinion of this book changed. First, as a Christian, I really didn’t like the parts where Caro and Beck give their inaccurate and misunderstood take on religion. TBH it was kind of offensive. The way some things were stated about the Christian faith, even though I know it was through the lenses of a flawed character’s misconstrued opinion, it still felt frustrating to read. Beck is definitely written to be unlikeable on purpose, and I don’t know if Caro was purposely written to be unlikeable but I suppose it’s possible (I hope so because she is lol) but I just really did not like it when they both gave their incomplete, inaccurate, and misconstrued opinions about Christian beliefs. This did vastly affect my opinion on this book. Just overall, these two happen to be two of the least likable characters I’ve ever read in fiction. They’re both just very messed up humans, especially Beck who’s just a complete psychopath. They’re both just characters who really need Jesus in their lives fr.
And, the whole thing about Caro’s test? I can’t go into detail without spoilers it really seems like the message this part is pushing is, if someone wrongs you, letting them die is the right thing to do and you shouldn’t regret it, or take it back if you get the chance. Like HUH? Am I missing something? Obviously this is different in cases of self defense but that is not Caro’s case. This book tries to portray her as a good person compared to Beck because she “feels remorse” over it unlike him, when feeling remorse for someone dying is literally bare minimum? I’m confused?
The first half-ish was great and it was all downhill from there. Morally some parts of this book are just confusing. But if you can overlook these critiques mentioned earlier that personally did bug me, and the fact that these are two of the least likable characters in the history of fiction, the plot itself is like a fever dream that you can’t stop reading. Once you get to the 75% mark, THIS BOOK IS UNPUTDOWNABLE. But MAN I had never gone through so much back and forth on an opinion about a book! I’d start enjoying it then something else would pmo.
BUT the plot itself is intense, plotted very well, and the book is so easy to visualize. And I really wish this didn’t have the parts I didn’t like because of it weren’t for that, I could see myself really hyping this book up because the plot, the pacing, the visualization aspects are fantastic. It’s compulsively readable. But certain things just kept me from full enjoyment. It was really well written and very creatively plotted though!
Thank you for Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
First off, this is a lot like The Descent, but a MILLION TIMES more creative and layered. This surprisingly liminal story is like backrooms, sea cave edition. It involves being trapped in a sea cave that rose from the sea out of nowhere, the cave being tied to some sort of cult, and the characters being picked off one by one. But, it’s not just violence for the sake of violence, which tbh I really dislike in horror, but luckily this wasn’t that. This book has layers to its creativity with everything from insane shared hallucinations to a paranormal trial of sorts that they each must endure, one by one. I’m sure you can guess what happens to those who don’t pass!
Caroline, a grad student who is sleeping with her jackass professor Beck because he’s the only one who understands her apparently, joins his expedition to explore a monolith that has risen from the sea. Beck has devoted his life to studying some cult of Leviathan. He employs this group of people to travel to this occultist sea cave that appeared out of nowhere, because that sounds like a great idea! They are somehow able evade the navy who intend to blow the cave up, plus evade the huge media circus stalking the area, and make their way inside into an unmapped cave system. None of these characters watch horror movies, do they!
In pure horror movie fashion, you see a bunch of human beings make the worst possible decisions you can think of, led by a douche bag who has no qualms sacrificing innocent lives for the sake of discovery. Beck is a COMPLETE asshole and one of the worst characters I’ve ever had the displeasure to read. He’s a sadist who doesn’t blink when the bodies start dropping, no matter how brutal the fate he just witnessed. He’s an actual psychopath and just when you think he can’t get worse, you hate him more. It also makes you hate Caro too, seeing as she spends most of the book defending him no matter how many red flags and obviously psychotic he is, not to mention the fact that she’s sleeping with him when he’s MARRIED. They both deserve each other!
For the benefit of readers who get bored easily and don’t like a slow start, there’s no slow build up either the violence starts fast as soon as they get into the cave. The descriptions are very well written and the imagery is so well described that you can practically see and hear it. Which I don’t know if you necessarily want in a book like this, but. For a horror novel, this is really well written, and has a really gripping and creative plot.
So now for the critical parts. So here’s the thing. I was enjoying this. I was so sure this was going to be 4 stars. But unfortunately the more I got into this book, the more my opinion of this book changed. First, as a Christian, I really didn’t like the parts where Caro and Beck give their inaccurate and misunderstood take on religion. TBH it was kind of offensive. The way some things were stated about the Christian faith, even though I know it was through the lenses of a flawed character’s misconstrued opinion, it still felt frustrating to read. Beck is definitely written to be unlikeable on purpose, and I don’t know if Caro was purposely written to be unlikeable but I suppose it’s possible (I hope so because she is lol) but I just really did not like it when they both gave their incomplete, inaccurate, and misconstrued opinions about Christian beliefs. This did vastly affect my opinion on this book. Just overall, these two happen to be two of the least likable characters I’ve ever read in fiction. They’re both just very messed up humans, especially Beck who’s just a complete psychopath. They’re both just characters who really need Jesus in their lives fr.
And, the whole thing about Caro’s test? I can’t go into detail without spoilers it really seems like the message this part is pushing is, if someone wrongs you, letting them die is the right thing to do and you shouldn’t regret it, or take it back if you get the chance. Like HUH? Am I missing something? Obviously this is different in cases of self defense but that is not Caro’s case. This book tries to portray her as a good person compared to Beck because she “feels remorse” over it unlike him, when feeling remorse for someone dying is literally bare minimum? I’m confused?
The first half-ish was great and it was all downhill from there. Morally some parts of this book are just confusing. But if you can overlook these critiques mentioned earlier that personally did bug me, and the fact that these are two of the least likable characters in the history of fiction, the plot itself is like a fever dream that you can’t stop reading. Once you get to the 75% mark, THIS BOOK IS UNPUTDOWNABLE. But MAN I had never gone through so much back and forth on an opinion about a book! I’d start enjoying it then something else would pmo.
BUT the plot itself is intense, plotted very well, and the book is so easy to visualize. And I really wish this didn’t have the parts I didn’t like because of it weren’t for that, I could see myself really hyping this book up because the plot, the pacing, the visualization aspects are fantastic. It’s compulsively readable. But certain things just kept me from full enjoyment. It was really well written and very creatively plotted though!
Thank you for Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
May 10, 2026
3.5⭐️
The movie ‘The Descent’ meets sea cult horror is 100% the best way to describe this book! But there’s a ton more depth to it and some eldritch gods at hand. (I’m not sure if the book titled ‘The Descent’ has any similarities, I have not read it but it was used as a comparison along with ‘The Ritual’)
Creepy cave monsters I pictured exactly as those from ‘The Descent’ (movie), but they can transform into someone you love?? Yeah no thanks! The descriptions of the ancient sea caves said to be inhabited by the Cult of the Leviathon were unsettling and evocative. Even more brutal were those descriptions of violence. This was so well written, the desperation of the situation was enough to make me anxious as the reader.
Atop of a group of academics going to check out a mysterious building that rose from the sea, only to end up trapped— This is also a story about breaking out of narcissistic relationships. Of self growth, though forced through a pretty messed up life experience.
Our main character Caro (Caroline), was someone you could understand immediately, though I admit I did not care for her the last 20% of the book. She’s a young college aged girl who has no idea what she wants to do with her life, a complicated background filled with strange grief, and wanting to find anything to make her feel loved. She finds herself trapped and desperate for Beck’s twisted approval and then having to face it head on as reality crashed down trapped in the sea caves.
This was going to be a pretty solid 4 stars for me, but the last 20% sort of dragged/fell apart (for me). Suddenly Cora, though not a favorite main character for me, went from understandable to latching on to another character in yet another unhealthy way that I didn’t fully understand.
There was a lot of repetition in conversations/conflicts and in events. At times this felt a bit too long but it was truly well written and I was hooked enough to need to know how it would end.
*ARC courtesy of netgalley*
( spoilers )
Beck was such a pathetic man, clearly getting off on able to manipulate a young girl whom he could ruin her entire livelihood and use HER intelligence to pass off as his own. This man also had a full wife at home while he went on and on about divorce (that we ALL know was never happening). But just the whole time I wanted to shake Cora because it was SO obvious Beck was using her, taking advantage of her and lying to her. I mean this man was her teacher from when she was in undergrad, technically her boss too as he is her advisor/teacher she TAs for. The whole time reading this, I just felt visceral anger towards him and was waiting for karma (which hell yeah). The descriptions of his mania, his cruelty upon entering the ancient sea building were so uncanny, completely set the mood into the type of character he was.
And i also get why some may hate Cora because like… she is a knowing ‘the other woman’. but i was fine with casting it asides out of nuance with power imbalance and her past, but like she got really unlikable at the end for me.
okay was was the weird obsession with Mallory? i got sorta weirded out the last 20% by how Cora put everything into her. At the start of the book she made it sound like they really only knew each other in passing, more casual friends because of school stuff. so I’m like girl why are we attaching ourselves to her? it felt like there was a strange tonal shift and i sort of just wanted to get though it
The movie ‘The Descent’ meets sea cult horror is 100% the best way to describe this book! But there’s a ton more depth to it and some eldritch gods at hand. (I’m not sure if the book titled ‘The Descent’ has any similarities, I have not read it but it was used as a comparison along with ‘The Ritual’)
Creepy cave monsters I pictured exactly as those from ‘The Descent’ (movie), but they can transform into someone you love?? Yeah no thanks! The descriptions of the ancient sea caves said to be inhabited by the Cult of the Leviathon were unsettling and evocative. Even more brutal were those descriptions of violence. This was so well written, the desperation of the situation was enough to make me anxious as the reader.
Atop of a group of academics going to check out a mysterious building that rose from the sea, only to end up trapped— This is also a story about breaking out of narcissistic relationships. Of self growth, though forced through a pretty messed up life experience.
Our main character Caro (Caroline), was someone you could understand immediately, though I admit I did not care for her the last 20% of the book. She’s a young college aged girl who has no idea what she wants to do with her life, a complicated background filled with strange grief, and wanting to find anything to make her feel loved. She finds herself trapped and desperate for Beck’s twisted approval and then having to face it head on as reality crashed down trapped in the sea caves.
This was going to be a pretty solid 4 stars for me, but the last 20% sort of dragged/fell apart (for me). Suddenly Cora, though not a favorite main character for me, went from understandable to latching on to another character in yet another unhealthy way that I didn’t fully understand.
There was a lot of repetition in conversations/conflicts and in events. At times this felt a bit too long but it was truly well written and I was hooked enough to need to know how it would end.
*ARC courtesy of netgalley*
( spoilers )
Beck was such a pathetic man, clearly getting off on able to manipulate a young girl whom he could ruin her entire livelihood and use HER intelligence to pass off as his own. This man also had a full wife at home while he went on and on about divorce (that we ALL know was never happening). But just the whole time I wanted to shake Cora because it was SO obvious Beck was using her, taking advantage of her and lying to her. I mean this man was her teacher from when she was in undergrad, technically her boss too as he is her advisor/teacher she TAs for. The whole time reading this, I just felt visceral anger towards him and was waiting for karma (which hell yeah). The descriptions of his mania, his cruelty upon entering the ancient sea building were so uncanny, completely set the mood into the type of character he was.
And i also get why some may hate Cora because like… she is a knowing ‘the other woman’. but i was fine with casting it asides out of nuance with power imbalance and her past, but like she got really unlikable at the end for me.
okay was was the weird obsession with Mallory? i got sorta weirded out the last 20% by how Cora put everything into her. At the start of the book she made it sound like they really only knew each other in passing, more casual friends because of school stuff. so I’m like girl why are we attaching ourselves to her? it felt like there was a strange tonal shift and i sort of just wanted to get though it
April 1, 2026
This book was a slow start for me, but I'm so glad I pushed through. I've never read a book quite like this before—cultish, eldritch, oceanic horror that reads more like gospel than prose at times—and I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected to.
Megan Bontrager is an incredibly talented author, and I was shocked at how much her writing emotionally moved me. The junk-drawer cast of characters never felt like it was too much to keep up with, despite how complex and intricately each of them were written. Caroline especially feels like a reflection of every young girl at some point in their life—lost, scared, desperate for purpose and love. Beck is the textbook manipulator, and oh my god, I've never seen a narcissist and abuser written quite as well as Beck was.
The reason this is four stars rather than five, for me, is that The Sea Hides Its Dead began to drag for me. The beginning is a little slow, a little purposely convoluted, which I understood and was able to push through. The last, maybe... 5% of the book felt slightly unnecessary to me. It was the same conversations, the same conflicts, the same events over and over again. It was beautifully written, don't get me wrong, but there's only so many times I can read the same fight with the same outcome before I get a little sick of it.
However, I LOVED the resolution of this novel. I had been able to guess a few of the smaller details of the ending, but the ending of Caroline's character arc could not have gotten any better than it did.
Overall, this book was an incredibly immersive dive into grief, obsession, love, purpose, and how far we'd go in the pursuit of them.
Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and Hachette Books for allowing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Megan Bontrager is an incredibly talented author, and I was shocked at how much her writing emotionally moved me. The junk-drawer cast of characters never felt like it was too much to keep up with, despite how complex and intricately each of them were written. Caroline especially feels like a reflection of every young girl at some point in their life—lost, scared, desperate for purpose and love. Beck is the textbook manipulator, and oh my god, I've never seen a narcissist and abuser written quite as well as Beck was.
The reason this is four stars rather than five, for me, is that The Sea Hides Its Dead began to drag for me. The beginning is a little slow, a little purposely convoluted, which I understood and was able to push through. The last, maybe... 5% of the book felt slightly unnecessary to me. It was the same conversations, the same conflicts, the same events over and over again. It was beautifully written, don't get me wrong, but there's only so many times I can read the same fight with the same outcome before I get a little sick of it.
However, I LOVED the resolution of this novel. I had been able to guess a few of the smaller details of the ending, but the ending of Caroline's character arc could not have gotten any better than it did.
Overall, this book was an incredibly immersive dive into grief, obsession, love, purpose, and how far we'd go in the pursuit of them.
Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and Hachette Books for allowing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
May 11, 2026
Great Concept But Poorly Executed
First, the positives… This book has great cover art. The concept behind the storyline was intriguing, kind of mashup of the film “The Descent” and the mystery behind Leviathan. Unfortunately, the book isn’t well written, and the exploration of subject matter is clumsy. If you’re the type of reader that only consumes a couple of books a year, you may enjoy it more than I did.
Thanks to Orbit Books and Goodreads Giveaways for the complimentary eDRC. All opinions are my own.
First, the positives… This book has great cover art. The concept behind the storyline was intriguing, kind of mashup of the film “The Descent” and the mystery behind Leviathan. Unfortunately, the book isn’t well written, and the exploration of subject matter is clumsy. If you’re the type of reader that only consumes a couple of books a year, you may enjoy it more than I did.
Thanks to Orbit Books and Goodreads Giveaways for the complimentary eDRC. All opinions are my own.
Did Not Finish
March 30, 2026DNF @ 42%
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(3.75🌟 rounded up)
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-ARC!
The Sea Hides Its Dead is a gruesome, horrific, intriguing tale that weaves themes of abuse, loneliness, and the ultimate power of friendship, in a unique way.
The story follows a group of explorers who venture out to a monolith in the middle of the sea that they suspect is related to the Leviathan Cult. Led by Professor Beck, (and supported by our main character Caroline) they find themselves trapped in the monolith when a series of trials begin, intended to leave the Leviathan with her final favourite: the person who she seems worthy of survival.
There were quite a few elements I want to highlight about this book, since they felt very unexpected for me:
Tone - this is a very dark, chilling, and unsettling book that heavily features graphic horror. I don't usually get creeped out by books, but this read had me almost snapping my neck to get a better look at the shadows in my room. It thoroughly freaked me out, and the descriptions of horror scenes were so well done that it was practically impossible to not see it in my mind's eye. I think the visual imagery of this book was extremely well executed and definitely left you feeling uncomfortable.
Theme of abuse and narcicissim - a heavy feature through this book is narcicissim and how it impacts a person's sense of self and ability to recognize, accept, and feel love and acceptance. I was not expecting this going into the book, and it was a welcome surprise. I think it lended really well to fuller character development and characterization, and it really made you empathatize with the character involved. The development arc was really well done and provided a great sense of vindication.
The ultimate power of friendship - I actually really enjoyed that this book ended up focusing on the power of community and friendship, and how that can literally save people's lives. It was done really well, and it didn't end up feeling sappy or like a cop-out. It almost felt like a Barbie movie in that sense - it focused on the idea of how friendship can help people rewrite their ideas of love, and it focused on the importance of platonic relationships in self worth and sense of self. Again, I thought this was really well-executed and made you hope for the best outcome possible all throughout the story.
This book really pulled me in and had me constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think the pacing was great, the characters were interesting, and the conclusion was satisfying and well done. If I had any sort of critique, it would just be that I would have loved to learn more about the cult itself. I felt like you learned some interesting stuff about the Leviathan and things like her trials, but it felt like you didn't really get much about the actual lore and reach that this cult had. You get a sense of it in vague terms through what Beck talks about and what the Leviathan shares, but not much else. It's not a large critique, because it might have felt more like a history lesson at that point, but that's the only thing I could think of in terms of a critique!
Also, fuck Beck??!! I was so mad that he sucks, mostly because I couldn't get the movie "Atlantis" out of my head and I really wanted Beck to be like Milo cause I have a soft spot for nerdy professors who are hot because they're so smart. Killed me that I had to hate him...
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-ARC!
The Sea Hides Its Dead is a gruesome, horrific, intriguing tale that weaves themes of abuse, loneliness, and the ultimate power of friendship, in a unique way.
The story follows a group of explorers who venture out to a monolith in the middle of the sea that they suspect is related to the Leviathan Cult. Led by Professor Beck, (and supported by our main character Caroline) they find themselves trapped in the monolith when a series of trials begin, intended to leave the Leviathan with her final favourite: the person who she seems worthy of survival.
There were quite a few elements I want to highlight about this book, since they felt very unexpected for me:
Tone - this is a very dark, chilling, and unsettling book that heavily features graphic horror. I don't usually get creeped out by books, but this read had me almost snapping my neck to get a better look at the shadows in my room. It thoroughly freaked me out, and the descriptions of horror scenes were so well done that it was practically impossible to not see it in my mind's eye. I think the visual imagery of this book was extremely well executed and definitely left you feeling uncomfortable.
Theme of abuse and narcicissim - a heavy feature through this book is narcicissim and how it impacts a person's sense of self and ability to recognize, accept, and feel love and acceptance. I was not expecting this going into the book, and it was a welcome surprise. I think it lended really well to fuller character development and characterization, and it really made you empathatize with the character involved. The development arc was really well done and provided a great sense of vindication.
The ultimate power of friendship - I actually really enjoyed that this book ended up focusing on the power of community and friendship, and how that can literally save people's lives. It was done really well, and it didn't end up feeling sappy or like a cop-out. It almost felt like a Barbie movie in that sense - it focused on the idea of how friendship can help people rewrite their ideas of love, and it focused on the importance of platonic relationships in self worth and sense of self. Again, I thought this was really well-executed and made you hope for the best outcome possible all throughout the story.
This book really pulled me in and had me constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think the pacing was great, the characters were interesting, and the conclusion was satisfying and well done. If I had any sort of critique, it would just be that I would have loved to learn more about the cult itself. I felt like you learned some interesting stuff about the Leviathan and things like her trials, but it felt like you didn't really get much about the actual lore and reach that this cult had. You get a sense of it in vague terms through what Beck talks about and what the Leviathan shares, but not much else. It's not a large critique, because it might have felt more like a history lesson at that point, but that's the only thing I could think of in terms of a critique!
Also, fuck Beck??!! I was so mad that he sucks, mostly because I couldn't get the movie "Atlantis" out of my head and I really wanted Beck to be like Milo cause I have a soft spot for nerdy professors who are hot because they're so smart. Killed me that I had to hate him...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Listen, LISTEN, I never, ever pick up a book that I don't think I won't 100% love, I wanna be clear about that up front. I also wanna say at the top that I acknowledge how personal this book was to the author and I'm not about to hate on that.
The writing itself was good, the premise was outstanding! Like hello, The Decent meets As Above, So Below meets like, idk the backrooms but make it in a mysterious sea cave. How can you not absolutely love that premise?! And the horror was fantastic! There was a lot of really amazing and visceral scenes in this book and those moments really stood out to me!
However, unfortunately my biggest struggle with the book was the characters themselves. The characters outside the main three literally just felt like body count characters in a horror movie. You know the kind, you don't know a single thing about them except knowing they're victim #7. Like sure their trials were interesting but, for me, the trials they face would have had more of an impact if you knew literally ONE THING about about them prior to their big moment.
I did also struggle with the main characters too, in that I could not stand any of them. Well, honestly I liked Mallory pretty well but when I read about her I swear I could see MAIN CHARACTER'S BEST FRIEND over her head the whole time. I didn't like Beck, for all the obvious reasons. Iykyk. But I didn't like Caroline either, like girl STAND UP. Again iykyk. And I didn't care for the insta bff-iness of Caroline and Mallory but also, I will let it slide. Who knows, maybe I too would become bffs with a girl I just met yesterday if we were stuck in a sea cave with a sea god. I imagine the trauma bonding would be off the charts.
There's also the religion discussion of it all, what makes someone a bad person, and how everyone was literally always BOOMING when they spoke in the sea cave but I've complained enough.
To be clear I don't in any way think this is a BAD book, I just don't think this was the book for me as I had originally hoped. The stuff I liked, I absolutely enjoyed! But on the flip side, the stuff I didn't like really grated on my nerves and in this case there was a little more that annoyed me than there were things that I liked. If you had a good time I'm not hating on you, I'm not hating on the author, I am just talking about MY experience and only mine.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free advance DRC. All opinions are my own.
The writing itself was good, the premise was outstanding! Like hello, The Decent meets As Above, So Below meets like, idk the backrooms but make it in a mysterious sea cave. How can you not absolutely love that premise?! And the horror was fantastic! There was a lot of really amazing and visceral scenes in this book and those moments really stood out to me!
However, unfortunately my biggest struggle with the book was the characters themselves. The characters outside the main three literally just felt like body count characters in a horror movie. You know the kind, you don't know a single thing about them except knowing they're victim #7. Like sure their trials were interesting but, for me, the trials they face would have had more of an impact if you knew literally ONE THING about about them prior to their big moment.
I did also struggle with the main characters too, in that I could not stand any of them. Well, honestly I liked Mallory pretty well but when I read about her I swear I could see MAIN CHARACTER'S BEST FRIEND over her head the whole time. I didn't like Beck, for all the obvious reasons. Iykyk. But I didn't like Caroline either, like girl STAND UP. Again iykyk. And I didn't care for the insta bff-iness of Caroline and Mallory but also, I will let it slide. Who knows, maybe I too would become bffs with a girl I just met yesterday if we were stuck in a sea cave with a sea god. I imagine the trauma bonding would be off the charts.
There's also the religion discussion of it all, what makes someone a bad person, and how everyone was literally always BOOMING when they spoke in the sea cave but I've complained enough.
To be clear I don't in any way think this is a BAD book, I just don't think this was the book for me as I had originally hoped. The stuff I liked, I absolutely enjoyed! But on the flip side, the stuff I didn't like really grated on my nerves and in this case there was a little more that annoyed me than there were things that I liked. If you had a good time I'm not hating on you, I'm not hating on the author, I am just talking about MY experience and only mine.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free advance DRC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of the Sea Hides it's Dead!
This novel was an absolute blood soaked fever dream. The novel follows Caroline, a graduate student with a bit of a sad past (understatement of the year). Caroline is in a relationship with Edward (Professor Beck), he is a married, narcissistic professor who is investing in showing the world that the deity he refers to as The Leviathan is real. This is his life's work and Caroline, his graduate assistant, has made it her goal to help the world see his brilliance. When a monolith emerges from the sea, Professor Beck enlists a group of people to go with him and explore the monolith. He is certain that this is where people went to worship The Leviathan and he is desperate to be proved right. Naturally, Caroline joins him. In addition, a group of other characters join. Mallory (Caroline's friend), Oliver (ex soldier), Hannah (a doctor), Dorothy (a writer), and a pair of twins who serve as the guide for the group.
I'm not going to lie, this novel is claustrophobic and I had to stop several times from the sheer bloody horror of it all. The Leviathan is set on testing those that have come into her domain. The idea is that you face your darkest, worst self and must atone. Whatever that means. Needless to say, things get uncomfortable really fast. Caroline isn't a completely flawless character, but that's the point. None of them are. Honestly, the best written character is Beck. The pendulum between emotionally manipulative (nice acting) and full on mask off "I deserve this" (unhinged acting) was perfectly executed.
I loved (and hated, complimentary) how vivid this novel was. There are long descriptions of characters coughing up blood, breathing in blood, and just blood everywhere. It really made me feel for the characters who had to go through this trial at the behest of an immortal deity. (Or something very much acting like one.)
The ending was something I didn't see coming, but gave hope to an otherwise pretty hopeless setting. Overall, definitely an enjoyable sea horror novel. But, you absolutely will not find me near any caves. Underwater and above water.
(On a more serious note, read the trigger warnings. Take care of yourself. And remember, you are more than your darkest moment.)
This novel was an absolute blood soaked fever dream. The novel follows Caroline, a graduate student with a bit of a sad past (understatement of the year). Caroline is in a relationship with Edward (Professor Beck), he is a married, narcissistic professor who is investing in showing the world that the deity he refers to as The Leviathan is real. This is his life's work and Caroline, his graduate assistant, has made it her goal to help the world see his brilliance. When a monolith emerges from the sea, Professor Beck enlists a group of people to go with him and explore the monolith. He is certain that this is where people went to worship The Leviathan and he is desperate to be proved right. Naturally, Caroline joins him. In addition, a group of other characters join. Mallory (Caroline's friend), Oliver (ex soldier), Hannah (a doctor), Dorothy (a writer), and a pair of twins who serve as the guide for the group.
I'm not going to lie, this novel is claustrophobic and I had to stop several times from the sheer bloody horror of it all. The Leviathan is set on testing those that have come into her domain. The idea is that you face your darkest, worst self and must atone. Whatever that means. Needless to say, things get uncomfortable really fast. Caroline isn't a completely flawless character, but that's the point. None of them are. Honestly, the best written character is Beck. The pendulum between emotionally manipulative (nice acting) and full on mask off "I deserve this" (unhinged acting) was perfectly executed.
I loved (and hated, complimentary) how vivid this novel was. There are long descriptions of characters coughing up blood, breathing in blood, and just blood everywhere. It really made me feel for the characters who had to go through this trial at the behest of an immortal deity. (Or something very much acting like one.)
The ending was something I didn't see coming, but gave hope to an otherwise pretty hopeless setting. Overall, definitely an enjoyable sea horror novel. But, you absolutely will not find me near any caves. Underwater and above water.
(On a more serious note, read the trigger warnings. Take care of yourself. And remember, you are more than your darkest moment.)
April 3, 2026
The Sea Hides Its Dead is a claustrophobic, heart pounding aquatic cult horror that will have you reading late into the night. Horror isn’t my usual genre, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone. I’m so glad I took a chance on it. Megan Bontrager’s writing is brutally atmospheric. Her descriptions of being trapped in the cave were anxiety inducing. I knew the story would most likely end badly, but I rooted for every character nonetheless. It is a testament to how great the author’s character work is. Caroline has some of the best character growth I’ve ever seen. You start to see little changes from the very beginning, and I loved the person she became. (Despite what it took to get there) I adorable Mallory. She had my whole heart. This book deals with some dark elements, as one would expect. Our main character is put through the wringer constantly, but so are all the other characters that are part of the expedition. I really loved that the author did not romanticize the toxic relationship between the professor and Caroline, which a lot of books seem to do. I also really appreciated the exploration of Caroline’s past and her relationship with her mother. There is a lot to take away from her story. As someone with “mommy issues” I found her extremely relatable and strong. The cult in the story and its history are fascinating if not terrifying. There is a well established lore behind it. I could tell the author really did their search. It did drag near the middle and I felt like it could’ve been shortened a little. But also everything felt so necessary. I was worried that the story would get repetitive but the author did a really good job of switching things up! This book felt like a horror version of the Atlantis movie, minus the lost city. (And if Milo was a psychopath) This is a story of survival both physically and psychologically. Our characters fight to survive the perils of being trapped in a cave while also fighting their past. I think this author is extremely talented and look forward to what they write next!
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*
August 12, 2025
Oh, hey! I wrote this!
It's only right and fair that I write myself a little review here, leaving it as a note to all readers who might stumble upon this weird little book. This is a deeply personal book that touches on some difficult things (there will be content warnings included, so please do feel free to shoot me a message on any of my socials before reading if you're unsure of tackling anything within) that I've struggled with in my own life, and it was honestly really, really healing to write once I got past the discomfort of quite literally putting all my damage on the page. Not that I've ever found myself trapped in a collapsed sea cave - I value life too much to even go there!
But really and truly, this book means so much to my own healing journey, and my own sense of self. That kind of thing is explored throughout, all lumped onto the shoulders of our intrepid protagonist, Caro. It wasn't fun to write at first, I'll admit - in fact, it was really very hard. But that's because it was all me! Everything I struggle with, everything that's too hard to talk about sometimes. Putting it on the page was a task and a half, and I felt like it was a genuine mess because of it. But then I saw the beauty in it: it's good because it's hard. And it's good because it hurts sometimes, but we persevere anyway. That's what cosmic horror is all about, too. Sometimes things feel too big. Way bigger than ourselves. But it's human nature to try.
I hope you all enjoy this wild ride of a story. And I hope it convinces you all to stay out of sea caves! Seriously. Don't even think about it!
It's only right and fair that I write myself a little review here, leaving it as a note to all readers who might stumble upon this weird little book. This is a deeply personal book that touches on some difficult things (there will be content warnings included, so please do feel free to shoot me a message on any of my socials before reading if you're unsure of tackling anything within) that I've struggled with in my own life, and it was honestly really, really healing to write once I got past the discomfort of quite literally putting all my damage on the page. Not that I've ever found myself trapped in a collapsed sea cave - I value life too much to even go there!
But really and truly, this book means so much to my own healing journey, and my own sense of self. That kind of thing is explored throughout, all lumped onto the shoulders of our intrepid protagonist, Caro. It wasn't fun to write at first, I'll admit - in fact, it was really very hard. But that's because it was all me! Everything I struggle with, everything that's too hard to talk about sometimes. Putting it on the page was a task and a half, and I felt like it was a genuine mess because of it. But then I saw the beauty in it: it's good because it's hard. And it's good because it hurts sometimes, but we persevere anyway. That's what cosmic horror is all about, too. Sometimes things feel too big. Way bigger than ourselves. But it's human nature to try.
I hope you all enjoy this wild ride of a story. And I hope it convinces you all to stay out of sea caves! Seriously. Don't even think about it!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I'm not sure how I wound up getting two Enochian-themed ARCs in a row, but I'm over it.
This feels like a nothing book. There's barely any substance to the characters that we get despite that we're supposed to be exploring their darkest moments. Of the initial group, two characters die having said barely anything on page. There was no real time spent getting to know the group that Beck brought with them into the monolith, which meant that their deaths had very little impact on me as the reader. Beck, Caroline, and Mallory were the only characters that were multifaceted, and even then, Beck was incredibly one-note and very predictable (I mean, of COURSE he brought you here to kill you, this was clear from the moment "trial" left his lips).
What I really can't get past is that this feels like a subpar retelling of As Above So Below. Different mythology, but very similar story beats re: the trauma Caroline faces. It makes me biased, but AASB is the better version of this type of story.
and re: the Enochian elements - this is not something you come across in everyday life, and I didn't feel like TSHID bothered to try and explain the concepts, or what all these experts were supposedly interested in, outside of a very brief paragraph about Beck's struggles with academic acceptance.
This feels like a nothing book. There's barely any substance to the characters that we get despite that we're supposed to be exploring their darkest moments. Of the initial group, two characters die having said barely anything on page. There was no real time spent getting to know the group that Beck brought with them into the monolith, which meant that their deaths had very little impact on me as the reader. Beck, Caroline, and Mallory were the only characters that were multifaceted, and even then, Beck was incredibly one-note and very predictable (I mean, of COURSE he brought you here to kill you, this was clear from the moment "trial" left his lips).
What I really can't get past is that this feels like a subpar retelling of As Above So Below. Different mythology, but very similar story beats re: the trauma Caroline faces. It makes me biased, but AASB is the better version of this type of story.
and re: the Enochian elements - this is not something you come across in everyday life, and I didn't feel like TSHID bothered to try and explain the concepts, or what all these experts were supposedly interested in, outside of a very brief paragraph about Beck's struggles with academic acceptance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!
This was an…interesting read. Not in a bad way. I did like the book and I blew through the last half in a matter of hours. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out wtf was going on and what was going to happen next. I can honestly say, it went directions I was so not expecting. It was a wild ride and probably one of the more unique horror books I’ve read.
Without giving too much away, the plot is this: Caroline is the assistant to a professor who is obsessed with some weird stuff. They also have a thing even though he’s married. So, when he asks her to join him in exploring a giant structure that just appears in the sea, she’s like ‘okay, sure’. And boy, does she regret that real fast.
Overall, this was a 4 out of 5 for me. Mostly, because sometimes it was a bit hard to follow what was going on. I think this might be one of those books I need to re-read to really appreciate. It was just so out of pocket. It was like a mesh of several horror subgenres that somehow worked even if I felt a little at sea (lol) sometimes. The writing was absorbing, I was fascinated by the characters and the plot was so different. I’d recommend this one for anyone looking for a dark, engaging horror novel with a unique plot.
This was an…interesting read. Not in a bad way. I did like the book and I blew through the last half in a matter of hours. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out wtf was going on and what was going to happen next. I can honestly say, it went directions I was so not expecting. It was a wild ride and probably one of the more unique horror books I’ve read.
Without giving too much away, the plot is this: Caroline is the assistant to a professor who is obsessed with some weird stuff. They also have a thing even though he’s married. So, when he asks her to join him in exploring a giant structure that just appears in the sea, she’s like ‘okay, sure’. And boy, does she regret that real fast.
Overall, this was a 4 out of 5 for me. Mostly, because sometimes it was a bit hard to follow what was going on. I think this might be one of those books I need to re-read to really appreciate. It was just so out of pocket. It was like a mesh of several horror subgenres that somehow worked even if I felt a little at sea (lol) sometimes. The writing was absorbing, I was fascinated by the characters and the plot was so different. I’d recommend this one for anyone looking for a dark, engaging horror novel with a unique plot.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Orbit books and Netgalley for the ARC for this book. I love a good aquatic horror, and have been itching to read another one after reading The Deep last year. The first thing that, in my opinion, a good aquatic horror needs to do, is give the overwhelming sensation that everything is wet, cold, and miserable. Which this did perfectly. An obvious comp may be The Descent for some parallel theming and imagery, but this work ends up standing alone and doing its own thing. Caro, our main character and whose POV we stay in for the duration, is an excellent example of a relatable and understandable protagonist – even through her more questionable life choices, everything she does makes sense to her and for her. Bontrager has an excellent command of her prose, which translates greatly to her descriptions of body horror, narcissistic power-hungry PhD. supervisors, and depiction of grief, trauma, and the overwhelming necessity for true human connection. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this one cosmic horror as well [not enough triangles for that] but is instead something more akin to The Babadook; using an unimaginable horror to express a profoundly human concept.
Maybe the real horror all along was being in post secondary education with a shit supervisor.
Maybe the real horror all along was being in post secondary education with a shit supervisor.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley for the e-arc!
3.5 stars
There were a lot of elements of this that I really liked, but also several things that just didn't work for me, but the overall concept and the emphasis on friendship between women I enjoyed a lot.
I do think the most effective part of the horror in this was the location rather than the supernatural threat. Bontrager evokes claustrophobia thats almost as difficult to sit through as in movies like The Descent. Though I wasn't frightened or disturbed by the supernatural element, it was intriguing and I found myself highly anticipating the final confrontation/reveal.
I did find Beck to be very predictable, however, to the point that sometimes the protagonist comes across as a little dumb when she's surprised by certain reveals (though some of her choices/actions don't help in this regard either). I also guessed a lot about her traumatic backstory before she actually gives details in the narrative. While I was periodically frustrated with Caroline, I still really liked her as a protagonist. She's both brave and compassionate.
The prose itself is mostly competent but sometimes a little repetitive. "Clipped" is used excessively as a dialogue tag. We also see a lot of "boomed," and sometimes the same word is used in successive sentences.
But overall, I did enjoy this and I especially liked the ending.
3.5 stars
There were a lot of elements of this that I really liked, but also several things that just didn't work for me, but the overall concept and the emphasis on friendship between women I enjoyed a lot.
I do think the most effective part of the horror in this was the location rather than the supernatural threat. Bontrager evokes claustrophobia thats almost as difficult to sit through as in movies like The Descent. Though I wasn't frightened or disturbed by the supernatural element, it was intriguing and I found myself highly anticipating the final confrontation/reveal.
I did find Beck to be very predictable, however, to the point that sometimes the protagonist comes across as a little dumb when she's surprised by certain reveals (though some of her choices/actions don't help in this regard either). I also guessed a lot about her traumatic backstory before she actually gives details in the narrative. While I was periodically frustrated with Caroline, I still really liked her as a protagonist. She's both brave and compassionate.
The prose itself is mostly competent but sometimes a little repetitive. "Clipped" is used excessively as a dialogue tag. We also see a lot of "boomed," and sometimes the same word is used in successive sentences.
But overall, I did enjoy this and I especially liked the ending.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Claustrophobics be warned! The atmosphere of this book is incredible, I was crouching along with everyone as I was reading. Be prepared to never go into a cave or the ocean again haha.
I’m really getting into the ‘sea horror’ moment that we’re having now and this one really delivers. Excellent atmosphere, truly unlikeable characters that you want to root for anyway, and trials set by ancient beings? Sign me up for all of this. There’s a few lines of blazing sarcasm too that had me howling; very unexpected and absolutely welcomed.
You’re almost immediate plunked down into the action; there is really minimal back story provided initially (hear me out) and I think this structure really works well. We see everyone’s stories unfold on site and get the world building naturally. The pacing is well done; it didn’t feel slogging at all. Really felt masterfully done.
I feel like it wouldn’t be horror if there wasn’t a character doing something stupid or one you didn’t want to slap upside the head. Some of them were doing their best lol. This story has a great exploration of toxic relationships and even toxic parents.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m really getting into the ‘sea horror’ moment that we’re having now and this one really delivers. Excellent atmosphere, truly unlikeable characters that you want to root for anyway, and trials set by ancient beings? Sign me up for all of this. There’s a few lines of blazing sarcasm too that had me howling; very unexpected and absolutely welcomed.
You’re almost immediate plunked down into the action; there is really minimal back story provided initially (hear me out) and I think this structure really works well. We see everyone’s stories unfold on site and get the world building naturally. The pacing is well done; it didn’t feel slogging at all. Really felt masterfully done.
I feel like it wouldn’t be horror if there wasn’t a character doing something stupid or one you didn’t want to slap upside the head. Some of them were doing their best lol. This story has a great exploration of toxic relationships and even toxic parents.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 Stars
Eerie & atmospheric, TSHID is cosmic horror at it's finest. When a monolith suddenly appears off the coast of Maine, Caro, a directionless grad student, and a group of academics head to the site in hopes to document it. What should've been a simple study of the monolith & it's ties to the Cult of Leviathan, quickly turns into a nightmare as the group is trapped in a sea cave. Unknowingly, they have started a series of supernatural trials where they must atone for their sins or die.
This was such a cinematic read, I could easily picture this as a movie. The mystery behind the Cult of Leviathan, Beck being too invested in the Cult and what the next trial would be had me hooked. I do think some of the deaths would hit harder if we spent more time getting to know all the characters before shit hit the fan, but I still was creeped out regardless. And trust me when I say there is plenty of creepiness.
I loved seeing Caro come into her own, becoming more self-assured and doing everything she could to protect Mallory. Book 1 hasn't even officially came out yet and here I am counting the days for the next installment.
Eerie & atmospheric, TSHID is cosmic horror at it's finest. When a monolith suddenly appears off the coast of Maine, Caro, a directionless grad student, and a group of academics head to the site in hopes to document it. What should've been a simple study of the monolith & it's ties to the Cult of Leviathan, quickly turns into a nightmare as the group is trapped in a sea cave. Unknowingly, they have started a series of supernatural trials where they must atone for their sins or die.
This was such a cinematic read, I could easily picture this as a movie. The mystery behind the Cult of Leviathan, Beck being too invested in the Cult and what the next trial would be had me hooked. I do think some of the deaths would hit harder if we spent more time getting to know all the characters before shit hit the fan, but I still was creeped out regardless. And trust me when I say there is plenty of creepiness.
I loved seeing Caro come into her own, becoming more self-assured and doing everything she could to protect Mallory. Book 1 hasn't even officially came out yet and here I am counting the days for the next installment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Man, I wasn’t sure how to rate this one. I’m settling for 3-3.5⭐️.
This entire thing is so damn interesting. A religious cult like component, mix that with sea caves and personalized trials. It has a lot of cool elements, and the writing is descriptive. I appreciated how transparent the toxicity within Caro and Beck’s relationship was. I loved the lean in of friendship and doing what’s right for you doesn’t always equal doing what’s stereotypically right.
There is too much going on at times, maybe too descriptive, and I felt lost. Like over-explaining muddied the water. Being unable to picture what was happening took me out of the experience. It felt like there was some opportunities to refine.
The actual writing was captivating and well done, but it just kept going. I did genuinely like this book and I’d recommend it. The horror was done in a tasteful way and I liked the unexpected backstory for every character, and I was eager to see what each trial would be. Loved the Leviathan as the omnipresent entity.
Very cool, overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This entire thing is so damn interesting. A religious cult like component, mix that with sea caves and personalized trials. It has a lot of cool elements, and the writing is descriptive. I appreciated how transparent the toxicity within Caro and Beck’s relationship was. I loved the lean in of friendship and doing what’s right for you doesn’t always equal doing what’s stereotypically right.
There is too much going on at times, maybe too descriptive, and I felt lost. Like over-explaining muddied the water. Being unable to picture what was happening took me out of the experience. It felt like there was some opportunities to refine.
The actual writing was captivating and well done, but it just kept going. I did genuinely like this book and I’d recommend it. The horror was done in a tasteful way and I liked the unexpected backstory for every character, and I was eager to see what each trial would be. Loved the Leviathan as the omnipresent entity.
Very cool, overall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"A profound offering of the darkest self."
I have been searching for a book like the movie The Descent for so long, and I have finally found it. And, I don't necessarily mean a book with the same type of plot of getting stuck in a cave with man eating creatures (though it's possible we mah or may not have a little of that here), but I mean the visceral, spine tingling feeling of facing not only what's in the darkness around you, but inside of you. That gut wrenching fear of survival and discovery, both inward and out. The psychological rawness and vulnerability of emotion.
The Sea Hides Its Dead is like being lost and disoriented in the catacombs. Searching for the philosopher's stone in As Above So Below. Discovering the source of the distress call on the USG Ishimura in Dead Space. Figuring out the true horrors of the island in The Forest. Boarding the Antonia Graza in Ghost Ship. The Descent. The Cave. Jack Torrence's spiral into madness.
It has vibes, energy, and inspirations from many of the greats. It's horrifying and gruesome (like The Thing) in the best way possible. With "he who walks behind the rows," and Event Horizon energy. Our main character Caro even has a little Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor energy, both pre and post badass transformation.
This one is atmospheric. Bone chilling. Claustrophobic. Anxiety inducing. Glorious eldritch/Lovecraftian horror exploring guilt, fear, and the lengths man will go for beliefs and glory.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to the e-arc! I could not have waited until July for this!
(quote is written by the author and may be subject to change in the final book)
I have been searching for a book like the movie The Descent for so long, and I have finally found it. And, I don't necessarily mean a book with the same type of plot of getting stuck in a cave with man eating creatures (though it's possible we mah or may not have a little of that here), but I mean the visceral, spine tingling feeling of facing not only what's in the darkness around you, but inside of you. That gut wrenching fear of survival and discovery, both inward and out. The psychological rawness and vulnerability of emotion.
The Sea Hides Its Dead is like being lost and disoriented in the catacombs. Searching for the philosopher's stone in As Above So Below. Discovering the source of the distress call on the USG Ishimura in Dead Space. Figuring out the true horrors of the island in The Forest. Boarding the Antonia Graza in Ghost Ship. The Descent. The Cave. Jack Torrence's spiral into madness.
It has vibes, energy, and inspirations from many of the greats. It's horrifying and gruesome (like The Thing) in the best way possible. With "he who walks behind the rows," and Event Horizon energy. Our main character Caro even has a little Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor energy, both pre and post badass transformation.
This one is atmospheric. Bone chilling. Claustrophobic. Anxiety inducing. Glorious eldritch/Lovecraftian horror exploring guilt, fear, and the lengths man will go for beliefs and glory.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to the e-arc! I could not have waited until July for this!
(quote is written by the author and may be subject to change in the final book)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Professor Beck and a group of academics that includes Caroline, his TA, he is currently having an affair with set off on a sea cave expedition. Little do they know the horrors that are in store for them when they are trapped and forced to atone for their sins or die. I appreciate the student/teacher romance being depicted in a realistic way rather than being romanticize. The through line of Caroline falling prey to narcissism because her experiences with her mother was handled very well. I think Mallory and Caroline relationship was very underdeveloped. Actually, it was very hard for me to care about Mallory fate because so much time was spent on Caroline character, there wasn’t time to give any other character any depth. There wasn’t a lot of telling not showing why their bond is so special before the events of the book. I loved how there is always something happening to move forward the plot. I cannot point to a single dull moment. I found it so hard to put down. I needed to know was beck was up. I needed Caroline to be free of him Immediately!!
Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an Arc!!!
Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an Arc!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Descent is one of my all time favorite movies so when i saw The Sea Hides its Dead being comped as The Descent x The Ritual I had to get my hands on it. there's things that worked for me & things that didn't.
the premise is interesting & you can definitely see where The Descent inspiration comes into play. the cave creatures (people?) are similar at first but soon we see the layers & the authors own twist to them...dare I say they're slightly creepier here?
this really had the makings of a five star read. religious cults, caves, supernatural trials but it's all too muddled down. none of the characters are likable except maybe Mallory. the two mc's are just so annoying. the author is too descriptive in too many places that don't add to the story & the overall pacing of this felt like it was losing in a snails race. I felt like I was reading an 800 pg book the whole time..about the 60% mark I was just waiting for it to end.
I wanted more background on things that mattered for example the sea cave; the cave people etc. not having more background on these things led me to have a lot of questions. the writing itself was good, the bits of horror were done well but the book as a whole is just fine.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
the premise is interesting & you can definitely see where The Descent inspiration comes into play. the cave creatures (people?) are similar at first but soon we see the layers & the authors own twist to them...dare I say they're slightly creepier here?
this really had the makings of a five star read. religious cults, caves, supernatural trials but it's all too muddled down. none of the characters are likable except maybe Mallory. the two mc's are just so annoying. the author is too descriptive in too many places that don't add to the story & the overall pacing of this felt like it was losing in a snails race. I felt like I was reading an 800 pg book the whole time..about the 60% mark I was just waiting for it to end.
I wanted more background on things that mattered for example the sea cave; the cave people etc. not having more background on these things led me to have a lot of questions. the writing itself was good, the bits of horror were done well but the book as a whole is just fine.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
this kind of makes me wonder if this genre is not for me, because while the atmosphere and claustrophobia were sublimely executed, the plot itself felt a little bit lacking and repetitive, and the reality-bending nature of the antagonist (?) made for some extremely good set pieces that were nevertheless extremely confusing. when half the book is hallucinations it is really difficult to know what's going on.
one thing that did ruin the immersion for me was the very strange portrayal of grad school. why is mallory a "dual major". why is someone asking caroline, a grad student (and not a first year) if she's a senior. why is caroline even at this school if she didn't come here to work with beck (and didn't even know what she wanted to do, besides.)
i guess all in all this was more cerebral than i expected or liked. that being said i did really appreciate how personal this felt. the author really does care about what these characters have been through and their love and compassion shines through.
thanks to netgalley and orbit for the e-arc!
one thing that did ruin the immersion for me was the very strange portrayal of grad school. why is mallory a "dual major". why is someone asking caroline, a grad student (and not a first year) if she's a senior. why is caroline even at this school if she didn't come here to work with beck (and didn't even know what she wanted to do, besides.)
i guess all in all this was more cerebral than i expected or liked. that being said i did really appreciate how personal this felt. the author really does care about what these characters have been through and their love and compassion shines through.
thanks to netgalley and orbit for the e-arc!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Bontrager has written a beautiful story of eldritch horrors, forgiveness, and choosing who to surround yourself with. When a monolith appears mysteriously in the sea, Caro, her castout professor, best friend, and a few hired hands venture below to discover what lurks.
As a fan of horror, this was an introspective take on Lovecraftian creatures. I found the first few chapters hard to get through - the characters were annoying (which is the purpose) but, after really setting in, the rest of the book flew by. Bontrager’s writing illustrates beautifully claustrophobia, gore, and emotional conflict. Caroline has amazing character growth that doesn’t feel terribly heavy-handed, and every action has a clear reason (explicitly told to the reader or not).
This book is a fast read, the beginning drags a bit and the end feels a little rehashed, but the middle was well-paced and felt like we had enough time with each character to fully enjoy them and their intricacies.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for granting me access to this ARC!
As a fan of horror, this was an introspective take on Lovecraftian creatures. I found the first few chapters hard to get through - the characters were annoying (which is the purpose) but, after really setting in, the rest of the book flew by. Bontrager’s writing illustrates beautifully claustrophobia, gore, and emotional conflict. Caroline has amazing character growth that doesn’t feel terribly heavy-handed, and every action has a clear reason (explicitly told to the reader or not).
This book is a fast read, the beginning drags a bit and the end feels a little rehashed, but the middle was well-paced and felt like we had enough time with each character to fully enjoy them and their intricacies.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for granting me access to this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a difficult review to write because I do not enjoy criticizing books I did not like, but I want to be honest about my experience.
The main character, Caroline, was especially hard to connect with. She came across as whiny and immature, and I struggled to understand why she would be selected for such an expedition. This made it difficult to stay invested in her journey. The supporting characters also felt underdeveloped, as though they existed mainly to be removed from the story rather than to contribute meaningfully to it, which limited any emotional connection.
The plot itself felt repetitive and seemed to borrow heavily from familiar ideas without adding much that felt new or engaging. I also missed the sense of suspense and claustrophobia that I usually enjoy in cave based stories, which made the overall experience less immersive than I had hoped.
I genuinely regret giving a low rating, as I know the effort that goes into writing a book, but this one ultimately did not work for me.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
The main character, Caroline, was especially hard to connect with. She came across as whiny and immature, and I struggled to understand why she would be selected for such an expedition. This made it difficult to stay invested in her journey. The supporting characters also felt underdeveloped, as though they existed mainly to be removed from the story rather than to contribute meaningfully to it, which limited any emotional connection.
The plot itself felt repetitive and seemed to borrow heavily from familiar ideas without adding much that felt new or engaging. I also missed the sense of suspense and claustrophobia that I usually enjoy in cave based stories, which made the overall experience less immersive than I had hoped.
I genuinely regret giving a low rating, as I know the effort that goes into writing a book, but this one ultimately did not work for me.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Not gonna lie, this was a letdown for me. On the surface (get it) I was 100% on board: horror! sea caves! facing your trauma in the worst possible circumstances! eldritch nonsense!!
But then I got ... bored?
Each scene felt about 30% longer than it needed to be, with conversations looping round in circles until I found myself skimming. The atmosphere was pretty weak, and the rules of the Leviathan's trials felt wayyyy too arbitrary. The characters also felt super flat and archetypal, which *can* be okay except when all the tension in the book is riding on you caring about them. Mostly I was checking my watch, waiting for Beck to die.
There are some solid portrayals of trauma & healing (kind of?) but even that felt blurred by the logic of the trials. I think I just wanted more from the characters & the setting, and tbh, I wanted more scares too.
Obviously this is very subjective, and I can see folks enjoying this one! Sea cave horror is stil such a fun premise!! But the style, alas, was not for me.
But then I got ... bored?
Each scene felt about 30% longer than it needed to be, with conversations looping round in circles until I found myself skimming. The atmosphere was pretty weak, and the rules of the Leviathan's trials felt wayyyy too arbitrary. The characters also felt super flat and archetypal, which *can* be okay except when all the tension in the book is riding on you caring about them. Mostly I was checking my watch, waiting for Beck to die.
There are some solid portrayals of trauma & healing (kind of?) but even that felt blurred by the logic of the trials. I think I just wanted more from the characters & the setting, and tbh, I wanted more scares too.
Obviously this is very subjective, and I can see folks enjoying this one! Sea cave horror is stil such a fun premise!! But the style, alas, was not for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me read an e-arc of this title! If you loved movies like the Descent and As Above so Below, this will be right up your alley. Both titles are two of my favorite horror films. Without giving away too much of the plot, we follow Caroline as she is invited by her professor and his team to join an excursion of an underwater sea cave. As expected, things immediately turn into a nightmare.
This was fast paced, creepy, and atmospheric. I loved the characters, they felt like relatable people. I only truly hated one character but I don’t want to give away spoilers. I found myself really sympathetic to Caroline and rooted for her to survive the horrors she was facing. This girl went through it. I’m we got to see her character grow and forgive herself for her past. This was my first book by Megan Bontrager and I really enjoyed her writing and the world she created. I am excited to see what else she has to offer in the future.
This was fast paced, creepy, and atmospheric. I loved the characters, they felt like relatable people. I only truly hated one character but I don’t want to give away spoilers. I found myself really sympathetic to Caroline and rooted for her to survive the horrors she was facing. This girl went through it. I’m we got to see her character grow and forgive herself for her past. This was my first book by Megan Bontrager and I really enjoyed her writing and the world she created. I am excited to see what else she has to offer in the future.
Did Not Finish
April 11, 2026Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me an eARC an exchange for an honest review!!
This was… okay? Like it was very slow beginning and the horror aspect was great, but for the story itself is just okay. I really wanted to like this because the premise sounded so interesting, like hello??? Leviathan sea cults in a setting similar to As Above, So Below?? Yeah, this sounded so good. However, I’m not sure what it is but I truly didn’t care about the assemble cast for this one. I know this is a horror novel and you need bodies for the kill count, but man I hated every single character 😭 which included the FMC. I know this story explores the themes of people pleasing and trauma, but it simply wasn’t working with me since I truly did not care in the slightest. 🥴
I might give this another chance later on, because I hate DNF eARCS so much 🥹 but unfortunately this story wasn’t clicking for me.
This was… okay? Like it was very slow beginning and the horror aspect was great, but for the story itself is just okay. I really wanted to like this because the premise sounded so interesting, like hello??? Leviathan sea cults in a setting similar to As Above, So Below?? Yeah, this sounded so good. However, I’m not sure what it is but I truly didn’t care about the assemble cast for this one. I know this is a horror novel and you need bodies for the kill count, but man I hated every single character 😭 which included the FMC. I know this story explores the themes of people pleasing and trauma, but it simply wasn’t working with me since I truly did not care in the slightest. 🥴
I might give this another chance later on, because I hate DNF eARCS so much 🥹 but unfortunately this story wasn’t clicking for me.
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