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The Sea Hides Its Dead
Not yet published
Expected 1 Jan 27The 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
First published July 14, 2026
About the author
Megan Bontrager
4 books111 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 154 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!
June 22, 2026
If you’ve ever had the thought, oh what a cool cave, I should explore that…this book will forever cure you of that impulse. Part descent, part Ring and all the way scary. I will not be sleeping well, like, ever. I also chose to read this when I was completely alone in my house at night. That’s on me.
What was hiding under the horror (see what I did there) was another, more important thread to the story. Living in the shadow of a narcissistic person, especially a parent, creates sort of void. Yes of love and acceptance, but also of a sense of self. You are a blank slate, there to be written on and filled by that person. You aren’t you. The Sea Hides its Dead deals with the aftermath of that void in a completely unexpected way that’s both thoughtful and affirming. I went into this book expecting horror. I did not expect to come out with a sense of validation in separating myself from my own narcissistic parent. Megan Bontrager clearly understands the rebuilding of self that’s required after, and The Sea Hides Its Dead takes it head on and delivers that absolution. (Especially for those of us that may have fallen into the narcissist trap more than once.)
Don’t mistake me, this is horror. It’s grisly, gory, unnerving and dark. There’s also a lightness to it. One that takes the guilt we all may hold for less than altruistic actions and brings a fresh take to how we reconcile them. I could not stop thinking about this book after I finished it. It’s been days and I’m still turning over everything that happened and finding a new way to look at it. This may be horror in genre, to me though, it’s vindication.
I will most definitely be buying this book for my shelf. I can easily see myself coming back to it over and over again. Grab it for hours when it comes out July 14.
Huge huge thank you to Orbit Books for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
What was hiding under the horror (see what I did there) was another, more important thread to the story. Living in the shadow of a narcissistic person, especially a parent, creates sort of void. Yes of love and acceptance, but also of a sense of self. You are a blank slate, there to be written on and filled by that person. You aren’t you. The Sea Hides its Dead deals with the aftermath of that void in a completely unexpected way that’s both thoughtful and affirming. I went into this book expecting horror. I did not expect to come out with a sense of validation in separating myself from my own narcissistic parent. Megan Bontrager clearly understands the rebuilding of self that’s required after, and The Sea Hides Its Dead takes it head on and delivers that absolution. (Especially for those of us that may have fallen into the narcissist trap more than once.)
Don’t mistake me, this is horror. It’s grisly, gory, unnerving and dark. There’s also a lightness to it. One that takes the guilt we all may hold for less than altruistic actions and brings a fresh take to how we reconcile them. I could not stop thinking about this book after I finished it. It’s been days and I’m still turning over everything that happened and finding a new way to look at it. This may be horror in genre, to me though, it’s vindication.
I will most definitely be buying this book for my shelf. I can easily see myself coming back to it over and over again. Grab it for hours when it comes out July 14.
Huge huge thank you to Orbit Books for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
August 12, 2025
i have said this before and i will say it again - megan never misses 🩷
Did Not Finish
June 28, 2026I cannot believe I’m saying this on a book with a synopsis this good but I have to DNF.
I could move past the writing style, it’s unique and challenging but sometimes that can be good. I cannot move past the FMC simping this badly for THE WORST man ever. She made the worst possible choice at every opportunity and now we are going to put our life on the line, for a man? For that man?
No.
Also why are we here? Why is this particular group at the rock/cave that suddenly appeared in the ocean? That is still unclear. Most importantly why is the teachers aid here? What is happening?
I get it there is going to be character growth throughout the book and I’m sure the horrible characters get theres but the FMC motivations are so unclear and unbelievable that I couldn’t buy in. It was DNF or risk putting myself in the greatest reading slump of my life.
I could move past the writing style, it’s unique and challenging but sometimes that can be good. I cannot move past the FMC simping this badly for THE WORST man ever. She made the worst possible choice at every opportunity and now we are going to put our life on the line, for a man? For that man?
No.
Also why are we here? Why is this particular group at the rock/cave that suddenly appeared in the ocean? That is still unclear. Most importantly why is the teachers aid here? What is happening?
I get it there is going to be character growth throughout the book and I’m sure the horrible characters get theres but the FMC motivations are so unclear and unbelievable that I couldn’t buy in. It was DNF or risk putting myself in the greatest reading slump of my life.
June 9, 2026
3.5 rounded up for Goodreads and Netgalley.
It was a solid read. The atmosphere was definitely grim and gritty, the author created something quite dreadful successfully. The plot was very interesting and well-paced, it’s wasn’t too fast-paced or slow-paced I would consider it to be medium but gradually building a feeling of unease until the last few pages. The author crafted an unique world-building in a unusual setting that was quite engaging. Caroline was a fine main character, the other characters were also multilayered enough for such a story. However, I really hated one of the male characters especially, I couldn’t stand him. He’s the type of character that is extremely cocky and delusional, the kind that believes his words are the right ones and nobody’s as good as he is. Really annoying. But the ending was satisfying enough for me to have an overall good feeling about this book. I would absolutely recommend it, but I would advise you to check the content warnings though.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
It was a solid read. The atmosphere was definitely grim and gritty, the author created something quite dreadful successfully. The plot was very interesting and well-paced, it’s wasn’t too fast-paced or slow-paced I would consider it to be medium but gradually building a feeling of unease until the last few pages. The author crafted an unique world-building in a unusual setting that was quite engaging. Caroline was a fine main character, the other characters were also multilayered enough for such a story. However, I really hated one of the male characters especially, I couldn’t stand him. He’s the type of character that is extremely cocky and delusional, the kind that believes his words are the right ones and nobody’s as good as he is. Really annoying. But the ending was satisfying enough for me to have an overall good feeling about this book. I would absolutely recommend it, but I would advise you to check the content warnings though.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
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.
July 15, 2026
This book is really, really dark and horrifying. There are definitely scenes that I’ll have a hard time getting out of my head. I do wonder how the small group was able to get inside the cave, considering that it should have been swarming with the military, but you’ll just need to suspend your disbelief.
Caroline is our main character, a young college student whose mother recently passed away. Their relationship explores several dark themes about mental health, and I really appreciated how Bontrager was willing to delve into the topics no one wants to talk about, because WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THEM. Caroline was drifting aimlessly in life until she met Professor Beck, a married man with an obsession for a particular sea cult. She allows herself to be swept up in his manic pursuit for “the truth”, and she believes him when he says he’ll leave his wife for her.
I want to take a moment and point out to those who were disgusted and perplexed by Caroline’s affair and devotion to Beck: I’ve had my share of crushes on teachers and professors when I was much younger, but they never went anywhere, which is as it should be. Beck is abusing his position of power to exploit a vulnerable young woman, and his behavior is despicable. Caroline didn’t really have a purpose before meeting him, and he is extremely charismatic. Of course she’s flattered when he takes an interest in her! Of course she doesn’t see the red flags—remember, she’s young and naive, and Beck knows that. It’s only as we age and gain more life experience that we learn to spot those red flags. I totally get where she’s coming from, and the relationship, although super icky, is entirely plausible.
During this story, I was introduced to a type of writing and worship that I had never heard of before. I had thought it was made up by Bontrager, only to find entries about it on the internet. It’s unsettling and quite honestly creeped me out. I have a fervent desire to never read about it again. Did I mention that the author’s take on it is dark and horrifying?
I won’t say much more, but pick this up if you’re into Lovecraft, extreme gore, claustrophobic horror and paranormal activity. It’s definitely a one-and-done for me.
Again, the author’s deep dive into mental health, guilt, shame, and perceived sin is well-done, and they are topics that we should be discussing out in the open.
My thanks to NetGalley and Run For It for an eARC. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.
Caroline is our main character, a young college student whose mother recently passed away. Their relationship explores several dark themes about mental health, and I really appreciated how Bontrager was willing to delve into the topics no one wants to talk about, because WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THEM. Caroline was drifting aimlessly in life until she met Professor Beck, a married man with an obsession for a particular sea cult. She allows herself to be swept up in his manic pursuit for “the truth”, and she believes him when he says he’ll leave his wife for her.
I want to take a moment and point out to those who were disgusted and perplexed by Caroline’s affair and devotion to Beck: I’ve had my share of crushes on teachers and professors when I was much younger, but they never went anywhere, which is as it should be. Beck is abusing his position of power to exploit a vulnerable young woman, and his behavior is despicable. Caroline didn’t really have a purpose before meeting him, and he is extremely charismatic. Of course she’s flattered when he takes an interest in her! Of course she doesn’t see the red flags—remember, she’s young and naive, and Beck knows that. It’s only as we age and gain more life experience that we learn to spot those red flags. I totally get where she’s coming from, and the relationship, although super icky, is entirely plausible.
During this story, I was introduced to a type of writing and worship that I had never heard of before. I had thought it was made up by Bontrager, only to find entries about it on the internet. It’s unsettling and quite honestly creeped me out. I have a fervent desire to never read about it again. Did I mention that the author’s take on it is dark and horrifying?
I won’t say much more, but pick this up if you’re into Lovecraft, extreme gore, claustrophobic horror and paranormal activity. It’s definitely a one-and-done for me.
Again, the author’s deep dive into mental health, guilt, shame, and perceived sin is well-done, and they are topics that we should be discussing out in the open.
My thanks to NetGalley and Run For It for an eARC. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.
July 7, 2026
More like 2.75;
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.
I’ll start with what I liked: the premise, a very intriguing story about creepy creatures found in a very old cave with the Leviathan myth. I liked the cover, even if it gave me goosebumps. And I liked only one character out of all of them.
What I didn’t like was the pace. It goes from slow paced to fast paced and then to slow and then to fast and so on. It’s not a long book, but throughout it I felt like I’m reading a 800+ pages novel. It annoyed me with all the unnecessary and repetitive descriptions.
Another thing that I didn’t like were the characters. As j said, I liked only one and i don’t wanna say who because it can be a spoiler. But I didn’t like the FMC. I didn’t like how childish she was and her inner monologue about her love choice (a married professor) was way too much. That’s what she’s thinking about for more than half a book, I just started to skim through her thoughts. Way too much. I don’t want to even speak about the MMC, he’s an idiot. Annoying to say the least. Ugh.
Also, there’s no horror.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.
I’ll start with what I liked: the premise, a very intriguing story about creepy creatures found in a very old cave with the Leviathan myth. I liked the cover, even if it gave me goosebumps. And I liked only one character out of all of them.
What I didn’t like was the pace. It goes from slow paced to fast paced and then to slow and then to fast and so on. It’s not a long book, but throughout it I felt like I’m reading a 800+ pages novel. It annoyed me with all the unnecessary and repetitive descriptions.
Another thing that I didn’t like were the characters. As j said, I liked only one and i don’t wanna say who because it can be a spoiler. But I didn’t like the FMC. I didn’t like how childish she was and her inner monologue about her love choice (a married professor) was way too much. That’s what she’s thinking about for more than half a book, I just started to skim through her thoughts. Way too much. I don’t want to even speak about the MMC, he’s an idiot. Annoying to say the least. Ugh.
Also, there’s no horror.
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.
June 3, 2026
A gripping tale of feminine rage, guilt, abuse and power imbalance. I enjoyed the book so much that I didn’t want to put it down. Devouring it in about 24 hours.
If you’re coming for a cult story this is definitely for you. If you have a fear of caves or get claustrophobic when watching videos of cave divers this is going to send a chill down your spine.
This book wasn’t five stars for me, mostly because I didn’t cry (which is what separates a 4 from a 5 star read for me). I also found some of the lore, story concept and characters difficult to follow. I think you need to have a baseline understanding of some of the mythology otherwise it’s kind of hard to understand why these characters are going on this expedition. I wish I had more time with each of the characters. We really only get to see them through the eyes of our FMC. Because of that I didn’t feel compelled to fully understand their purpose/her closeness to them as she has a general distance (rightfully so) between herself and others.
Overall, it was still a good read as long as I took time to slow day and reread the parts with mythology and relationships that I was personally struggling to understand. But if you have a base understanding of some of the discussed mythology you’ll do just fine reading this!
If you’re coming for a cult story this is definitely for you. If you have a fear of caves or get claustrophobic when watching videos of cave divers this is going to send a chill down your spine.
This book wasn’t five stars for me, mostly because I didn’t cry (which is what separates a 4 from a 5 star read for me). I also found some of the lore, story concept and characters difficult to follow. I think you need to have a baseline understanding of some of the mythology otherwise it’s kind of hard to understand why these characters are going on this expedition. I wish I had more time with each of the characters. We really only get to see them through the eyes of our FMC. Because of that I didn’t feel compelled to fully understand their purpose/her closeness to them as she has a general distance (rightfully so) between herself and others.
Overall, it was still a good read as long as I took time to slow day and reread the parts with mythology and relationships that I was personally struggling to understand. But if you have a base understanding of some of the discussed mythology you’ll do just fine reading this!
May 26, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and OrbitBooks for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
This book…was interesting. I will start off by saying I didn’t enjoy the author’s writing style, especially in the beginning since the pace was quicker compared to the rest of the book. I personally didn’t understand the purpose of the research assignment of the cave in the beginning until the characters actually get trapped in the cave. I wished there was a better lead up/introduction to the assignment. There was also a lot of telling rather than showing, which made this harder to work through for me.
I also didn’t like how one-dimensional the characters felt. Even our FMC, Caro, felt bland. However, I do feel like this fits the cult-like narrative since vulnerability can get an individual involved in a cult (which I feel fits Caro’s character perfectly).
Otherwise, this book was an okay read for me and it did pick up after the characters got trapped in the cave. The mythology aspect of this book was the most interesting part.
This book…was interesting. I will start off by saying I didn’t enjoy the author’s writing style, especially in the beginning since the pace was quicker compared to the rest of the book. I personally didn’t understand the purpose of the research assignment of the cave in the beginning until the characters actually get trapped in the cave. I wished there was a better lead up/introduction to the assignment. There was also a lot of telling rather than showing, which made this harder to work through for me.
I also didn’t like how one-dimensional the characters felt. Even our FMC, Caro, felt bland. However, I do feel like this fits the cult-like narrative since vulnerability can get an individual involved in a cult (which I feel fits Caro’s character perfectly).
Otherwise, this book was an okay read for me and it did pick up after the characters got trapped in the cave. The mythology aspect of this book was the most interesting part.
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.
Did Not Finish
July 14, 2026DNF 17%
While the premise of The Sea Hides Its Dead is right up my alley, this isn't a good fit for me stylistically.
The interpersonal dynamics, dialogue, and internal monologue have a more youthful tone than I typically enjoy. The writing resembles what's usually found in commercial contemporary fiction to me—clean, accessible, modern, familiar, and transparent—instead of the darker, denser style with more lush, literary vigor I tend to prefer in horror.
I think fans of Racheal Harrison and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne will get along with the narrative style of this read more than I did.
While the premise of The Sea Hides Its Dead is right up my alley, this isn't a good fit for me stylistically.
The interpersonal dynamics, dialogue, and internal monologue have a more youthful tone than I typically enjoy. The writing resembles what's usually found in commercial contemporary fiction to me—clean, accessible, modern, familiar, and transparent—instead of the darker, denser style with more lush, literary vigor I tend to prefer in horror.
I think fans of Racheal Harrison and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne will get along with the narrative style of this read more than I did.
July 16, 2026
Hm. I really wanted to love this but I could not get over my burning hatred for Caroline’s “relationship” with her PI.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for this advance copy in exchange 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.
July 8, 2026
thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the advanced EARC in exchange for my honest review.
incredibly atmospheric. I am extremely claustrophobic so some scenes in this were extremely tense to read. megan bontrager nailed the eldritch horror vibes and I can definitely see why this is being compared to the film The Descent because that’s what I was thinking of while reading. I do really love a cult horror and this was absolutely no exception. I also really felt myself rooting for our main character Caroline (Caro). Her motivations really made sense for where she was in life as a grad student and she just had this aura about her that just made you want to keep reading and learn about her background. The pacing of this was almost addictive the way we go back and forth from getting lore to a really tense moment between our team of characters that it felt cinematic. This book kept me on my toes wanting more for sure. Overall, this was a fantastic eldritch horror and definitely a lot different from the typical horror I’ve been reading in a good way.
incredibly atmospheric. I am extremely claustrophobic so some scenes in this were extremely tense to read. megan bontrager nailed the eldritch horror vibes and I can definitely see why this is being compared to the film The Descent because that’s what I was thinking of while reading. I do really love a cult horror and this was absolutely no exception. I also really felt myself rooting for our main character Caroline (Caro). Her motivations really made sense for where she was in life as a grad student and she just had this aura about her that just made you want to keep reading and learn about her background. The pacing of this was almost addictive the way we go back and forth from getting lore to a really tense moment between our team of characters that it felt cinematic. This book kept me on my toes wanting more for sure. Overall, this was a fantastic eldritch horror and definitely a lot different from the typical horror I’ve been reading in a good way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Goodreads/Orbit books for this giveaway ARC!
Survival horror at its finest! Definitely check your trigger warnings before reading.
I went into this fairly blind; I knew there was a team in a cave, that's it. I expected claustrophobia inducing settings, injuries, gore, etc. As a people-pleasing child raised by a narcissist I didn't expect to find myself reflected in Caro, the main character. While running from eldritch horrors and collapsing cave systems, Bontrager manages to illustrate the ways trauma writes itself on our bones, affecting the choices we make even decades later, and how facing our darkest moments with clarity and honesty can be its own form of freedom. My partner pointed out how many times
I've come back to this in the days since I finished reading, and that's an easy indication of a good book to me. The only con I can provide is the pacing being very inconsistent. It felt like I was reading a much longer book, as some portions dragged on longer than I wanted them to. Definitely
check this out when it releases later this month!
Survival horror at its finest! Definitely check your trigger warnings before reading.
I went into this fairly blind; I knew there was a team in a cave, that's it. I expected claustrophobia inducing settings, injuries, gore, etc. As a people-pleasing child raised by a narcissist I didn't expect to find myself reflected in Caro, the main character. While running from eldritch horrors and collapsing cave systems, Bontrager manages to illustrate the ways trauma writes itself on our bones, affecting the choices we make even decades later, and how facing our darkest moments with clarity and honesty can be its own form of freedom. My partner pointed out how many times
I've come back to this in the days since I finished reading, and that's an easy indication of a good book to me. The only con I can provide is the pacing being very inconsistent. It felt like I was reading a much longer book, as some portions dragged on longer than I wanted them to. Definitely
check this out when it releases later this month!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
'But to be loved by Beck was to be tested. To be tested was to be chosen. He tested me again and again, and I endured it simply because I wanted, needed for someone to choose me. Just once.'
Well, ouch.
Well, ouch.
Did Not Finish
March 30, 2026DNF @ 42%
July 1, 2026
3.5! this premise is amazing and it reads like a horror movie but wish we saw more of the other characters
Did Not Finish
June 5, 2026First off, thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for this ARC of The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager. I want to start off by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads for the summer ever since I saw it on a bookstore website back in February. Ocean horror is one of my absolute favorites and summer reading for me is all about horror and ocean horror feels the most summery. Caves, trials, eldritch monsters, a bit of dark academia? Sign me right up! I almost preordered this from a bookstore and I only prepurchase books I know I’m going to love, that’s how confident I was that this was for me.
The first time I started it, I struggled a bit with the writing. The scene where Caro sits with the deer though, I enjoyed. I thought I just needed to get used to the author's writing style and voice, which is very normal, especially for an author I’ve never read. I thought maybe the time I was trying to read it just wasn’t right, wrong time, right book situation. So I paused only about 12% of the way in. For a book I was so excited about, I wanted to give it the attention it deserved.
So, I started it back up again. I tried. I tried so hard. Something exciting would happen and propel me forward a few more pages. I liked the bits of horror and the mythology, I kept hoping if I clung there it would get better.
I fear it got no better, just worse. I started avoiding the book. Things didn’t make sense, I wasn’t a fan of the characters for the most part and kept getting them confused or not knowing which job belonged to which person. Honestly, I was bored. And the last thing you should ever be when reading horror is bored. The book was like trudging through a muddy cave (hah) and just wanting to give up.
As far as the characters, the ones who died immediately seemed interesting. Mallory wasn’t bad and I almost wish she was the main character instead, I at least was rooting for her to not get stuck in the water in the cave whereas I found myself almost hoping the others would drown.
This book had so much potential, I was so ready for love this book and rate it 5 stars. Unfortunately, I got stuck at 40%. I very very very rarely DNF a book. Maybe I’ll come back one day and finish it on audio. 2 stars for the concept.
The first time I started it, I struggled a bit with the writing. The scene where Caro sits with the deer though, I enjoyed. I thought I just needed to get used to the author's writing style and voice, which is very normal, especially for an author I’ve never read. I thought maybe the time I was trying to read it just wasn’t right, wrong time, right book situation. So I paused only about 12% of the way in. For a book I was so excited about, I wanted to give it the attention it deserved.
So, I started it back up again. I tried. I tried so hard. Something exciting would happen and propel me forward a few more pages. I liked the bits of horror and the mythology, I kept hoping if I clung there it would get better.
I fear it got no better, just worse. I started avoiding the book. Things didn’t make sense, I wasn’t a fan of the characters for the most part and kept getting them confused or not knowing which job belonged to which person. Honestly, I was bored. And the last thing you should ever be when reading horror is bored. The book was like trudging through a muddy cave (hah) and just wanting to give up.
As far as the characters, the ones who died immediately seemed interesting. Mallory wasn’t bad and I almost wish she was the main character instead, I at least was rooting for her to not get stuck in the water in the cave whereas I found myself almost hoping the others would drown.
This book had so much potential, I was so ready for love this book and rate it 5 stars. Unfortunately, I got stuck at 40%. I very very very rarely DNF a book. Maybe I’ll come back one day and finish it on audio. 2 stars for the concept.
July 16, 2026
"YOU?" Spittle flew from Beck's lips, his eyes bulging. "You are nothing!"
"Maybe so." I set my jaw, resolute. "But nothing is a place of possibility." It felt truer when I said it. But Leviathan wasn't wrong. And what Beck failed to understand was this- I wanted nothing for me, and everything for Mallory. I was nothing; it was true. I had no family, and my only friend was here, at my side. If I could do one thing, make one real choice, it would be to see her out of this.
I wanted to love this book so bad. I was eagerly awaiting it, bought it day one. The author and the publisher hyped it up as a cosmic horror that dealt with the after effects of narcissistic abuse, both from a parent and from a romantic relationship. The author talked about wanting at least one person to feel "seen" by the protagonist, Caro, because evidently the author's been through narcissistic abuse?
I've never been more disappointed in a book and had a harder time believing an author. I've also never felt more like my time was wasted. The result of this "journey" of Caroline (who goes by Caro), who has allegedly been molded by her mother via narcissistic abuse to be a blank slate, is just accepting she is in fact a blank slate and should sacrifice herself for her friend Mallory. Which just felt terribly bad.
Side note, I say "allegedly" because this book doesn't believe in providing us with flashbacks so we understand fuck all about these characters. The most you get are snippets of Caro's mother saying "Why are you doing this to me Caro???" and Caro TELLING us about how her mother was "a narcissist" over and over again. Exact words. That her THERAPIST told her that her mother used suicide threats for control, but we never get a flashback of an incident.
We SHOULD have gotten flashbacks, examples. Like Caroline telling her mother she was going out on a Saturday, saying she made plans with a friend, only to randomly and unexpectedly set her mother off because she had THOUGHT they were going to do something because they ALWAYS spend Saturday together. Which then spirals into her mother threatening suicide so Caro stays.
BUT WE NEVER GET THAT.
We're just TOLD that the mother is a narc and that she belittled her a lot and whittled her down to nothing. But for an author that wants so badly for us to connect with this character and feel seen as survivors of narcissistic abuse, she put zero effort into showing how insidious the abuse is or the real after effects of it.
It's the same with the narc professor. We're never shown how he charmed her, how he wormed his way into further beating Caro down, we're just told about it. In fact, what we're shown of him is that literally EVERYONE, even the people he's paying, hate him already. They think he's a joke, that he's horrible, that he's arrogant, that he sucks. Only Caro doesn't. And it makes 0 sense that the author claims to have experience with this type of person. They are KNOWN for being charming, convincing everyone of their good graces, isolating the person they're in a relationship with so if they say that they're a horrible shitbag then nobody will listen to them.
This doesn't happen here. Everyone starts off thinking he's shit, grows to think he's more shit, and never questions if Caro is a bad person or crazy or Anything about her. A cosmic horror setting could have been amazing for adding in paranoia, Professor Beck convincing people to continue on with the Trials despite Caro warning them not to because he's convinced everyone she's crazy, or a spurred lover. But nah, why give depth to anything? Why actually make people who have suffered through this feel seen or feel anxious.
As a survivor of this, I never once felt nervous, or like "oh my god, I've experienced this exact thing, it captures it so well!" I just felt more and more angry. And the way the book ends? It's basically just telling people "kill the people who were narcs to you, don't feel bad, but also accept you're a blank slate and live for other people because you can't really be yourself now. It's too late for that." It's shit.
It also makes no sense why she's so obsessed with Mallory. The book starts with them SAYING CARO NEVER FELT CLOSE TO HER. Then suddenly she's willing to give up her life just to save her best friend Mallory that she loves more than anything. She just transfers the worship of Beck to Mallory for no reason. It's gross. It's not narcissistic abuse syndrome. It's codependency. The author should look that up.
Then there's my final critique. The author says they're a video game nerd and I have to wonder if they'd played Persona 4 and Final Fantasy 10. Because the book is literally just Final Fantasy X's Cloister of Trials and Sin mixed with the shadow self, TV world, and ultimate boss of Persona 4. Complete with FFX's religious undertones too.
I wanted to love this book so bad, but I'm so offended and disappointed with it that I wish I could get my money back. There was so much potential to merge the horrors of gaslighting and psychological abuse with an unknowable entity. I'm just sad that it didn't bother to utilize any of that.
If you want cosmic horror/folk horror mixed with some good psychological horror involving narcissistic abuse and a woman reclaiming herself read The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson
If you want to explore the shadow self via trials and symbology while traversing liminal space and a mystery to uncover, play Persona 4.
If you want a cloister of trials, liminal space, Sin, a bastardization of religion being used to control people, and a woman reclaiming herself and finding her identity play Final Fantasy X.
If you want a movie about people encountering unknowable creatures while getting trapped in a creepy cave system all while discovering hurtful secrets about those they loved, watch The Descent.
If you want the uncovering of sins committed while being trapped in confined pace (the catacombs) and descending through trials via hell, watch As Above So Below.
This book does not do any of that no matter how much other reviews may claim it or the publisher may try to pretend it does.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the first book I've read by Megan Bontrager; I believe it's her second novel. In my younger days I used to read a lot of horror, but began to read more thrillers and romances. And I still love those, but I've gotten back on the horror novel path once again. Which is strange...I cannot watch a horror move, but books are perfectly acceptable, no matter how frightening, disgusting and gory they may be. And let me tell you: When Megan Bontrager puts trigger warnings such as gore in her books, BELIEVE her!
Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when the 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 is said to have dwelt. But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. 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 sins . . . or die.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting from this book. From the trigger warnings I had some inkling, but found way more than I had anticipated! It was actually a very good story, much better than I had imagined. It was also bloodier than I was expecting. And worse than the gore? If you are the least bit afraid of the dark, just imagine being trapped in it, unable to see what is stalking you. And heaven help you if you're claustrophobic! Getting stuck in a dark tunnel while the walls begin to get closer and closer to you? I was starting to freak out. There were some great characters, not that most were particularly likable, but they were well written. Ms. Bontrager knows what scares people, and she's good at conveying the horror. Caro was the main character. I didn't care for her at first, but I did grow to like her as the story went on. I was a bit disgusted at her being the lover of her professor; he was clearly using her, and it was obvious he had no intention of ever leaving his wife for her. He had darker plans for Caro. Mallory, another assistant on the expedition, was likable from the start. Also present was a pill-popping doctor, a writer who was detailing the expedition obsessively, and a vet with hidden secrets. There were also two experts in caves who were leading the others in after a huge monolith appeared in the waters off Maine. (Don't get too attached to those guys.) And then there was the Leviathan... Was it an angel? Demon? A god? It knew the darkest parts of our explorers and wanted them to atone for their sins, or die. That's one test you did NOT want to fail! I rushed through this, just needing to know who survived, and who I didn't want to survive! My minor quibbles with the book is that it was beyond gory, and it ran a little too long. But it kept me glued to the pages, and I will definitely read more by this author.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when the 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 is said to have dwelt. But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. 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 sins . . . or die.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting from this book. From the trigger warnings I had some inkling, but found way more than I had anticipated! It was actually a very good story, much better than I had imagined. It was also bloodier than I was expecting. And worse than the gore? If you are the least bit afraid of the dark, just imagine being trapped in it, unable to see what is stalking you. And heaven help you if you're claustrophobic! Getting stuck in a dark tunnel while the walls begin to get closer and closer to you? I was starting to freak out. There were some great characters, not that most were particularly likable, but they were well written. Ms. Bontrager knows what scares people, and she's good at conveying the horror. Caro was the main character. I didn't care for her at first, but I did grow to like her as the story went on. I was a bit disgusted at her being the lover of her professor; he was clearly using her, and it was obvious he had no intention of ever leaving his wife for her. He had darker plans for Caro. Mallory, another assistant on the expedition, was likable from the start. Also present was a pill-popping doctor, a writer who was detailing the expedition obsessively, and a vet with hidden secrets. There were also two experts in caves who were leading the others in after a huge monolith appeared in the waters off Maine. (Don't get too attached to those guys.) And then there was the Leviathan... Was it an angel? Demon? A god? It knew the darkest parts of our explorers and wanted them to atone for their sins, or die. That's one test you did NOT want to fail! I rushed through this, just needing to know who survived, and who I didn't want to survive! My minor quibbles with the book is that it was beyond gory, and it ran a little too long. But it kept me glued to the pages, and I will definitely read more by this author.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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
An age-old premise: a group of academics and adjacents enter a sea cave (that mysteriously appeared out of the ocean, may I add) and things start going very, very wrong in a very, very messed up way.
The Sea Hides Its Dead has no small amount of cosmic horror. The writing of the different tests and all of the, erm, mishaps is so visceral, you could just picture the scene. And you often didn't want to because it was often gory! But the writing really shone in this visual way throughout these scenes.
Where the writing didn't quite shine as much was in the relationships between the characters. Our main character, Caroline, is also our narrator, as the book is written in the first person perspective and it is basically an extended therapy session for Caroline - we spend a lot of time in her trauma and regrets and her wants. Which is well done in that you do see a true arc for Caroline from beginning to end, but also means that a lot of the book is just stuck in Caroline's head, and you can go pages without any dialogue.
For being in Caroline's head, you would think that a reader would get a better understanding of the drive behind Caroline's two major relationships with Beck and Mallory. You would think - but that isn't quite true. We meet Beck in the very early pages of the book, as the lead on this expedition, an academic who Caroline looks up to - oh yeah, and also has been having an affair with for quite some time. He's also a raging asshole. And since this book is from Caroline's perspective, you'd think we would see some of what she sees in him, but no, he is an unrepentant dickhead throughout the entire book and the exact type of person you'd think would sleep with his student. So it makes it very hard to understand why Caroline has this devotion to him and why she keeps trusting him and giving him multiple chances. Similarly, Mallory is another student who Caroline seems to know in passing at the start of the book, then they have one bonding moment over Mallory's socks, and suddenly, Caroline is treating Mallory like a ride or die. So much of Caroline's development and the plot hinges on this relationship, so it's baffling that there's so little development to how and why Caroline feels such utter devotion toward Mallory.
With these relationships underdeveloped, the motivation for so many major plot points of the story was missing. The cave action scenes were generally well-written and the whole book had an interesting and extremely creepy concept, but as a character reader, there just wasn't enough there to hold the book up for me.
However, so many of the creepier scenes live on in my head, and I do think this would make a better movie, thanks to the strong imagery throughout. The author had some creative ideas and some good writing beats, so it'll be interesting to see what she does next!
Thank you to the publisher, Run For It, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
The Sea Hides Its Dead has no small amount of cosmic horror. The writing of the different tests and all of the, erm, mishaps is so visceral, you could just picture the scene. And you often didn't want to because it was often gory! But the writing really shone in this visual way throughout these scenes.
Where the writing didn't quite shine as much was in the relationships between the characters. Our main character, Caroline, is also our narrator, as the book is written in the first person perspective and it is basically an extended therapy session for Caroline - we spend a lot of time in her trauma and regrets and her wants. Which is well done in that you do see a true arc for Caroline from beginning to end, but also means that a lot of the book is just stuck in Caroline's head, and you can go pages without any dialogue.
For being in Caroline's head, you would think that a reader would get a better understanding of the drive behind Caroline's two major relationships with Beck and Mallory. You would think - but that isn't quite true. We meet Beck in the very early pages of the book, as the lead on this expedition, an academic who Caroline looks up to - oh yeah, and also has been having an affair with for quite some time. He's also a raging asshole. And since this book is from Caroline's perspective, you'd think we would see some of what she sees in him, but no, he is an unrepentant dickhead throughout the entire book and the exact type of person you'd think would sleep with his student. So it makes it very hard to understand why Caroline has this devotion to him and why she keeps trusting him and giving him multiple chances. Similarly, Mallory is another student who Caroline seems to know in passing at the start of the book, then they have one bonding moment over Mallory's socks, and suddenly, Caroline is treating Mallory like a ride or die. So much of Caroline's development and the plot hinges on this relationship, so it's baffling that there's so little development to how and why Caroline feels such utter devotion toward Mallory.
With these relationships underdeveloped, the motivation for so many major plot points of the story was missing. The cave action scenes were generally well-written and the whole book had an interesting and extremely creepy concept, but as a character reader, there just wasn't enough there to hold the book up for me.
However, so many of the creepier scenes live on in my head, and I do think this would make a better movie, thanks to the strong imagery throughout. The author had some creative ideas and some good writing beats, so it'll be interesting to see what she does next!
Thank you to the publisher, Run For It, and to NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 4 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books/Little, Brown Books and the author for the chance to read this before release.
The Sea Hides Its Dead has really hit the mark for me. While the supernatural horror elements are there, it really explores how self preservation can make us do awful, horrible things and forces us to question if we can ever be truly sorry for protecting ourselves. It was gory, it was violent, it was uncomfortable and it was really quite haunting.
The Sea Hides its Dead follows a group of academics who venture inside a giant monolith that has appeared randomly in the ocean. Their leader, college professor Beck, believes it has something to do with the Cult of the Leviathan, the subject of his life’s work and research. What follows is the most claustrophobic, suffocating, disorienting book.. and I really really liked it.
What I loved most about this story was how Megan Bontrager has been able to encapsulate the suffocating and terrifying darkness of the caverns and passages the characters find themselves in. I could perfectly imagine the narrow spaces and the sloping wet floors and ceilings. Her description of the violence and gore turned my stomach and the horror elements genuinely scared me, to the point I had to put it down and turn on a lamp. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, or where they were going, or how it was going to end but neither did the characters and it made me feel so much more connected to them. I understood their fear because I knew as much as they did. I was disorientated because they were.
After reading other reviews, I did see some people say they struggled with the writing style and the MC. I actually really liked the writing style. I think Caroline is a very unreliable narrator, and has no idea of who she is. To me, she seems to be someone who moulds herself into whatever she thinks the person giving her attention wants her to be. I thought this came across really well in the writing, as her thoughts and feelings are disjointed and all over the place.. which is pretty normal for someone stuck in a maze of caverns while being tormented by something supernatural and whilst realising her lover is nuts and has never actually cared about her.
My only complaint would be that the pacing did feel a little off. It seemed that as soon as action ramped up, it suddenly died down again and because of this it felt like it took me ages to read - hence four stars instead of five. I also felt that Caroline and Mallory’s relationship needed more exploration. At the start, Caroline hardly knew her but then halfway through they were best friends and it felt quite sudden (again, this could maybe be chalked up to Caro being unreliable and a bit self involved). I’d have also loved to have seen some of the research that was in Beck’s journal. Maybe a snippet, or an image of the runes, at the start or end of a chapter.
One more thing - I absolutely hated Beck with a visceral passion, which is a testament to Bontrager’s writing. I have never hated someone in a book as much as I hated him. How this man has a wife AND a lover is beyond me!!!
If you don’t like being lost alongside the characters, or not being given the answers straight away, or if you hate The Descent, this may not be for you. But all in all, a creepy, atmospheric, suffocating read for horror fans. Definitely one to read with the lights on.
Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books/Little, Brown Books and the author for the chance to read this before release.
The Sea Hides Its Dead has really hit the mark for me. While the supernatural horror elements are there, it really explores how self preservation can make us do awful, horrible things and forces us to question if we can ever be truly sorry for protecting ourselves. It was gory, it was violent, it was uncomfortable and it was really quite haunting.
The Sea Hides its Dead follows a group of academics who venture inside a giant monolith that has appeared randomly in the ocean. Their leader, college professor Beck, believes it has something to do with the Cult of the Leviathan, the subject of his life’s work and research. What follows is the most claustrophobic, suffocating, disorienting book.. and I really really liked it.
What I loved most about this story was how Megan Bontrager has been able to encapsulate the suffocating and terrifying darkness of the caverns and passages the characters find themselves in. I could perfectly imagine the narrow spaces and the sloping wet floors and ceilings. Her description of the violence and gore turned my stomach and the horror elements genuinely scared me, to the point I had to put it down and turn on a lamp. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, or where they were going, or how it was going to end but neither did the characters and it made me feel so much more connected to them. I understood their fear because I knew as much as they did. I was disorientated because they were.
After reading other reviews, I did see some people say they struggled with the writing style and the MC. I actually really liked the writing style. I think Caroline is a very unreliable narrator, and has no idea of who she is. To me, she seems to be someone who moulds herself into whatever she thinks the person giving her attention wants her to be. I thought this came across really well in the writing, as her thoughts and feelings are disjointed and all over the place.. which is pretty normal for someone stuck in a maze of caverns while being tormented by something supernatural and whilst realising her lover is nuts and has never actually cared about her.
My only complaint would be that the pacing did feel a little off. It seemed that as soon as action ramped up, it suddenly died down again and because of this it felt like it took me ages to read - hence four stars instead of five. I also felt that Caroline and Mallory’s relationship needed more exploration. At the start, Caroline hardly knew her but then halfway through they were best friends and it felt quite sudden (again, this could maybe be chalked up to Caro being unreliable and a bit self involved). I’d have also loved to have seen some of the research that was in Beck’s journal. Maybe a snippet, or an image of the runes, at the start or end of a chapter.
One more thing - I absolutely hated Beck with a visceral passion, which is a testament to Bontrager’s writing. I have never hated someone in a book as much as I hated him. How this man has a wife AND a lover is beyond me!!!
If you don’t like being lost alongside the characters, or not being given the answers straight away, or if you hate The Descent, this may not be for you. But all in all, a creepy, atmospheric, suffocating read for horror fans. Definitely one to read with the lights on.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for providing me with a free ARC.
This book sounded like it was made for me. This is the story of a group of academics who wind up stuck in an underwater cave full of runes and mythological elements. I love horror, I love academia, I love the ocean, I was sat! As I began reading I thought this may even have a bit of a Tomb Raider meets The Descent vibes, alas, The Sea Hides Its Dead has too many faults for me to like it. I properly read about 40% then sped through it before it put me in a reading slump.
The female main character was whiny and childish, from the get go we find out that she is entertaining a relationship with her professor. As her assistant she is asked to follow him in the cave to research the last traces of an ancient civilisation. She is the only person in the group who isn't even paid to do her job but she's so in awe of Beck (the profressor) that she follows him happily, as dangerous as the task appears. She felt a bit too flimsy for my liking while at the same time quite abbrasive.
As to Beck, it is soon apparent that he is full of hubris and I hated him fairly early on. To be honest I kept with the book out of spite, for the sole purpose of seeing him die an awful death.. As to the other members of the group they felt interchangeable, they didn't have a unique voice. So my biggest issue with the story is that none of the characters were truly likeable and so I didn't root for anyone. What didn't help is that the author took on a very descriptive writing style. I felt that we were told what to think more than shown what was unfolding. In turn it made the characters less 3D and lenghtened the book.
To add to that, the pacing wasn't great and the horror didn't scare me at all (but that last thing is partly on me, different strokes for different folks and all that). Overall I found most of this pretty predictable. I did enjoy the confrontation to the Leviathan but if I have to reach the end of a book to find something redeeming in it then it's certainly not for me.
Lastly I think this book should have jumped into action a lot faster, the first chapters really dragged on and looking back I don't think they served that big of a purpose.
In my opinion the stronger parts of the story was the fantasy bits. Bontrager clearly did her research and put her own spin of things. I would have enjoyed more of that epic scale that took place in the last part of the tale.
I think this book would be better suited for "new readers". I do find that thriller-y books often fall into formulaic territory and this was no exception.
1.5 stars
This book sounded like it was made for me. This is the story of a group of academics who wind up stuck in an underwater cave full of runes and mythological elements. I love horror, I love academia, I love the ocean, I was sat! As I began reading I thought this may even have a bit of a Tomb Raider meets The Descent vibes, alas, The Sea Hides Its Dead has too many faults for me to like it. I properly read about 40% then sped through it before it put me in a reading slump.
The female main character was whiny and childish, from the get go we find out that she is entertaining a relationship with her professor. As her assistant she is asked to follow him in the cave to research the last traces of an ancient civilisation. She is the only person in the group who isn't even paid to do her job but she's so in awe of Beck (the profressor) that she follows him happily, as dangerous as the task appears. She felt a bit too flimsy for my liking while at the same time quite abbrasive.
As to Beck, it is soon apparent that he is full of hubris and I hated him fairly early on. To be honest I kept with the book out of spite, for the sole purpose of seeing him die an awful death.. As to the other members of the group they felt interchangeable, they didn't have a unique voice. So my biggest issue with the story is that none of the characters were truly likeable and so I didn't root for anyone. What didn't help is that the author took on a very descriptive writing style. I felt that we were told what to think more than shown what was unfolding. In turn it made the characters less 3D and lenghtened the book.
To add to that, the pacing wasn't great and the horror didn't scare me at all (but that last thing is partly on me, different strokes for different folks and all that). Overall I found most of this pretty predictable. I did enjoy the confrontation to the Leviathan but if I have to reach the end of a book to find something redeeming in it then it's certainly not for me.
Lastly I think this book should have jumped into action a lot faster, the first chapters really dragged on and looking back I don't think they served that big of a purpose.
In my opinion the stronger parts of the story was the fantasy bits. Bontrager clearly did her research and put her own spin of things. I would have enjoyed more of that epic scale that took place in the last part of the tale.
I think this book would be better suited for "new readers". I do find that thriller-y books often fall into formulaic territory and this was no exception.
1.5 stars
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I received an e-ARC of this book through Edelweiss.
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
The Sea Hides Its Dead was my most anticipated book of 2026, so I’m disappointed that I’m not able to give it 5 stars. It did some things well, but ultimately I found the writing too uneven to fully immerse myself in it.
The plot was remarkably similar to the film As Above, So Below, except with Lovecraftian monstrosities instead of demons, and a sea cave instead of the Paris catacombs. Honestly, it was more similar to AASB than it was to its actual comp titles (The Descent and The Ritual).
There were things I enjoyed. The action was exciting, the claustrophobia was harrowing, and the violence was genuinely gory and gross. I also thought the dream/dissociation/vision scenes were written very cinematically.
Unfortunately, it felt like the narrative was too impatient to get to the action. The synopsis made it seem like the ensemble cast would be important, but character introductions were so perfunctory that it was immediately obvious which of them would get page time and which were set dressing. I also found the cult/Leviathan lore to be glossed over too quickly, or treated like Beck’s sole purview. While Caroline was directionless in life, she was still deeply involved in his research, and somewhat of an expert herself. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to share some of that knowledge with her companions (and thus the reader).
Caroline’s “best friend” relationship with Mallory was also pretty underbaked. I was able to buy it after they’d experienced The Horrors™️ together, but before that point it was barely surface-level; they knew almost nothing about one another. And while Caroline’s messy affair with Beck was the driving emotional force of the book, he was so transparently disinterested in her (except as a means to an end) that it was almost like a wiser Caroline was reaching through time and telegraphing how terrible he was before it made sense in the story. There was no slow erosion, no dawning realization that his obsession superseded everything. It was plain in the text from the start, and thus the ending was telegraphed too early. Also, while Caroline’s introspection was usually pretty relatable, the author didn’t give me enough time to make my own inferences before the exact meanings were spelled out.
I don’t think this was a bad book by any means. It was just underwhelming.
(One more thing: I didn’t knock off any stars for this because I was reading an ARC and have no idea what final edits will be done before publication. But I struggled to get through the book because there were a LOT of strange word repetitions that I had to ignore. Many were repeated back-to-back in the same paragraph or on the same page. Hopefully that will be ironed out in the final version!)
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
The Sea Hides Its Dead was my most anticipated book of 2026, so I’m disappointed that I’m not able to give it 5 stars. It did some things well, but ultimately I found the writing too uneven to fully immerse myself in it.
The plot was remarkably similar to the film As Above, So Below, except with Lovecraftian monstrosities instead of demons, and a sea cave instead of the Paris catacombs. Honestly, it was more similar to AASB than it was to its actual comp titles (The Descent and The Ritual).
There were things I enjoyed. The action was exciting, the claustrophobia was harrowing, and the violence was genuinely gory and gross. I also thought the dream/dissociation/vision scenes were written very cinematically.
Unfortunately, it felt like the narrative was too impatient to get to the action. The synopsis made it seem like the ensemble cast would be important, but character introductions were so perfunctory that it was immediately obvious which of them would get page time and which were set dressing. I also found the cult/Leviathan lore to be glossed over too quickly, or treated like Beck’s sole purview. While Caroline was directionless in life, she was still deeply involved in his research, and somewhat of an expert herself. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to share some of that knowledge with her companions (and thus the reader).
Caroline’s “best friend” relationship with Mallory was also pretty underbaked. I was able to buy it after they’d experienced The Horrors™️ together, but before that point it was barely surface-level; they knew almost nothing about one another. And while Caroline’s messy affair with Beck was the driving emotional force of the book, he was so transparently disinterested in her (except as a means to an end) that it was almost like a wiser Caroline was reaching through time and telegraphing how terrible he was before it made sense in the story. There was no slow erosion, no dawning realization that his obsession superseded everything. It was plain in the text from the start, and thus the ending was telegraphed too early. Also, while Caroline’s introspection was usually pretty relatable, the author didn’t give me enough time to make my own inferences before the exact meanings were spelled out.
I don’t think this was a bad book by any means. It was just underwhelming.
(One more thing: I didn’t knock off any stars for this because I was reading an ARC and have no idea what final edits will be done before publication. But I struggled to get through the book because there were a LOT of strange word repetitions that I had to ignore. Many were repeated back-to-back in the same paragraph or on the same page. Hopefully that will be ironed out in the final version!)
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