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Nominee for the 2026 Goodreads Choice Awards
Scorpion Deep: An intoxicating queer YA horromance from the NYT bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In
A dark, intoxicating and deeply unsettling queer YA horror about a lonely boy and a sinister sea god risen from the deep, from the New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn. Perfect for fans of Frances Hardinge.
The only thing Jonathan wants from the mouldering isle of Kelcarrow is to escape. Summer is ending, and when his friends leave for college on the mainland, Jonathan will be alone with nothing but the ocean's haunts.
In an act of wild desperation, Jonathan pays a tithe to Scorpion Deep - an eldritch sea god - and, to his horror, awakens him from the murky depths. As scales grow down his spine and Scorpion Deep's obsession darkens, Jonathan realises the only way to end the nightmare is to destroy the monster.
But the price must be paid in blood.
The only thing Jonathan wants from the mouldering isle of Kelcarrow is to escape. Summer is ending, and when his friends leave for college on the mainland, Jonathan will be alone with nothing but the ocean's haunts.
In an act of wild desperation, Jonathan pays a tithe to Scorpion Deep - an eldritch sea god - and, to his horror, awakens him from the murky depths. As scales grow down his spine and Scorpion Deep's obsession darkens, Jonathan realises the only way to end the nightmare is to destroy the monster.
But the price must be paid in blood.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2026
About the author
C.G. Drews
16 books28.7k followersCG Drews is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author of Don’t Let The Forest In, Hazelthorn, and You Did Nothing Wrong. Their work has been translated into over 12 languages, was nominated for the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal, and won the B&N 2025 YA Book Awards, and are also Indie Next Picks and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. CG lives in Australia under a pile of unread books. Find on Instagram as @paperfury and TikTok as @cgdrews or at cgdrews.com.
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Review of advance copy received from Author
Hello! I am the author of SCORPION DEEP. If you'd like a list of content warnings please see my website here.
If you'd like some free art prints of Jonathan and his monstrous sea god, there's a US preorder campaign here and a UK preorder campaign here!! Art is by LadyEruArt and AvenleyArt.
If you'd like some free art prints of Jonathan and his monstrous sea god, there's a US preorder campaign here and a UK preorder campaign here!! Art is by LadyEruArt and AvenleyArt.
October 31, 2026
< I need to be wanted when I’m sad. I need to be loved as is. I need
someone to kiss the worst of me and love it just as fiercely. >
This story destroyed me and left me feeling shattered. I honestly don't know if I’ll ever be okay again.
I'm going to do my best to talk about it without spoiling anything, because I want everyone who reads it to suffer alongside me.
This book is very different from the author's other works. It’s profoundly bleak, with no real glimmer of hope, not even the smallest sliver of light breaking through the darkness.
The way the story plays with your mind and senses is its own kind of torture. It unsettles you, disorients you, and keeps you trapped inside its feverish atmosphere.
Jonathan is a lonely, deeply wounded boy, trapped in a life where he is uncared for and unloved. He’s caught in a toxic friendship and so desperate for affection and attention that he can't recognize the warning signs right in front of him.
He’s drowning so deeply in his pain that he would rather retreat into fairy tales than face reality. He lies to himself because the truth is too painful to accept. He is, in many ways, a boy ruined by humanity.
Scorpion Deep is an eldritch god, an ancient mirage, a reflection in the ocean, and the oldest living sentient being on Earth. He is both immense and elusive, so much, and yet so little, all at once.
Their love story is grotesque and soaked in blood, yet threaded through with such aching tenderness and affection that it takes your breath away. The contrast between its horror and its moments of love makes their relationship all the more devastating.
The ending drove the knife straight into my heart after the story had spent so long slowly twisting it there. And yet, honestly, I think it suits Jonathan. For this fever dream of a book, it feels like the best ending possible.
In conclusion, the monsters in this story aren’t the true monsters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
< He can hold
both things in his bloody, ruined heart—the way he loves and hates his
monster. >
< This is love, this is fractious worship and ruinous adoration; this is
what he has always wanted. >
< Just because he doesn’t salivate after people or picture anyone
naked doesn’t mean he isn’t into anyone. >
someone to kiss the worst of me and love it just as fiercely. >
This story destroyed me and left me feeling shattered. I honestly don't know if I’ll ever be okay again.
I'm going to do my best to talk about it without spoiling anything, because I want everyone who reads it to suffer alongside me.
This book is very different from the author's other works. It’s profoundly bleak, with no real glimmer of hope, not even the smallest sliver of light breaking through the darkness.
The way the story plays with your mind and senses is its own kind of torture. It unsettles you, disorients you, and keeps you trapped inside its feverish atmosphere.
Jonathan is a lonely, deeply wounded boy, trapped in a life where he is uncared for and unloved. He’s caught in a toxic friendship and so desperate for affection and attention that he can't recognize the warning signs right in front of him.
He’s drowning so deeply in his pain that he would rather retreat into fairy tales than face reality. He lies to himself because the truth is too painful to accept. He is, in many ways, a boy ruined by humanity.
Scorpion Deep is an eldritch god, an ancient mirage, a reflection in the ocean, and the oldest living sentient being on Earth. He is both immense and elusive, so much, and yet so little, all at once.
Their love story is grotesque and soaked in blood, yet threaded through with such aching tenderness and affection that it takes your breath away. The contrast between its horror and its moments of love makes their relationship all the more devastating.
The ending drove the knife straight into my heart after the story had spent so long slowly twisting it there. And yet, honestly, I think it suits Jonathan. For this fever dream of a book, it feels like the best ending possible.
In conclusion, the monsters in this story aren’t the true monsters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
< He can hold
both things in his bloody, ruined heart—the way he loves and hates his
monster. >
< This is love, this is fractious worship and ruinous adoration; this is
what he has always wanted. >
< Just because he doesn’t salivate after people or picture anyone
naked doesn’t mean he isn’t into anyone. >
November 4, 2025
Amazing just like everything Drew's writes 🩶
Cover reveal review:
C.G. Drew's is just popping out books left and right, and I'm loving it
Cover reveal review:
C.G. Drew's is just popping out books left and right, and I'm loving it
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
well slap some scales on me & call me a selkie because the ocean is calling & i simply must answer!
cg drews could sneeze on my face, & i'd collect the particles on a napkin, slide it under a microscope, read it, turn around & thank them, then ask for a sequel.
i am giggling & kicking my feet right now. i loved this! dare i say the darkest, angstiest, most toxic of cg drews YA novels? & yeah, you already know i ate up every last minute of this audiobook!
i can't lie, after listening to the first few chapters, i was a little nervous that Jonathan was going to be the new Andrew. i know dltfi is a lot of people's favorite, but i personally found Andrew almost insufferable for the majority of the book. i'm soooo happy that wasn't the case! why does cg drews write the saddest bluest boys? why does it always make my little black heart hurt & feel so much?
as usual with cg's work, Scorpion Deep dives into dark topics but is written in the most beautiful, poetic way, & it's so addictive every single time. the atmosphere was perfectly gloomy. cg drews did NOT come to play with the body horror in this one! it was a bloody, vivid, icky good time.
i'm not usually one for open endings, but i think it really works here? it's perfectly ambiguous & i kind of love being left with the mystery of what was real & what wasn't.
the narrator, Mark Sanderlin, was an excellent choice for Scorpion Deep. as someone who prefers physically reading vs. audiobooks & who usually has to take a break after 2 hours of listening to one, it's not normal for me to sit & listen to the first 60% in one sitting. i'm giving most credit to the amazing writer & also some credit to the narrator for bringing the story to life & keeping me engaged.
if you haven't already preordered this...what are you doing? fix that immediately, clear your schedule, & prepare to be in your feelings, then meet the rest of us out in the deep.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this alc in exchange for an honest review
pre read── .✦
the arc gods have BLESSED ME AGAIN!! squealing, screaming, crying, throwing up hot cheetos 😭😭
cg drews could sneeze on my face, & i'd collect the particles on a napkin, slide it under a microscope, read it, turn around & thank them, then ask for a sequel.
i am giggling & kicking my feet right now. i loved this! dare i say the darkest, angstiest, most toxic of cg drews YA novels? & yeah, you already know i ate up every last minute of this audiobook!
i can't lie, after listening to the first few chapters, i was a little nervous that Jonathan was going to be the new Andrew. i know dltfi is a lot of people's favorite, but i personally found Andrew almost insufferable for the majority of the book. i'm soooo happy that wasn't the case! why does cg drews write the saddest bluest boys? why does it always make my little black heart hurt & feel so much?
as usual with cg's work, Scorpion Deep dives into dark topics but is written in the most beautiful, poetic way, & it's so addictive every single time. the atmosphere was perfectly gloomy. cg drews did NOT come to play with the body horror in this one! it was a bloody, vivid, icky good time.
i'm not usually one for open endings, but i think it really works here? it's perfectly ambiguous & i kind of love being left with the mystery of what was real & what wasn't.
the narrator, Mark Sanderlin, was an excellent choice for Scorpion Deep. as someone who prefers physically reading vs. audiobooks & who usually has to take a break after 2 hours of listening to one, it's not normal for me to sit & listen to the first 60% in one sitting. i'm giving most credit to the amazing writer & also some credit to the narrator for bringing the story to life & keeping me engaged.
if you haven't already preordered this...what are you doing? fix that immediately, clear your schedule, & prepare to be in your feelings, then meet the rest of us out in the deep.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this alc in exchange for an honest review
pre read── .✦
the arc gods have BLESSED ME AGAIN!! squealing, screaming, crying, throwing up hot cheetos 😭😭
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 4 ⭐️ C.G. Drews does what Drews does best: they gives us the most atmospheric, dark and propulsive stories about loneliness, obsession, crackling minds and the monsters that live in our psyche. The book carries a sense of ravenous and obsessive desire. We have an eldritch sea god and a teen desperate for an escape.. This is a strong story of a crumbling teenagers’ mind.
Jonathan is a struggling teen desperate to be seen and loved yet afraid to be abandoned. After enduring years of trauma and abuse from his monstrous dad, Jonathan is now a completely broken down teen, suffering from depression, loneliness and anxiety. He has two close friend, Ray and Elli, who are the biggest anchors in his life and represent the calmer parts of his world. Yet...Jonathan goes through a lot of negative emotions and battles with self worth, negative self talk and has fears of feeling left out. He is constantly looking for ways to regain his freedom and an out from the coastal community where he resides. He is someone who wants to be seen but actually prefers to be unseen because the monsters that invade his psyche are like rot--they consume him. He likes the way the darkness fits about his shoulders and makes him feel invisible. He finds comfort in that.
Set in a coastal town of Maine, Kelcarrow is an island surrounded by water. The island itself is a character in this story. The dark, isolated atmosphere potentiates his fears and represents his inner entrapment. The residents of this island all believe in old legends and his group of friends attempt to summon Scorpion Deep, an ancient eldritch sea-god, who in many ways becomes a version of himself that he tried to envision for most of his life. Jonathan eventually completes the ritual, awakening the god by offering a part of himself to it. What seems initially like salvation quickly turns psychologically transformative. Acceptance and adoration rapidly goes into obsession/turned nightmare. Jonathan begins transforming and starts to lose his control. What follows is an interesting take on his internal distress and Drews uses body horror to their advantage here to really represent how a mind that is already so broken can crumble down further.
I am very grateful that CG Drews wrote a book about a teenager with mental health issues. It may not have been their best, but I still think Drews made good points on emotional isolation, twisted feelings and the inability to come outwards and forward. It’s a struggle most teens have nowadays and I think this book offers respite to those who are struggling. In a way, Drews is saying 'you are seen', 'you are heard' and 'you are loved, please take care of yourself'. The horror works here on so many levels because it shows our most inner need and desire for a deeper connection that makes us feel human. The novel is an eye-opener!
This book is featured as an ADD-ON on BOTM for November 2026! Get your first copy for $5 using this link: https://www.mybotm.com/bgnrjn6qk0o
I love BOTM, super easy to sign up, cancel, pause or skip a month at no additional cost to you. Enjoy!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author, C.G. Drews for an early ALC.
Publication date: October 27, 2026
Jonathan is a struggling teen desperate to be seen and loved yet afraid to be abandoned. After enduring years of trauma and abuse from his monstrous dad, Jonathan is now a completely broken down teen, suffering from depression, loneliness and anxiety. He has two close friend, Ray and Elli, who are the biggest anchors in his life and represent the calmer parts of his world. Yet...Jonathan goes through a lot of negative emotions and battles with self worth, negative self talk and has fears of feeling left out. He is constantly looking for ways to regain his freedom and an out from the coastal community where he resides. He is someone who wants to be seen but actually prefers to be unseen because the monsters that invade his psyche are like rot--they consume him. He likes the way the darkness fits about his shoulders and makes him feel invisible. He finds comfort in that.
Set in a coastal town of Maine, Kelcarrow is an island surrounded by water. The island itself is a character in this story. The dark, isolated atmosphere potentiates his fears and represents his inner entrapment. The residents of this island all believe in old legends and his group of friends attempt to summon Scorpion Deep, an ancient eldritch sea-god, who in many ways becomes a version of himself that he tried to envision for most of his life. Jonathan eventually completes the ritual, awakening the god by offering a part of himself to it. What seems initially like salvation quickly turns psychologically transformative. Acceptance and adoration rapidly goes into obsession/turned nightmare. Jonathan begins transforming and starts to lose his control. What follows is an interesting take on his internal distress and Drews uses body horror to their advantage here to really represent how a mind that is already so broken can crumble down further.
I am very grateful that CG Drews wrote a book about a teenager with mental health issues. It may not have been their best, but I still think Drews made good points on emotional isolation, twisted feelings and the inability to come outwards and forward. It’s a struggle most teens have nowadays and I think this book offers respite to those who are struggling. In a way, Drews is saying 'you are seen', 'you are heard' and 'you are loved, please take care of yourself'. The horror works here on so many levels because it shows our most inner need and desire for a deeper connection that makes us feel human. The novel is an eye-opener!
This book is featured as an ADD-ON on BOTM for November 2026! Get your first copy for $5 using this link: https://www.mybotm.com/bgnrjn6qk0o
I love BOTM, super easy to sign up, cancel, pause or skip a month at no additional cost to you. Enjoy!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author, C.G. Drews for an early ALC.
Publication date: October 27, 2026
April 6, 2026
Why are C.G. Drews’ boys all so soft and lonely? And why am I drawn to them so much?
From the first page on, I wanted to protect Jonathan with my life. Again. That lonely boy on the dock, watching his future slip away when he’s not accepted into college. Now, he’s stuck on that island forever, trapped in the life he wants so badly to escape.
He knows too well what it is to be terrified and alone, violence dismantling him with brutal force, and he never, never wants anyone else to feel the same.
Deep inside, Jonathan screams for attention, but on the outside, he keeps up appearances. He lies, or at least doesn't tell the truth. As a reader, you’re pulled into his story, even as you find yourself wondering what’s true and what isn’t:
He is not a liar just because sometimes he tells salt-soaked stories, because he believes in leviathans and kelpies and finfolk. They’re real. She’s just not listening.
Scorpion Deep is a tale of friendship, love, and heartbreak:
I need to be wanted when I’m sad. I need to be loved as is. I need someone to kiss the worst of me and love it just as fiercely.
Just like C.G. Drew’s previous YA stories, this one is about an asexual main character:
They are just friends, the three of them, though he doesn’t understand why the “just” makes him feel hollow. As if friendship is less if it never turns into kissing.
And then there’s the ocean, which Jonathan belongs to:
The ocean is more familiar than his own heartbeat and twice as true, and it soothes Jonathan in a way nothing else does. The fact it will one day drown him and pack him down among reefs, take out his eyes with salted fingers and make a shipwreck of his bones only makes him love it more. It’s madness to love the sea, but at least it loves him back.
And of course, Scorpion Deep, who makes Jonathan feel things:
Scorpion is the only one who has noticed Jonathan hurting and said he would make it stop.
This story is another gem, but you need to dive into it without knowing much. Maybe I’ve already said too much with these quotes. By now, I’m a sucker for C.G. Drews’ stories, both YA and adult. I could drown in them, my chest filling with warmth. Because even though this is (soft) horror, it’s so full of real feelings.
Huge thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for this incredible ARC.
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From the first page on, I wanted to protect Jonathan with my life. Again. That lonely boy on the dock, watching his future slip away when he’s not accepted into college. Now, he’s stuck on that island forever, trapped in the life he wants so badly to escape.
He knows too well what it is to be terrified and alone, violence dismantling him with brutal force, and he never, never wants anyone else to feel the same.
Deep inside, Jonathan screams for attention, but on the outside, he keeps up appearances. He lies, or at least doesn't tell the truth. As a reader, you’re pulled into his story, even as you find yourself wondering what’s true and what isn’t:
He is not a liar just because sometimes he tells salt-soaked stories, because he believes in leviathans and kelpies and finfolk. They’re real. She’s just not listening.
Scorpion Deep is a tale of friendship, love, and heartbreak:
I need to be wanted when I’m sad. I need to be loved as is. I need someone to kiss the worst of me and love it just as fiercely.
Just like C.G. Drew’s previous YA stories, this one is about an asexual main character:
They are just friends, the three of them, though he doesn’t understand why the “just” makes him feel hollow. As if friendship is less if it never turns into kissing.
And then there’s the ocean, which Jonathan belongs to:
The ocean is more familiar than his own heartbeat and twice as true, and it soothes Jonathan in a way nothing else does. The fact it will one day drown him and pack him down among reefs, take out his eyes with salted fingers and make a shipwreck of his bones only makes him love it more. It’s madness to love the sea, but at least it loves him back.
And of course, Scorpion Deep, who makes Jonathan feel things:
Scorpion is the only one who has noticed Jonathan hurting and said he would make it stop.
This story is another gem, but you need to dive into it without knowing much. Maybe I’ve already said too much with these quotes. By now, I’m a sucker for C.G. Drews’ stories, both YA and adult. I could drown in them, my chest filling with warmth. Because even though this is (soft) horror, it’s so full of real feelings.
Huge thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for this incredible ARC.
Follow me on Instagram
November 1, 2026
What do you do when you accidentally summon an ancient sea god? Obviously, you offer to bake for him in exchange for your freedom. Will it work? No. But was it worth a try? Absolutely. The bread recipe needs work anyway. And honestly, who needs freedom when you could just fall in love with a sea god instead?
We have the grandfather whose "tales" everyone brushes off, a mother who lost her mind long before her son ever does, and an angry sea god who's secretly just as broken and vulnerable as everyone else.
The writing is extremely atmospheric. The salty air, the house on stilts, the crashing waves, the hidden library buried beneath the ruins. It all sets the tone for a creepy claustrophobic read. The imagery is depicted so vividly you envision this whole island, and it made the horror hit that much harder.
I immediately had sympathy for Jonathan. The way he shrinks himself down to appease his father, his situation with his friends going to college, his loneliness, his despair, and his eventual descent into losing his mind.
I loved the asexuality rep. It isn’t a subplot or coming of age or a coming out story. It’s just woven into his story as a fact of who he is. It’s not a problem to be solved. It just is.
I think this may be my first experience with body horror, so that was a fun experience. It's intense, unsettling, gory. The way his body slowly becomes something unfamiliar and wrong.
The ending is left open ended, so if you need a clean resolution where everything is laid out neatly for you, this isn't for you. If you want to stare at the wall and think what the hell did this actually mean and what was reality and what is life and what is the meaning of anything? then try this one. It's definitely a ride.
I know it's the point, but I just felt a little more confused than I would have liked. This also isn't my typical genre, so that's a me problem. I struggled with the unreliable narrator a little bit. Not knowing what was real and what was Jonathan's unraveling was disorienting, and sometimes I wanted just a little more grounding.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with this haunting, psychological horror YA story. I may have to stay away from the ocean for a little bit.
We have the grandfather whose "tales" everyone brushes off, a mother who lost her mind long before her son ever does, and an angry sea god who's secretly just as broken and vulnerable as everyone else.
The writing is extremely atmospheric. The salty air, the house on stilts, the crashing waves, the hidden library buried beneath the ruins. It all sets the tone for a creepy claustrophobic read. The imagery is depicted so vividly you envision this whole island, and it made the horror hit that much harder.
I immediately had sympathy for Jonathan. The way he shrinks himself down to appease his father, his situation with his friends going to college, his loneliness, his despair, and his eventual descent into losing his mind.
I loved the asexuality rep. It isn’t a subplot or coming of age or a coming out story. It’s just woven into his story as a fact of who he is. It’s not a problem to be solved. It just is.
I think this may be my first experience with body horror, so that was a fun experience. It's intense, unsettling, gory. The way his body slowly becomes something unfamiliar and wrong.
The ending is left open ended, so if you need a clean resolution where everything is laid out neatly for you, this isn't for you. If you want to stare at the wall and think what the hell did this actually mean and what was reality and what is life and what is the meaning of anything? then try this one. It's definitely a ride.
I know it's the point, but I just felt a little more confused than I would have liked. This also isn't my typical genre, so that's a me problem. I struggled with the unreliable narrator a little bit. Not knowing what was real and what was Jonathan's unraveling was disorienting, and sometimes I wanted just a little more grounding.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with this haunting, psychological horror YA story. I may have to stay away from the ocean for a little bit.
November 6, 2026
If you know and love CG Drews, you also know it’s almost impossible to write a coherent review of any of their books. Yet here we are, still trying and having collective meltdowns while already looking forward to the next dose of madness.
They truly did it again. Exquisite, macabre prose that made me tab my own copy like crazy because you can almost taste the words. Claustrophobic, bleak atmosphere of a small coastal town where people live to die and sea monsters roam the waters. Trauma and despair and body horror. Unreliable narration capable of making you doubt your own synapses. And last but not least - tragic queer characters who make all the wrong choices for painfully understandable reasons.
I’m not even going to touch the premise and will jump right to Jonathan Covey, who deserves all the hugs in the world and got none. He’s a gentle, lonely boy who’s been shaped and reshaped by trauma way too many times. And my god, he yearns. For affection and acceptance. For someone to love him the way he is, quiet and twisted and asexual, without wishing to change him. He’s been starved of all that for far too long, to the point he has no idea what such care even looks like.
His only constant has been the ocean and its folklore he grew up with. And one day...the ocean listens to his deepest pleas.
There could honestly be essays written about Jonathan and how complex and thorough his characterization is, and I’m deeply thankful to CG Drews for creating their possibly most (painfully) relatable character yet.
And Scorpion Deep, the beautiful, hurt, vicious sea god Jonathan awoke, who wants nothing more than revenge and to finally stay awake. And Jonathan, in any and all ways possible. That’s all I’m willing to say about him because...theories. Theories and spoilers.
What you need to accept with Scorpion Deep is one - as usual, don’t expect romance, but here even more so. This time, I can’t even talk about it as a love story; not the kind most people would expect. The only true love present was Jonathan’s inherent capacity for it, and even that is tragic.
And two - forget about getting answers. You might think you’re ready after Don’t Let the Forest In but you would be wrong.
The sheer ambiguity could pose a problem for some readers, understandably so. You’ll be left with theories, assumptions, and a hollowed heart. It’s entirely up to you to decide which interpretation is the most palatable, and they could all very well be true. Which is frustrating, but also something I absolutely loved (especially as it sparked a very fun discussion!). It takes some serious storytelling skills to create such a multifaceted story.
”If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.” Not a quote from this book (it’s from Spotlight, the movie), but I find it way too fitting to not casually drop it here...
There’s something to say about the portrayal of a pretty messy friendship between Jonathan and his two friends, Rae and Ellis... but that’s still a very sore spot for me. Yet another thing left for interpretation. Let’s just say that mine doesn’t paint them (especially Rae) in the best light.
Jonathan and Scorpion Deep...ugh. Again, no spoilers, so I’ll say this - they did satisfy my cravings for their kind of dynamic. All-consuming obsession adorned with sharp teeth, toxic to the bone, with an undeniable addictive pull. The level of intimacy bordering on sexual without it ever getting even slightly explicit is something authors can evoke pretty rarely. Unless you’re CG Drews, of course 🖤
This book sure took me on a pretty wild emotional ride, where butterflies in my stomach swiftly turned into wiggling maggots, and my cooing died down for “oh shit”. And I hate writing such a vague review when I want to yap about specifics so much, but you gotta experience the story for yourself - if you dare 👁️👁️
It’s safe to say that Jonathan and Scorpion are now forever tattooed on my soul. Drews really took that blade, sharpened it, and went to work. And I noticed only when it was being twisted in my heart.
I can only recommend grabbing a buddy to experience this with because I genuinely don’t know what I would do without my sweet The Reading Frog (❤️❤️🐨🫂) and our overworked shared brain cell! I knew we were both bound to love it but oooh boy I still wasn’t ready.
(Now go read their review - once it's out - because it's a treat you all deserve!)
They truly did it again. Exquisite, macabre prose that made me tab my own copy like crazy because you can almost taste the words. Claustrophobic, bleak atmosphere of a small coastal town where people live to die and sea monsters roam the waters. Trauma and despair and body horror. Unreliable narration capable of making you doubt your own synapses. And last but not least - tragic queer characters who make all the wrong choices for painfully understandable reasons.
I’m not even going to touch the premise and will jump right to Jonathan Covey, who deserves all the hugs in the world and got none. He’s a gentle, lonely boy who’s been shaped and reshaped by trauma way too many times. And my god, he yearns. For affection and acceptance. For someone to love him the way he is, quiet and twisted and asexual, without wishing to change him. He’s been starved of all that for far too long, to the point he has no idea what such care even looks like.
His only constant has been the ocean and its folklore he grew up with. And one day...the ocean listens to his deepest pleas.
There could honestly be essays written about Jonathan and how complex and thorough his characterization is, and I’m deeply thankful to CG Drews for creating their possibly most (painfully) relatable character yet.
And Scorpion Deep, the beautiful, hurt, vicious sea god Jonathan awoke, who wants nothing more than revenge and to finally stay awake. And Jonathan, in any and all ways possible. That’s all I’m willing to say about him because...theories. Theories and spoilers.
What you need to accept with Scorpion Deep is one - as usual, don’t expect romance, but here even more so. This time, I can’t even talk about it as a love story; not the kind most people would expect. The only true love present was Jonathan’s inherent capacity for it, and even that is tragic.
And two - forget about getting answers. You might think you’re ready after Don’t Let the Forest In but you would be wrong.
The sheer ambiguity could pose a problem for some readers, understandably so. You’ll be left with theories, assumptions, and a hollowed heart. It’s entirely up to you to decide which interpretation is the most palatable, and they could all very well be true. Which is frustrating, but also something I absolutely loved (especially as it sparked a very fun discussion!). It takes some serious storytelling skills to create such a multifaceted story.
”If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.” Not a quote from this book (it’s from Spotlight, the movie), but I find it way too fitting to not casually drop it here...
There’s something to say about the portrayal of a pretty messy friendship between Jonathan and his two friends, Rae and Ellis... but that’s still a very sore spot for me. Yet another thing left for interpretation. Let’s just say that mine doesn’t paint them (especially Rae) in the best light.
Jonathan and Scorpion Deep...ugh. Again, no spoilers, so I’ll say this - they did satisfy my cravings for their kind of dynamic. All-consuming obsession adorned with sharp teeth, toxic to the bone, with an undeniable addictive pull. The level of intimacy bordering on sexual without it ever getting even slightly explicit is something authors can evoke pretty rarely. Unless you’re CG Drews, of course 🖤
This book sure took me on a pretty wild emotional ride, where butterflies in my stomach swiftly turned into wiggling maggots, and my cooing died down for “oh shit”. And I hate writing such a vague review when I want to yap about specifics so much, but you gotta experience the story for yourself - if you dare 👁️👁️
It’s safe to say that Jonathan and Scorpion are now forever tattooed on my soul. Drews really took that blade, sharpened it, and went to work. And I noticed only when it was being twisted in my heart.
I can only recommend grabbing a buddy to experience this with because I genuinely don’t know what I would do without my sweet The Reading Frog (❤️❤️🐨🫂) and our overworked shared brain cell! I knew we were both bound to love it but oooh boy I still wasn’t ready.
(Now go read their review - once it's out - because it's a treat you all deserve!)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“All that matters is Scorpion Deep and the way his sharp mouth curves in a vicious smile of pure love every time he looks at Jonathan.”
A dark, salt-soaked, oceanic horror novel that explores the terrifying weight of isolation, abuse, and obsessive longing.
Scorpion Deep is due for release on October 27, 2026.
I was interested in checking out C.G. Drews when I saw her books Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn appear all over Goodreads. So, of course I was excited to see this new release posted on NetGalley.
Jonathan Covey calls the bleak Maine island of Kelcarrow home, a place haunted by violence and shadowy family secrets. As summer fades, his two closest friends prepare to leave for college on the mainland, while Jonathan is left behind, gripped by a suffocating fear of abandonment. Clinging to hope and desperate for escape, he performs a forbidden ritual to awaken Scorpion Deep, an ancient, wish-granting sea god that locals dismiss as a mere myth. The ritual succeeds.
C.G. Drews handles depression, isolation, and unworthiness not just as plot points, but as living, breathing weights. Jonathan’s yearning for connection feels so raw and heavy. How far will he go to feel loved?
“Once a god has awoken, the only way to be free is to pay a price of blood.”
A big Thank You to C.G. Drews, NetGalley, and Macmillan Publishing for gifting me this advance copy. It was an absolute pleasure to read and review this book.
A dark, salt-soaked, oceanic horror novel that explores the terrifying weight of isolation, abuse, and obsessive longing.
Scorpion Deep is due for release on October 27, 2026.
I was interested in checking out C.G. Drews when I saw her books Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn appear all over Goodreads. So, of course I was excited to see this new release posted on NetGalley.
Jonathan Covey calls the bleak Maine island of Kelcarrow home, a place haunted by violence and shadowy family secrets. As summer fades, his two closest friends prepare to leave for college on the mainland, while Jonathan is left behind, gripped by a suffocating fear of abandonment. Clinging to hope and desperate for escape, he performs a forbidden ritual to awaken Scorpion Deep, an ancient, wish-granting sea god that locals dismiss as a mere myth. The ritual succeeds.
C.G. Drews handles depression, isolation, and unworthiness not just as plot points, but as living, breathing weights. Jonathan’s yearning for connection feels so raw and heavy. How far will he go to feel loved?
“Once a god has awoken, the only way to be free is to pay a price of blood.”
A big Thank You to C.G. Drews, NetGalley, and Macmillan Publishing for gifting me this advance copy. It was an absolute pleasure to read and review this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I can safely say that no one is able to write a decent into madness the way that Drews does. Sometimes that spiraling dissociation from reality feels genuinely suffocating.
Johnathon Covey lives in a small remote fishing village on the island of Kelcarrow and has dreams of escaping and going to college with his friends. However, Johnathan discovers his scores weren’t sufficient to enter and his controlling father refuses to let him leave. In his desperation Johnathon provides an offering and performs a ritual from local folklore to summon a sea god, Scorpion Deep, and grant him a wish. To his shock the ritual works, but controlling a sea god bent on violent revenge turns out to be more than Johnathon may be capable of, and it isn’t long before things begin to spiral rapidly out of control.
Ever since the cover dropped for this release I have been desperate to pick it up because a toxic, obsessed relationship between a young and damaged boy and the sea god he summoned was an incredible premise. I have to admit though, that for all the beautiful writing and evocative atmosphere, this kind of didn’t work for me? It was just so UNRELENTINGLY BLEAK. To the point where I got to 80% and ended up putting it down for three days in order to get some fresh air cause I just hurt…. and I will be real with you, I have read some fucked up shit without blinking but this one made me balk.
My heart broke for Johnathan so much I felt ill with it. This poor sad boy was just so heavy with isolation, loneliness and pain. It should be noted as a content warning that this book features significant elements of domestic violence which occurs on page, but it also explores some of the psychological toll that is taken on victims of prolonged domestic violence which was a tough read at times.
In some ways it almost felt like the plot was too ambitious for the length of story? and I found it struggled to get the depth of world building needed for me to really invest in the friendships and relationships emotionally. Considering how integral the relationship between Johnathon and Scorpion was, it seemed to take a bit of a back seat to other elements of the plot, which kind of lead to me just feeling it was a little more on the ‘telling’ side than the ‘showing’ and it just didn’t quite land the way I wish it could have.
Currently sitting at 3.5 stars. I honestly don’t know how to rate this one cause there were so many elements I loved, chief amongst them was Drews writing prose and their unflinching inclusion of gore, violence and difficult topics in YA stories. But ultimately, the ending felt a bit weak to me and it didn’t really land for me emotionally. I am kind of a bit devastated about it.
This cover is still a stunner though so at least we will always have that.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this gruesome and chilling story. These thoughts are my own.
Consider following my instagram
Johnathon Covey lives in a small remote fishing village on the island of Kelcarrow and has dreams of escaping and going to college with his friends. However, Johnathan discovers his scores weren’t sufficient to enter and his controlling father refuses to let him leave. In his desperation Johnathon provides an offering and performs a ritual from local folklore to summon a sea god, Scorpion Deep, and grant him a wish. To his shock the ritual works, but controlling a sea god bent on violent revenge turns out to be more than Johnathon may be capable of, and it isn’t long before things begin to spiral rapidly out of control.
Ever since the cover dropped for this release I have been desperate to pick it up because a toxic, obsessed relationship between a young and damaged boy and the sea god he summoned was an incredible premise. I have to admit though, that for all the beautiful writing and evocative atmosphere, this kind of didn’t work for me? It was just so UNRELENTINGLY BLEAK. To the point where I got to 80% and ended up putting it down for three days in order to get some fresh air cause I just hurt…. and I will be real with you, I have read some fucked up shit without blinking but this one made me balk.
My heart broke for Johnathan so much I felt ill with it. This poor sad boy was just so heavy with isolation, loneliness and pain. It should be noted as a content warning that this book features significant elements of domestic violence which occurs on page, but it also explores some of the psychological toll that is taken on victims of prolonged domestic violence which was a tough read at times.
In some ways it almost felt like the plot was too ambitious for the length of story? and I found it struggled to get the depth of world building needed for me to really invest in the friendships and relationships emotionally. Considering how integral the relationship between Johnathon and Scorpion was, it seemed to take a bit of a back seat to other elements of the plot, which kind of lead to me just feeling it was a little more on the ‘telling’ side than the ‘showing’ and it just didn’t quite land the way I wish it could have.
Currently sitting at 3.5 stars. I honestly don’t know how to rate this one cause there were so many elements I loved, chief amongst them was Drews writing prose and their unflinching inclusion of gore, violence and difficult topics in YA stories. But ultimately, the ending felt a bit weak to me and it didn’t really land for me emotionally. I am kind of a bit devastated about it.
This cover is still a stunner though so at least we will always have that.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this gruesome and chilling story. These thoughts are my own.
Consider following my instagram
October 25, 2026
When people talk about depression, they often think it's just sadness. And while that's part of it, it can also manifest as numbness, desolation, despair, anger-- there is a certain insidious bleakness that propels one to inaction and makes them feel that escape is impossible. Jonathan Covey has been on Kelcarrow since he was a young boy; the fishing town is claustrophobic, rough, and cold, but it's all that he knows, and the thought of leaving is terrifying. The thought of being left behind, more so. His friends have gotten accepted to college but he has not, and he's been lying to them about getting in.
One night, with his friends, he makes a wish. A wish of blood, and desperation. And that wish ends up unlocking something terrible: an eldritch sea god named Scorpion Deep with vengeance in his heart for the fishermen of Kelcarrow: and the price of his return is Johnathan himself, to do with as he wishes.
There is something so surreal about this book, and the allegory of depression being a deep sea that you sink into is quite well done. But SCORPION DEEP is also a bleak book: hopeless, and sad. Self-harm, death, gore, depression, and suicidal ideation are major triggers here, and this isn't necessarily the sort of story that has a traditionally happy ending. While I feel like Drews's choices suit this story, and do validate people who cannot be "fixed", it's the sort of book that sits uneasily with you once you're done.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!
3 stars
One night, with his friends, he makes a wish. A wish of blood, and desperation. And that wish ends up unlocking something terrible: an eldritch sea god named Scorpion Deep with vengeance in his heart for the fishermen of Kelcarrow: and the price of his return is Johnathan himself, to do with as he wishes.
There is something so surreal about this book, and the allegory of depression being a deep sea that you sink into is quite well done. But SCORPION DEEP is also a bleak book: hopeless, and sad. Self-harm, death, gore, depression, and suicidal ideation are major triggers here, and this isn't necessarily the sort of story that has a traditionally happy ending. While I feel like Drews's choices suit this story, and do validate people who cannot be "fixed", it's the sort of book that sits uneasily with you once you're done.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!
3 stars
Did Not Finish
October 28, 2026DNF @ 30% in
I'm so upset to DNF another book by this author. Don't Let the Forest In is one of my favorite books of all time, idk what's going onnnnnn. I just couldn't get into this one. Jonathan was exhausting as a protagonist, and even though I appreciated the asexual rep, there was nothing else I could connect to with this character. There was so much miscommunication in this book between the friends, it was frustrating. I thought the Scorpion Deep character would be interesting, but I didn't realize it would speak with him, and I found it to be kind of cheesy and not what I was expecting.
Also, the writing in this book was so painfully repetitive and over the top with the flowery / everything is a metaphor type of language. The number of times I had to read: "he just needs to stop, stop stop stop" or "this is wrong wrong wrong" or something of that nature was exhausting.
I'm so upset to DNF another book by this author. Don't Let the Forest In is one of my favorite books of all time, idk what's going onnnnnn. I just couldn't get into this one. Jonathan was exhausting as a protagonist, and even though I appreciated the asexual rep, there was nothing else I could connect to with this character. There was so much miscommunication in this book between the friends, it was frustrating. I thought the Scorpion Deep character would be interesting, but I didn't realize it would speak with him, and I found it to be kind of cheesy and not what I was expecting.
Also, the writing in this book was so painfully repetitive and over the top with the flowery / everything is a metaphor type of language. The number of times I had to read: "he just needs to stop, stop stop stop" or "this is wrong wrong wrong" or something of that nature was exhausting.
October 31, 2026
creepy, atmospheric, and hauntingly beautiful!
Nothing will quite live up to Don't Let the Forest In for me, but this one was still very enjoyable!. I think it's very important to know going into the book that the romance is not typical nor is it the focus... it's more so about friendship, family and self acceptance, so adjusting expectations will make for a more enjoyable reading experience.
Lovedddd the twist in the end.. there was this unrelenting sense that something was amiss and just not quite right from the beginning with Scorpion Deep, so getting that reveal was sooo satisfying!
Nothing will quite live up to Don't Let the Forest In for me, but this one was still very enjoyable!. I think it's very important to know going into the book that the romance is not typical nor is it the focus... it's more so about friendship, family and self acceptance, so adjusting expectations will make for a more enjoyable reading experience.
Lovedddd the twist in the end.. there was this unrelenting sense that something was amiss and just not quite right from the beginning with Scorpion Deep, so getting that reveal was sooo satisfying!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Maybe the most bloody and uncomfortable by CG Drews yet.
A lonely teenage boy, the extra in a friendship threesome, awakens an obsessive eldritch sea god in a childhood game for a wish gone wrong.
He has no idea if he is being eaten, or if he is being loved.
Drews nails that gloomy, isolated feeling with a small Maine island where all the men are fishermen and look away from anything that might make ripples, such as child abuse and neglect.
I was not expecting this to have more than one mythic creature. However, whilst there is a greedy and possessive, murderous god; it is the human wilful ignorance, internal shame and guilt, and human horridness and misery that will raise your hackles.
Well, he wanted a break from himself, too. It was exhausting, actually, being constantly packed down into the claustrophobic box of his skull where there were no windows, no doors, no escape.
Drews’ prose is gritty, gruesome, and leaves you scraped raw and aching. This is her most hopeless and bloody novel yet. The end was bittersweet, bizarre, and led to an ending I still don’t quite know how to feel about.
I wish the novel was longer to flesh out the eldritch horror. To develop the secondary characters. To see more growth from our tragic protagonist.
He’d licked love from the knuckles that had bruised him for so long that he thought the blood in his mouth was normal.
Per usual, I appreciate the asexual representation, but wish there was more validation for our poor, lonely, traumatised teenager.
A novel you will want to devour in one sitting, lest it devour you.
3.5-3.75 stars.🌟
Arc gifted by publisher.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
A lonely teenage boy, the extra in a friendship threesome, awakens an obsessive eldritch sea god in a childhood game for a wish gone wrong.
He has no idea if he is being eaten, or if he is being loved.
Drews nails that gloomy, isolated feeling with a small Maine island where all the men are fishermen and look away from anything that might make ripples, such as child abuse and neglect.
I was not expecting this to have more than one mythic creature. However, whilst there is a greedy and possessive, murderous god; it is the human wilful ignorance, internal shame and guilt, and human horridness and misery that will raise your hackles.
Well, he wanted a break from himself, too. It was exhausting, actually, being constantly packed down into the claustrophobic box of his skull where there were no windows, no doors, no escape.
Drews’ prose is gritty, gruesome, and leaves you scraped raw and aching. This is her most hopeless and bloody novel yet. The end was bittersweet, bizarre, and led to an ending I still don’t quite know how to feel about.
I wish the novel was longer to flesh out the eldritch horror. To develop the secondary characters. To see more growth from our tragic protagonist.
He’d licked love from the knuckles that had bruised him for so long that he thought the blood in his mouth was normal.
Per usual, I appreciate the asexual representation, but wish there was more validation for our poor, lonely, traumatised teenager.
A novel you will want to devour in one sitting, lest it devour you.
3.5-3.75 stars.🌟
Arc gifted by publisher.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
May 9, 2026
Rating: 4.75/5 ⭐
Re-readability: Absolutely
Buddy-read with: Teru. Check out her review (spoiler alert: it is great)
CW: Explicit |
Moderate |
Mild |
My chosen soundtrack(s): Silfurofinn - Hekla | Notes from the Mediterranean Sea - Oiseaux-Tempête
╰┈➤ ☰♪📚 Creepy Coastal playlist
Representation
╰┈➤ Queer characters and dynamics
✴︎ Ace homoromantic MC
✴︎ Unspecified achillean MC
✴︎ MLM dynamic
╰┈➤ Mental/physical health and disabilities
✴︎ Implied autistic MC
✴︎ SC with dementia
✴︎ MC with implied
Themes
Abuse, agency/autonomy (or the lack thereof), (child) exploitation, codependency, complicity, feeling excluded, friendship (or the lack thereof), generational curses/legacies/trauma, self-worth issues, isolation, loneliness, obsession, oceanic and coastal folklore, otherness, parentification, reinvention of the self, reputation, secrets, self-worth issues, turning a blind eye
Tropes/What to expect
❥ Small fishing town boy forced to stay behind
❥ Aquatic horror
❥ MC awakens an eldritch sea god
❥ Complex friendships
❥ Folklore, reality or a secret third thing?
❥ Who is really the monster?
❥ "Crash out, king. You earned it!"
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Disclaimer
I love this book! And for some reason, that always makes it harder for me to write a review, especially with a book like this one where I'd recommend diving in without much knowledge.
So please read this review knowing I struggled to write it since, it is hard to do it justice. I recommend finding out for yourself what is lurking in the deep.
(Especially because I can't stop writing about this book, so expect some strong ramblings! You wouldn't believe how many segments I had to delete before posting)
What I liked/loved
✧ I'm gonna be real honest right now, I didn't even look at the premise when this book was announced. I just instantly added it to my TBR because I KNOW CG Drews will never do me wrong. The premise is super intriguing, though.
A lonely boy named Jonathan is about to get even lonelier when his only two friends are set to leave for college. He is "being left behind in every way imaginable."
Desperate to escape from the small fishing village that suffocates him, his abusive father and the impending total isolation, he takes a chance on a local myth that is supposed to make one's wish come true.
He pays a bloody tithe, and in return, Scorpion Deep awakens.
Even when violent and volatile, Jonathan can't fight the allure of the newly awakened eldritch god that seems to be just as obsessed with Jonathan as he is in return.
✧ I don't believe I've read any horror books in a coastal setting so far, but this read really opened my eyes to it. The isolation, hard labour, and lack of modernity all added to the atmosphere, which felt intensely lonely and dreary.
I was absolutely charmed by the oceanic/aquatic folklore as well, and I will definitely be checking out more horror books with these elements!
✧ The prose, as always, was outstanding. What I really love about Drew's writing is how they write lyrically without losing emotional impact.
I couldn't stop annotating every two seconds because I was in awe of the beautiful poetry and simultaneously hurt by how much they'd hit on a personal/emotional level.
The use of adjectives that fit the theme is something I've come to expect from Drews, and it was once again a big hit for me. They masterfully used oceanic symbolism and imagery to describe what Jonathan feels. Both literally in his body and figuratively.
I was not surprised at all by how emotionally immersed I was, since this is a trend with Drew's books.
I had actual bodily reactions: an elevated heart rate, huffing and puffing, screaming into my fist, sick to my stomach. I would get stressed and feel claustrophobic alongside Jonathan. I love when a book makes me feel THIS intensely, even if those feelings aren't necessarily comfortable ones.
✧ Drews always manages to make me feel seen by the characters they create.
They tend to be complex, layered, and maybe morally ambiguous, which is what makes them so interesting to me. They feel real, raw, aren't prettied up to make them palatable, and make horrible decisions for deeply understandable reasons. It won't come as a shock to anyone that this time, too, I grew attached quite quickly.
In this case, I immediately latched onto Jonathan. An overthinking people pleaser who carries copious amounts of both love and hurt in his heart. He was like a ticking time bomb, and I wanted him to be held at least once, no matter if the other would get hit by this blast radius.
Jonathan is a deeply relatable character, painfully so. He made me think about what it means to be kind and how kindness without boundaries has the potential to turn into something auto-cannibalistic for the sake of placating those who have the ability to shelter us from loneliness.
What I loved about other characters is how I was unable to form a solid opinion on some of them. Emotional whiplash came for me, and my opinions towards the end of the book were different from the start in ways I couldn't have predicted.
Do take note, though, that this isn't the case for all characters. Some definitely deserved every single ounce of my (and your) ire.
The dynamic between characters was complex and enthralling as well. They'd often exist in grey areas and would make me feel conflicted yet unable to look away. One of them reminded me of this quote (I unfortunately don't remember the source):
✧ I love when authors aren't afraid to make their non-human characters actually non-human. No human habits or norms, animalistic behaviour, reasoning that might seem alien to us, or any other human-defying traits. Drew's did an amazing job with that aspect.
✧ This book contains discourse/exploration of:
✵ Reputation, repressing emotions, and hiding anything considered unsavoury.
Everything is always fine! Yes, there might be some things hidden away in the Covey household in both literal and figurative senses, but they are definitely fine and perfectly normal. Nothing to worry about here. They are a happy family!!! Please don't ask any questions; they will be ignored or evaded. Tears? Oh no, thank you, we don't do those around these parts (:
✵ Abuse and violence are big themes in this book, which is why I recommend checking the content warnings if needed and reading with care.
I appreciate the portrayal of the complexities of growing up facing abuse and having a strained relationship with one's own reflection that might mirror their abuser. I appreciate when writers don't "pretty up" abuse and represent imperfect victims who do ugly things for the sake of survival.
On a bit of a broader sense, I was fascinated by violence ignored as a collective. Violence perceived by many, yet confronted by none. How being a bystander is enablement, and the question: does perceiving violence make one responsible for its cessation? I imagine there'd be many different answers from an array of different people, even more varied depending on the context. I have my own answer that I won't share for the sake of spoilers.
I was also fascinated by justifications for violence. And how choosing the lesser evil doesn't necessarily clean one's hands of their deed or make them any less horrid. Yet, there were acts of violence born from desperation, from being trapped in a corner with no way out, that made me root for their destructive escape regardless.
Anger is such a complex emotion. It can be something horrible and hurtful, yet also something to be celebrated, a form of (self-)protection, love and authenticity. It is only right that this book, which has such a big focus on it, would leave me pondering way after reading its last pages.
✵ Loneliness and isolation. Especially feeling lonely when not physically alone.
✵ (Internalised) victim blaming and lack of agency/(bodily) autonomy.
✵ The dangers of putting someone on a pedestal, people-pleasing and shaping oneself to the desires/needs of others, which is a very important topic to highlight, in my opinion.
✵ Not being believed or taken seriously and the immense hurt that comes with that fact.
✧ The amount of mirroring, parallels and scenes having double meanings was everything I wanted it to be! I have a suspicion I will catch even more of them when re-reading.
✧ Scorpion Deep is a prime example of why I love authors who write dynamics from an ace or demi perspective.
Some authors use physical attraction as a load-bearing beam in romantic/intimate dynamics, but I simply don't care much about that aspect. Especially because I'm demi sexual myself. (There is nothing wrong with feeling differently about this, btw! It's just personal preference.)
I have a hard time enjoying romance when I don't feel connected to the characters, or they don't seem connected to each other. Which is why I loved how this read served extremely intense, intimate scenes without relying on sex.
Yes, I did blush, twirl my hair, and clench my toes, yada, yada, just not from any conventional "intimate" scenes you might be imagining.
✧ It surprised me! There were plot points I did see coming or at least suspected, but many of them I didn't.
I feel like Drews grabbed me by the throat and dragged me around (thank you for that btw, wouldn't have it any other way). I experienced emotional whiplash and would often gasp (yes, literally) and need a moment to stare at the wall and process for a little before diving back in.
This read was such a wild ride, and I recommend buddy-reading it or texting someone who has read it since I truly needed someone to scream at almost every chapter.
✧ I had to grab a drink during the final debrief, and that says all you need to know, to be honest.
✧ A solid opinion on everything??? Not here!!! I was having mood swings like crazy while reading and am still digesting some aspects without fully settling on an opinion (minus a few things I feel really strongly about).
I love this ambiguity, I love sitting with the discomfort, I love when two things can be true at once, I love when truth can't be limited to one single fact, and I love that this book is still haunting me.
✧ Without spoiling anything, I was satisfied with the ending.
Now, not super spoilery but maybe still suggestive:
What I didn't like/felt lacklustre about
Only minor complaints!
✦ Sometimes the modern references or phone usage would feel a bit ill-fitting in a setting that feels quite far removed from modernity.
✦ I had to warm up to a change in behaviour in a certain character (though I did enjoy it after getting used to it).
Conclusion/Notes
This book might've killed me (complimentary).
I thought I knew what I was getting into when picking up another CG Drews book. Both Don't Let The Forest in and Hazelthorn were like a gut-punch, and my heart still aches when I think about them. Yet I was somehow still caught off guard by how heavy Scorpion Deep hit.
I felt some seriously intense emotions and was on the edge of my seat the entire way through. I can now confidently say that CG Drews writing about the loneliest, saddest boys with the most tender hearts doesn't get old.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys lyrical, yet hard-hitting, emotional prose, dark/horror stories that explore complex characters and dynamics, oceanic folklore and a bleak coastal setting, themes of loneliness, violence, identity, agency and a story that unapologetically drags you into a dark cavern where every turn around a corner promises a horrifying surprise.
Reading this together with Teru was really special to me and made this an even more amazing experience. Once again, I highly recommend having a buddy to debrief this one with. (Trust me, you'll need it after finishing it)
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Follow me on Spotify for specific reading playlists like these:
📚 Creepy Coastal
📚 This Connection Is Muddled With Rot
📚 Horror/Thriller Reads
GoodReads | StoryGraph | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Overview of all reading playlists | last.fm
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Immediate thoughts after reading (5 November, 2026)
My god... my brain is a scrambled egg, my heart is in pieces, and I'm SICK to my stomach.
I genuinely only survived this read (or did I?) cuz Teru held my hand through it all 💗😭🫴
I was huffing, puffing, screaming into my fist, staring at the wall and had to grab a drink for the debrief 😫😮💨 because WOW! Wow, wow, wow.
This book will definitely haunt me for quite some time.
CG Drews, you did it again!!
FULL REVIEW TO COME
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Pre-read (2 November, 2025)
Gonna, buddy- read this with Teru. I'm so excited!!!!
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Pre-read (4 November, 2025)
This is my most anticipated 2026 release!
C.G. Drews, no one does it as you do.
Re-readability: Absolutely
Buddy-read with: Teru. Check out her review (spoiler alert: it is great)
CW: Explicit |
Moderate |
Mild |
My chosen soundtrack(s): Silfurofinn - Hekla | Notes from the Mediterranean Sea - Oiseaux-Tempête
╰┈➤ ☰♪📚 Creepy Coastal playlist
He thrusts his hand into the water to yank it free, and he doesn’t know why he’s trembling or why he again whispers, “Ocean, I said fix my life. Please.” Because better to beg the sea than start crying.
Representation
╰┈➤ Queer characters and dynamics
✴︎ Ace homoromantic MC
✴︎ Unspecified achillean MC
✴︎ MLM dynamic
╰┈➤ Mental/physical health and disabilities
✴︎ Implied autistic MC
✴︎ SC with dementia
✴︎ MC with implied
Themes
Abuse, agency/autonomy (or the lack thereof), (child) exploitation, codependency, complicity, feeling excluded, friendship (or the lack thereof), generational curses/legacies/trauma, self-worth issues, isolation, loneliness, obsession, oceanic and coastal folklore, otherness, parentification, reinvention of the self, reputation, secrets, self-worth issues, turning a blind eye
Tropes/What to expect
❥ Small fishing town boy forced to stay behind
❥ Aquatic horror
❥ MC awakens an eldritch sea god
❥ Complex friendships
❥ Folklore, reality or a secret third thing?
❥ Who is really the monster?
❥ "Crash out, king. You earned it!"
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Disclaimer
I love this book! And for some reason, that always makes it harder for me to write a review, especially with a book like this one where I'd recommend diving in without much knowledge.
So please read this review knowing I struggled to write it since, it is hard to do it justice. I recommend finding out for yourself what is lurking in the deep.
(Especially because I can't stop writing about this book, so expect some strong ramblings! You wouldn't believe how many segments I had to delete before posting)
What I liked/loved
✧ I'm gonna be real honest right now, I didn't even look at the premise when this book was announced. I just instantly added it to my TBR because I KNOW CG Drews will never do me wrong. The premise is super intriguing, though.
A lonely boy named Jonathan is about to get even lonelier when his only two friends are set to leave for college. He is "being left behind in every way imaginable."
Desperate to escape from the small fishing village that suffocates him, his abusive father and the impending total isolation, he takes a chance on a local myth that is supposed to make one's wish come true.
He pays a bloody tithe, and in return, Scorpion Deep awakens.
Even when violent and volatile, Jonathan can't fight the allure of the newly awakened eldritch god that seems to be just as obsessed with Jonathan as he is in return.
✧ I don't believe I've read any horror books in a coastal setting so far, but this read really opened my eyes to it. The isolation, hard labour, and lack of modernity all added to the atmosphere, which felt intensely lonely and dreary.
I was absolutely charmed by the oceanic/aquatic folklore as well, and I will definitely be checking out more horror books with these elements!
✧ The prose, as always, was outstanding. What I really love about Drew's writing is how they write lyrically without losing emotional impact.
I couldn't stop annotating every two seconds because I was in awe of the beautiful poetry and simultaneously hurt by how much they'd hit on a personal/emotional level.
The use of adjectives that fit the theme is something I've come to expect from Drews, and it was once again a big hit for me. They masterfully used oceanic symbolism and imagery to describe what Jonathan feels. Both literally in his body and figuratively.
I was not surprised at all by how emotionally immersed I was, since this is a trend with Drew's books.
I had actual bodily reactions: an elevated heart rate, huffing and puffing, screaming into my fist, sick to my stomach. I would get stressed and feel claustrophobic alongside Jonathan. I love when a book makes me feel THIS intensely, even if those feelings aren't necessarily comfortable ones.
✧ Drews always manages to make me feel seen by the characters they create.
They tend to be complex, layered, and maybe morally ambiguous, which is what makes them so interesting to me. They feel real, raw, aren't prettied up to make them palatable, and make horrible decisions for deeply understandable reasons. It won't come as a shock to anyone that this time, too, I grew attached quite quickly.
In this case, I immediately latched onto Jonathan. An overthinking people pleaser who carries copious amounts of both love and hurt in his heart. He was like a ticking time bomb, and I wanted him to be held at least once, no matter if the other would get hit by this blast radius.
Jonathan is a deeply relatable character, painfully so. He made me think about what it means to be kind and how kindness without boundaries has the potential to turn into something auto-cannibalistic for the sake of placating those who have the ability to shelter us from loneliness.
What I loved about other characters is how I was unable to form a solid opinion on some of them. Emotional whiplash came for me, and my opinions towards the end of the book were different from the start in ways I couldn't have predicted.
Do take note, though, that this isn't the case for all characters. Some definitely deserved every single ounce of my (and your) ire.
The dynamic between characters was complex and enthralling as well. They'd often exist in grey areas and would make me feel conflicted yet unable to look away. One of them reminded me of this quote (I unfortunately don't remember the source):
"The hands that cradled your face and tilted it upwards to kiss your forehead are soaked in unfathomable quantities of blood.”
“but they cradled me, yes?”
✧ I love when authors aren't afraid to make their non-human characters actually non-human. No human habits or norms, animalistic behaviour, reasoning that might seem alien to us, or any other human-defying traits. Drew's did an amazing job with that aspect.
✧ This book contains discourse/exploration of:
✵ Reputation, repressing emotions, and hiding anything considered unsavoury.
Everything is always fine! Yes, there might be some things hidden away in the Covey household in both literal and figurative senses, but they are definitely fine and perfectly normal. Nothing to worry about here. They are a happy family!!! Please don't ask any questions; they will be ignored or evaded. Tears? Oh no, thank you, we don't do those around these parts (:
"He’ll deal with this by himself; he always does.
Coveys don’t talk."
✵ Abuse and violence are big themes in this book, which is why I recommend checking the content warnings if needed and reading with care.
I appreciate the portrayal of the complexities of growing up facing abuse and having a strained relationship with one's own reflection that might mirror their abuser. I appreciate when writers don't "pretty up" abuse and represent imperfect victims who do ugly things for the sake of survival.
On a bit of a broader sense, I was fascinated by violence ignored as a collective. Violence perceived by many, yet confronted by none. How being a bystander is enablement, and the question: does perceiving violence make one responsible for its cessation? I imagine there'd be many different answers from an array of different people, even more varied depending on the context. I have my own answer that I won't share for the sake of spoilers.
I was also fascinated by justifications for violence. And how choosing the lesser evil doesn't necessarily clean one's hands of their deed or make them any less horrid. Yet, there were acts of violence born from desperation, from being trapped in a corner with no way out, that made me root for their destructive escape regardless.
Anger is such a complex emotion. It can be something horrible and hurtful, yet also something to be celebrated, a form of (self-)protection, love and authenticity. It is only right that this book, which has such a big focus on it, would leave me pondering way after reading its last pages.
✵ Loneliness and isolation. Especially feeling lonely when not physically alone.
✵ (Internalised) victim blaming and lack of agency/(bodily) autonomy.
"Skin is such thin protection against the cruel teeth of the world, and Jonathan is again struck by how badly his fits, how much he wants to claw free and simply walk away. If he wasn’t soft, if only he was a hardened, clever thing, this wouldn’t be happening, because at some point in all of this he would have fought back. Yet he didn’t."
✵ The dangers of putting someone on a pedestal, people-pleasing and shaping oneself to the desires/needs of others, which is a very important topic to highlight, in my opinion.
✵ Not being believed or taken seriously and the immense hurt that comes with that fact.
✧ The amount of mirroring, parallels and scenes having double meanings was everything I wanted it to be! I have a suspicion I will catch even more of them when re-reading.
✧ Scorpion Deep is a prime example of why I love authors who write dynamics from an ace or demi perspective.
Some authors use physical attraction as a load-bearing beam in romantic/intimate dynamics, but I simply don't care much about that aspect. Especially because I'm demi sexual myself. (There is nothing wrong with feeling differently about this, btw! It's just personal preference.)
I have a hard time enjoying romance when I don't feel connected to the characters, or they don't seem connected to each other. Which is why I loved how this read served extremely intense, intimate scenes without relying on sex.
Yes, I did blush, twirl my hair, and clench my toes, yada, yada, just not from any conventional "intimate" scenes you might be imagining.
✧ It surprised me! There were plot points I did see coming or at least suspected, but many of them I didn't.
I feel like Drews grabbed me by the throat and dragged me around (thank you for that btw, wouldn't have it any other way). I experienced emotional whiplash and would often gasp (yes, literally) and need a moment to stare at the wall and process for a little before diving back in.
This read was such a wild ride, and I recommend buddy-reading it or texting someone who has read it since I truly needed someone to scream at almost every chapter.
✧ I had to grab a drink during the final debrief, and that says all you need to know, to be honest.
✧ A solid opinion on everything??? Not here!!! I was having mood swings like crazy while reading and am still digesting some aspects without fully settling on an opinion (minus a few things I feel really strongly about).
I love this ambiguity, I love sitting with the discomfort, I love when two things can be true at once, I love when truth can't be limited to one single fact, and I love that this book is still haunting me.
✧ Without spoiling anything, I was satisfied with the ending.
Now, not super spoilery but maybe still suggestive:
What I didn't like/felt lacklustre about
Only minor complaints!
✦ Sometimes the modern references or phone usage would feel a bit ill-fitting in a setting that feels quite far removed from modernity.
✦ I had to warm up to a change in behaviour in a certain character (though I did enjoy it after getting used to it).
Conclusion/Notes
This book might've killed me (complimentary).
I thought I knew what I was getting into when picking up another CG Drews book. Both Don't Let The Forest in and Hazelthorn were like a gut-punch, and my heart still aches when I think about them. Yet I was somehow still caught off guard by how heavy Scorpion Deep hit.
I felt some seriously intense emotions and was on the edge of my seat the entire way through. I can now confidently say that CG Drews writing about the loneliest, saddest boys with the most tender hearts doesn't get old.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys lyrical, yet hard-hitting, emotional prose, dark/horror stories that explore complex characters and dynamics, oceanic folklore and a bleak coastal setting, themes of loneliness, violence, identity, agency and a story that unapologetically drags you into a dark cavern where every turn around a corner promises a horrifying surprise.
Reading this together with Teru was really special to me and made this an even more amazing experience. Once again, I highly recommend having a buddy to debrief this one with. (Trust me, you'll need it after finishing it)
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
"The ocean is more familiar than his own heartbeat and twice as true, and it soothes Jonathan in a way nothing else does. The fact it will one day drown him and pack him down among reefs, take out his eyes with salted fingers and make a shipwreck of his bones only makes him love it more.
It’s madness to love the sea, but at least it loves him back."
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Follow me on Spotify for specific reading playlists like these:
📚 Creepy Coastal
📚 This Connection Is Muddled With Rot
📚 Horror/Thriller Reads
GoodReads | StoryGraph | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Overview of all reading playlists | last.fm
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Immediate thoughts after reading (5 November, 2026)
My god... my brain is a scrambled egg, my heart is in pieces, and I'm SICK to my stomach.
I genuinely only survived this read (or did I?) cuz Teru held my hand through it all 💗😭🫴
I was huffing, puffing, screaming into my fist, staring at the wall and had to grab a drink for the debrief 😫😮💨 because WOW! Wow, wow, wow.
This book will definitely haunt me for quite some time.
CG Drews, you did it again!!
FULL REVIEW TO COME
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Pre-read (2 November, 2025)
Gonna, buddy- read this with Teru. I'm so excited!!!!
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Pre-read (4 November, 2025)
This is my most anticipated 2026 release!
C.G. Drews, no one does it as you do.
November 9, 2026
Phew, what a wild ride on the edge of madness.
I don't really know what to say. It seems to be a pattern with this author.
Even if you’ve read a book by this author before and therefore know what to expect, it still manages to amaze me once again.
Beautifully written, with vivid imagery, and a dark—oh, so dark—and brutal theme. And yet it’s so easy to read.
Simply amazing, and I think I’m just going to crawl under my blankets now and cry a little for Jonathan.
The skull is softest at the temple.
One hit. One second. That’s all it would take and Jonathan would be free. He would no longer hurt. He would be safe. 🥺
he’s not into anyone
It hurts worse than anything that she said it in such a dismissive way, as if she isn’t rooting into the core of him and splaying out assumptions to deflect attention off her. 😢
“I don’t want to be someone who hurts other people, I guess.” I’m a coward, he doesn’t say. I know only how fear feels between broken ribs and I have learned to breathe around the pain.
“Then I shall hurt them for you.” 🖤🫠🖤
Scorpion plucks a dusty model ship left as decor on a shelf by the sink. “Do you feel she would like to play with this? Practice for her future of destroying ships? It is never too early to set them on a career path.” 🦑😳🦑
When Scorpion scrapes his mouth down the side of Jonathan’s face, he feels teeth in the kiss across his bruised cheekbone.
He has no idea if he is being eaten, or if he is being loved. 🖤😳🖤
I don't really know what to say. It seems to be a pattern with this author.
Even if you’ve read a book by this author before and therefore know what to expect, it still manages to amaze me once again.
Beautifully written, with vivid imagery, and a dark—oh, so dark—and brutal theme. And yet it’s so easy to read.
Simply amazing, and I think I’m just going to crawl under my blankets now and cry a little for Jonathan.
The skull is softest at the temple.
One hit. One second. That’s all it would take and Jonathan would be free. He would no longer hurt. He would be safe. 🥺
he’s not into anyone
It hurts worse than anything that she said it in such a dismissive way, as if she isn’t rooting into the core of him and splaying out assumptions to deflect attention off her. 😢
“I don’t want to be someone who hurts other people, I guess.” I’m a coward, he doesn’t say. I know only how fear feels between broken ribs and I have learned to breathe around the pain.
“Then I shall hurt them for you.” 🖤🫠🖤
Scorpion plucks a dusty model ship left as decor on a shelf by the sink. “Do you feel she would like to play with this? Practice for her future of destroying ships? It is never too early to set them on a career path.” 🦑😳🦑
When Scorpion scrapes his mouth down the side of Jonathan’s face, he feels teeth in the kiss across his bruised cheekbone.
He has no idea if he is being eaten, or if he is being loved. 🖤😳🖤
Currently Reading
November 14, 2026pre-read
⏝꒷︶ ͡𑁬♱໒ ͡ ︶꒷⏝
Screaming crying throwing up, I finally got the freaking book
⏝꒷︶ ͡𑁬♱໒ ͡ ︶꒷⏝
Screaming crying throwing up, I finally got the freaking book
Currently Reading
February 22, 2026quotes (normally don't do these but.)
--
about to start:
i set aside like four hours tonight (aka i won't sleep) to read this. because guys, mortal duties are irrelevant. i am. irresponsible.
(i'm gonna be raving about this at 3 am okay??? send help in advance.)
--
almost about to start:
grrr am i gonna have to start this tomorrow? i have Dumb Shit I Forgot To Do Earlier that i have to lock in on.
BUT I GOT THE FUCKING BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO
it'll be my first time reading a physical copy of drews's work!
--
want to read:
i breathe c.g. drews even underwater
i might buddy read this with someone ik on discord...!
OMG SO. ON PATREON DREWS RELEASED THE FIRST CHAPTER. LITERALLY ALREADY FERAL OMG JOHNNYYYY
"you did not deserve it for looking like prey, and i did not deserve it for looking like a monster."
--
about to start:
i set aside like four hours tonight (aka i won't sleep) to read this. because guys, mortal duties are irrelevant. i am. irresponsible.
(i'm gonna be raving about this at 3 am okay??? send help in advance.)
--
almost about to start:
grrr am i gonna have to start this tomorrow? i have Dumb Shit I Forgot To Do Earlier that i have to lock in on.
BUT I GOT THE FUCKING BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S FUCKING GOOOOO
it'll be my first time reading a physical copy of drews's work!
--
want to read:
i breathe c.g. drews even underwater
i might buddy read this with someone ik on discord...!
OMG SO. ON PATREON DREWS RELEASED THE FIRST CHAPTER. LITERALLY ALREADY FERAL OMG JOHNNYYYY
October 25, 2026
”It has always been this way between them. A love story, but the wrong kind.”
no one writes atmospheric, dreadful, all consuming, toxic codependency better than CG Drews and this book was no different. i loved the setting and all the ties it had to the sea and its many monsters.
unfortunately, this is the first book by this author that i didn’t quite enjoy. i think i had the wrong expectations? this is more of a exploration of friendship breakups, complicated family dynamics and that need to feel wanted and accepted by the ones that you cherish.
the mc Jonathan is such a lonely person, i could empathize with his sadness but i’m not someone who can relate to this kind of desperation he felt .. so, i honestly just found him intense and kinda annoying.
i didn’t like the way he treated his friends, but i really didn’t connect to any of the characters at all anyway. the sea god, Scorpion Deep, was the most compelling character in the book. I just found the reveal to be so lackluster.. i was not a big fan and i hate to say it.
⤞ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.
no one writes atmospheric, dreadful, all consuming, toxic codependency better than CG Drews and this book was no different. i loved the setting and all the ties it had to the sea and its many monsters.
unfortunately, this is the first book by this author that i didn’t quite enjoy. i think i had the wrong expectations? this is more of a exploration of friendship breakups, complicated family dynamics and that need to feel wanted and accepted by the ones that you cherish.
the mc Jonathan is such a lonely person, i could empathize with his sadness but i’m not someone who can relate to this kind of desperation he felt .. so, i honestly just found him intense and kinda annoying.
i didn’t like the way he treated his friends, but i really didn’t connect to any of the characters at all anyway. the sea god, Scorpion Deep, was the most compelling character in the book. I just found the reveal to be so lackluster.. i was not a big fan and i hate to say it.
⤞ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Macmillan Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.
Currently Reading
November 1, 2026pre-read ⚓︎
buddy reading this with romo we have been waiting so (im)patiently for this release... let the devastation begin
buddy reading this with romo we have been waiting so (im)patiently for this release... let the devastation begin
Currently Reading
November 2, 2026⋆｡𖦹 ˚ pre-read ⚓︎ ˚｡⋆
I’VE FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON THIS MASTERPIECE (i definitely didn’t count down every single day until the release.) buddy reading this with jaker oats and i’m so sure we’d have shared trauma after this
I’VE FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON THIS MASTERPIECE (i definitely didn’t count down every single day until the release.) buddy reading this with jaker oats and i’m so sure we’d have shared trauma after this
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
CG Drews did it again.
We strayed a bit from botanical horror to ocean/sea horror(and I think that’s fair because if you are not at least a little afraid of the ocean I think you’re mad). This one is also a little scarier in my opinion, there’s a bit of body horror and I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I know there’s a bit of it in the previous books but it freaked me out a lot more in this one. I’m not a person that enjoys horror by the way, but CG Drews is my exception.
Scorpion Deep is about a boy that summons a sea god. And I firmly believe you should go in knowing nothing more.
If you love the author’s other books you will love this. If you’re not familiar with hazelthorn and don’t let the forest in firstly what are you doing with your life, and second you can expect an atmospheric and immersive writing, characters that will win you over immediately and will make you want to hug them and a plot that will grab you by the throat and not let you go until you finish the book. Needless to say, I finished it basically in one sitting.
I also want to compliment the author’s portrayal of asexual people, it’s present in every book but it’s important to me personally so I always like to mention it. In this one they also did a great job at writing that otherness and isolating feeling of growing up being different from other people. I only have praises for this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!
We strayed a bit from botanical horror to ocean/sea horror(and I think that’s fair because if you are not at least a little afraid of the ocean I think you’re mad). This one is also a little scarier in my opinion, there’s a bit of body horror and I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I know there’s a bit of it in the previous books but it freaked me out a lot more in this one. I’m not a person that enjoys horror by the way, but CG Drews is my exception.
Scorpion Deep is about a boy that summons a sea god. And I firmly believe you should go in knowing nothing more.
If you love the author’s other books you will love this. If you’re not familiar with hazelthorn and don’t let the forest in firstly what are you doing with your life, and second you can expect an atmospheric and immersive writing, characters that will win you over immediately and will make you want to hug them and a plot that will grab you by the throat and not let you go until you finish the book. Needless to say, I finished it basically in one sitting.
I also want to compliment the author’s portrayal of asexual people, it’s present in every book but it’s important to me personally so I always like to mention it. In this one they also did a great job at writing that otherness and isolating feeling of growing up being different from other people. I only have praises for this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’m not even sorry for my rating because this book was bad, bad.
I went into it with ridiculously high expectations. I had seen the fanarts, the five-star reviews, people praising the author, and I had completely convinced myself that this was going to be THE book for me. So when I actually read it and found myself increasingly irritated by almost every character and every major narrative choice, the disappointment was pretty brutal.
My biggest issue is the protagonist, Jonathan, and, more specifically, the way his characterization is handled.
I don't dislike protagonists who are insecure, depressed, emotionally withdrawn, or deeply uncomfortable in their own skin. But there needs to be something beyond simply having the character repeatedly think about how miserable they are and how badly everyone else must perceive them. Jonathan felt like an extreme version of a character archetype I already feel like this author writes repeatedly: the deeply insecure, emotionally isolated character who struggles to communicate, assumes the worst about everyone around them, and carries the weight of the world on their shoulders.
The entire book is basically built around miscommunication. And usually, I can enjoy a story centered around miscommunication if the misunderstanding reveals something meaningful about the characters or if there is a believable reason why they can't communicate. Here, though, I eventually found it exhausting because Jonathan can communicate. He simply refuses to say what he actually thinks or feels. He'll spend pages internally spiraling about how his friends don't care about him, how they're tired of him, how he's a burden, how they secretly dislike him, how they don't actually want him around and then he'll say absolutely none of this out loud. His friends are therefore expected to somehow respond to emotions they don't even know he's experiencing.
And what's particularly frustrating is that the book doesn't give us much evidence that his assumptions are correct. His friends aren't treating him like a burden. They aren't constantly rejecting him. They aren't secretly trying to get rid of him. Quite the opposite: they repeatedly try to spend time with him, understand him, and help him. Jonathan just interprets almost everything they do through the worst possible lens. At some point, I stopped thinking, "Oh, this character is tragically insecure," and started thinking, "Why are you friends with these people if you genuinely believe this little of them?"
There's a scene that perfectly encapsulates my problem with his characterization. His friends are making wishes, and one of them writes something along the lines of wishing that someone would "fix" Jonathan and that he would be happy.
I understand why the wording could make Jonathan uncomfortable. "Fixing" someone can obviously imply that there is something fundamentally wrong with them, and I don't think his reaction is completely incomprehensible. But the scene isn't really interested in that nuance. Instead, Jonathan spirals into the assumption that this means his friend doesn't accept him, doesn't like who he is, and wants to turn him into someone else.
Except the actual sentiment behind the wish is incredibly straightforward: I want my friend to be happy.
And that's the pattern throughout the book. Jonathan consistently chooses the most hostile interpretation of other people's actions, even when their intentions are explicitly affectionate or supportive.
What made this particularly difficult for me was that his friends actually try.
There's a scene where one of them sees Jonathan again after some time apart and is genuinely happy to see him. He invites him over, suggests that they spend some time together, and tries to talk through what has been going wrong. He offers different possible solutions. He doesn't force Jonathan into one specific choice. He basically says, in one form or another, we can figure this out together.
From the outside, the scene is someone trying desperately to help his friend.
Inside Jonathan's head, however, it's almost an entirely different scene. He's getting increasingly angry, rejecting every suggestion internally, and building up this huge emotional response to things he never actually communicates.
And that's where I completely lost patience with the book.
Because eventually, the conflict stops feeling like two people failing to understand each other and starts feeling like one person refusing to communicate while resenting everyone else for not magically understanding him.
There is a difference between "being unable to communicate" and "choosing not to communicate and then blaming other people for the resulting misunderstanding". The book kept presenting the latter as though it were entirely the former, and I couldn't buy into it anymore.
I also think this becomes particularly damaging because Jonathan's internal narration is so dominant. We spend so much time inside his head that the story constantly reinforces his interpretation of events. But because his interpretation is so frequently contradicted by what the other characters actually do, I started feeling less emotionally connected to him rather than more.
Instead of creating dramatic irony where I'm desperately hoping he'll realize that his friends love him, it eventually created frustration because I already knew that his assumptions were wrong and yet had to watch him make the same assumptions over and over again. And that repetition really killed the emotional impact for me.
I don't need characters to make good decisions. I don't even need them to communicate perfectly. But I do need the narrative to make their behavior feel psychologically coherent, or at least give me something to hold onto beyond "he's insecure, therefore he assumes everyone hates him."
Here, I felt like the book kept returning to the same emotional beat without actually developing it: Jonathan feels unwanted → he assumes everyone hates him → someone tries to help him → he interprets their help negatively → he doesn't communicate what he's feeling → everyone remains confused → Jonathan feels even more unwanted.
Repeat.
I was tired.
And that's probably the biggest disappointment for me, because I wanted to care about these characters. I wanted the friendships to affect me. I wanted Jonathan's emotional isolation to feel devastating. Instead, I spent most of the book thinking, "please, for the love of God, just talk to your friends."
So, unfortunately, this ended up being one of those books where I can understand exactly what it was trying to do, but the execution completely failed for me. The characters felt exhausting rather than compelling, the central conflict relied far too heavily on miscommunication, and Jonathan's internal narration eventually made me actively dislike spending time in his head.
And maybe that's the cruelest part: I don't think the book needed Jonathan to become a completely different person. I just needed him to eventually recognize that other people aren't mind readers, that his friends are not his enemies, and that constantly assuming the worst about people while refusing to tell them what you actually need is going to hurt everyone involved.
By the end, I wasn't thinking "I hope Jonathan gets better."
I was thinking "I hope Jonathan learns how to communicate."
Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
I went into it with ridiculously high expectations. I had seen the fanarts, the five-star reviews, people praising the author, and I had completely convinced myself that this was going to be THE book for me. So when I actually read it and found myself increasingly irritated by almost every character and every major narrative choice, the disappointment was pretty brutal.
My biggest issue is the protagonist, Jonathan, and, more specifically, the way his characterization is handled.
I don't dislike protagonists who are insecure, depressed, emotionally withdrawn, or deeply uncomfortable in their own skin. But there needs to be something beyond simply having the character repeatedly think about how miserable they are and how badly everyone else must perceive them. Jonathan felt like an extreme version of a character archetype I already feel like this author writes repeatedly: the deeply insecure, emotionally isolated character who struggles to communicate, assumes the worst about everyone around them, and carries the weight of the world on their shoulders.
The entire book is basically built around miscommunication. And usually, I can enjoy a story centered around miscommunication if the misunderstanding reveals something meaningful about the characters or if there is a believable reason why they can't communicate. Here, though, I eventually found it exhausting because Jonathan can communicate. He simply refuses to say what he actually thinks or feels. He'll spend pages internally spiraling about how his friends don't care about him, how they're tired of him, how he's a burden, how they secretly dislike him, how they don't actually want him around and then he'll say absolutely none of this out loud. His friends are therefore expected to somehow respond to emotions they don't even know he's experiencing.
And what's particularly frustrating is that the book doesn't give us much evidence that his assumptions are correct. His friends aren't treating him like a burden. They aren't constantly rejecting him. They aren't secretly trying to get rid of him. Quite the opposite: they repeatedly try to spend time with him, understand him, and help him. Jonathan just interprets almost everything they do through the worst possible lens. At some point, I stopped thinking, "Oh, this character is tragically insecure," and started thinking, "Why are you friends with these people if you genuinely believe this little of them?"
There's a scene that perfectly encapsulates my problem with his characterization. His friends are making wishes, and one of them writes something along the lines of wishing that someone would "fix" Jonathan and that he would be happy.
I understand why the wording could make Jonathan uncomfortable. "Fixing" someone can obviously imply that there is something fundamentally wrong with them, and I don't think his reaction is completely incomprehensible. But the scene isn't really interested in that nuance. Instead, Jonathan spirals into the assumption that this means his friend doesn't accept him, doesn't like who he is, and wants to turn him into someone else.
Except the actual sentiment behind the wish is incredibly straightforward: I want my friend to be happy.
And that's the pattern throughout the book. Jonathan consistently chooses the most hostile interpretation of other people's actions, even when their intentions are explicitly affectionate or supportive.
What made this particularly difficult for me was that his friends actually try.
There's a scene where one of them sees Jonathan again after some time apart and is genuinely happy to see him. He invites him over, suggests that they spend some time together, and tries to talk through what has been going wrong. He offers different possible solutions. He doesn't force Jonathan into one specific choice. He basically says, in one form or another, we can figure this out together.
From the outside, the scene is someone trying desperately to help his friend.
Inside Jonathan's head, however, it's almost an entirely different scene. He's getting increasingly angry, rejecting every suggestion internally, and building up this huge emotional response to things he never actually communicates.
And that's where I completely lost patience with the book.
Because eventually, the conflict stops feeling like two people failing to understand each other and starts feeling like one person refusing to communicate while resenting everyone else for not magically understanding him.
There is a difference between "being unable to communicate" and "choosing not to communicate and then blaming other people for the resulting misunderstanding". The book kept presenting the latter as though it were entirely the former, and I couldn't buy into it anymore.
I also think this becomes particularly damaging because Jonathan's internal narration is so dominant. We spend so much time inside his head that the story constantly reinforces his interpretation of events. But because his interpretation is so frequently contradicted by what the other characters actually do, I started feeling less emotionally connected to him rather than more.
Instead of creating dramatic irony where I'm desperately hoping he'll realize that his friends love him, it eventually created frustration because I already knew that his assumptions were wrong and yet had to watch him make the same assumptions over and over again. And that repetition really killed the emotional impact for me.
I don't need characters to make good decisions. I don't even need them to communicate perfectly. But I do need the narrative to make their behavior feel psychologically coherent, or at least give me something to hold onto beyond "he's insecure, therefore he assumes everyone hates him."
Here, I felt like the book kept returning to the same emotional beat without actually developing it: Jonathan feels unwanted → he assumes everyone hates him → someone tries to help him → he interprets their help negatively → he doesn't communicate what he's feeling → everyone remains confused → Jonathan feels even more unwanted.
Repeat.
I was tired.
And that's probably the biggest disappointment for me, because I wanted to care about these characters. I wanted the friendships to affect me. I wanted Jonathan's emotional isolation to feel devastating. Instead, I spent most of the book thinking, "please, for the love of God, just talk to your friends."
So, unfortunately, this ended up being one of those books where I can understand exactly what it was trying to do, but the execution completely failed for me. The characters felt exhausting rather than compelling, the central conflict relied far too heavily on miscommunication, and Jonathan's internal narration eventually made me actively dislike spending time in his head.
And maybe that's the cruelest part: I don't think the book needed Jonathan to become a completely different person. I just needed him to eventually recognize that other people aren't mind readers, that his friends are not his enemies, and that constantly assuming the worst about people while refusing to tell them what you actually need is going to hurt everyone involved.
By the end, I wasn't thinking "I hope Jonathan gets better."
I was thinking "I hope Jonathan learns how to communicate."
Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
June 9, 2026
unsure how to rate this bc i think it’s really good, but also it was extremely fucking depressing and it made me upset so
C.G. Drews is one of the few authors whose YA is a lot more interesting to me than their adult novels. Scorpion Deep follows Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn in that it's also about a lonely boy suffering who then encounters another mysterious boy with whom they develop an obsessive, toxic, codependent relationship; meanwhile, gory, weird stuff starts happening around them.
Even though the basics are the same, I think Scorpion Deep is very different from the other two books. Gone are the crumbling Gothic mansions and the mystery of the leaves and the forest. Here we are put on a cold and gloomy island where mysterious things come out of the sea.
What I really enjoy about these books is the willingness to go there. To be gory and violent and feral. There are some GNARLY BLOODY scenes in here.
However, I didn't connect with this one as much as the previous ones. Mostly because this is a lot about friendship breakups, and I think friendship breakups are devastating. Idk, it's something that really gets to me, and I don't know if I love the way Jonathan treats his friends in here. I don't think it was really fair. And because of that, I also didn't really connect or root for the romance (if you can call it a romance?) between Jonathan and the eldritch sea god.
I just thought this was a very sad and depressing book, and it didn’t make me feel great. Which is kind of crazy for me because I read a lot of fucked up shit and have been more than fine afterwards, but something about this one deeply upset me. It might have been the mood I'm currently in, but who knows!
But also don't really listen to me. Don't take this review negatively. Because I do think this book is great! It's a testament to its quality that it made me feel this way.
C.G. Drews is one of the few authors whose YA is a lot more interesting to me than their adult novels. Scorpion Deep follows Don't Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn in that it's also about a lonely boy suffering who then encounters another mysterious boy with whom they develop an obsessive, toxic, codependent relationship; meanwhile, gory, weird stuff starts happening around them.
Even though the basics are the same, I think Scorpion Deep is very different from the other two books. Gone are the crumbling Gothic mansions and the mystery of the leaves and the forest. Here we are put on a cold and gloomy island where mysterious things come out of the sea.
What I really enjoy about these books is the willingness to go there. To be gory and violent and feral. There are some GNARLY BLOODY scenes in here.
However, I didn't connect with this one as much as the previous ones. Mostly because this is a lot about friendship breakups, and I think friendship breakups are devastating. Idk, it's something that really gets to me, and I don't know if I love the way Jonathan treats his friends in here. I don't think it was really fair. And because of that, I also didn't really connect or root for the romance (if you can call it a romance?) between Jonathan and the eldritch sea god.
I just thought this was a very sad and depressing book, and it didn’t make me feel great. Which is kind of crazy for me because I read a lot of fucked up shit and have been more than fine afterwards, but something about this one deeply upset me. It might have been the mood I'm currently in, but who knows!
But also don't really listen to me. Don't take this review negatively. Because I do think this book is great! It's a testament to its quality that it made me feel this way.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Guys I'm fine, really *suspiciously sea god shaped eldritch being boyfriend looms in the background* love love loved this one <3
October 29, 2026
What a hypnotic read this was - horrifying and beautiful at the same time. The imagery, when it's not dripping blood, is quietly eerie and mesmerizing. This is the fourth book I've read by this author, and I think this is by far their best work.
AND - a baby kraken? SQUEE!
Oh - and seafood is now OFF the menu.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for sharing.
AND - a baby kraken? SQUEE!
Oh - and seafood is now OFF the menu.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for sharing.
Want to Read
April 2, 2026ARC received! Thank you, Feiwel & Friends!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
C. G. Drews fucked with my brain ONCE AGAIN 😭🤚 that plot twist quite literally blew my mind and all i can think about is “what the fuhh did I just read?”. might be me after finishing every book by them but this one was even WORSE
so I’ve been fed by another gorgeous beautifully written gory story. c g drews wrote it, so of course, naturally i want to read it. I’ve been lucky to receive an eARC and this was definitely something. something very haunting, disturbing, confusing, uncomfortable and claustrophobic. Body horror is VERY much present
romance and yearning isn’t dead, you just need to wake up an obsessive sea god, guys! such a nice date idea! I hope I have a meet cute with someone like this
now to the characters.
jonathan made me cry and put the book down a good amount of times because it got way too relatable. He has my whole heart. I feel and understand him so deeply it makes me sick. C. G. Drews always writes complex, interesting characters, they’re all memorable but sometimes some of them hit different and too close. Another character that i see myself in but at what cost..
Scorpion on the other hand? Straight up ripping my hair out.
Their “do you want me to kill for you?” dynamic SICKENS ME (but like, in a good way? i think?)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC
so I’ve been fed by another gorgeous beautifully written gory story. c g drews wrote it, so of course, naturally i want to read it. I’ve been lucky to receive an eARC and this was definitely something. something very haunting, disturbing, confusing, uncomfortable and claustrophobic. Body horror is VERY much present
romance and yearning isn’t dead, you just need to wake up an obsessive sea god, guys! such a nice date idea! I hope I have a meet cute with someone like this
now to the characters.
jonathan made me cry and put the book down a good amount of times because it got way too relatable. He has my whole heart. I feel and understand him so deeply it makes me sick. C. G. Drews always writes complex, interesting characters, they’re all memorable but sometimes some of them hit different and too close. Another character that i see myself in but at what cost..
Scorpion on the other hand? Straight up ripping my hair out.
Their “do you want me to kill for you?” dynamic SICKENS ME (but like, in a good way? i think?)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC
December 27, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early for an honest review.
I was so happy to finally get my greedy little hands on the sea rot boys! And yes, I admit it, I cried over sea monsters. (There’s a baby kraken!!) I wanted to save and savor this story, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. Would it be weird to admit I’d rather be spending time in C.G. Drews’ fictional worlds than with my own family members, especially over a holiday? Because that’s what I did reading this. Much like their characters, I want to peel open my ribs and press their stories close to my heart. Any mention of plot will ruin the experience of going in cold to this story and experiencing it in all its glory.
Fans of Don’t Let the Forest In (Andrew and Thomas) and Hazelthorn (Evander and Laurie) aka the forest rot and garden rot boys will find much to love with the sea rot boys, Jonathan and Scorpion, in Scorpion Deep. The same themes of mental health, paranormal happenings, and being loved for the person they are cross all three.
I was so happy to finally get my greedy little hands on the sea rot boys! And yes, I admit it, I cried over sea monsters. (There’s a baby kraken!!) I wanted to save and savor this story, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. Would it be weird to admit I’d rather be spending time in C.G. Drews’ fictional worlds than with my own family members, especially over a holiday? Because that’s what I did reading this. Much like their characters, I want to peel open my ribs and press their stories close to my heart. Any mention of plot will ruin the experience of going in cold to this story and experiencing it in all its glory.
Fans of Don’t Let the Forest In (Andrew and Thomas) and Hazelthorn (Evander and Laurie) aka the forest rot and garden rot boys will find much to love with the sea rot boys, Jonathan and Scorpion, in Scorpion Deep. The same themes of mental health, paranormal happenings, and being loved for the person they are cross all three.
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