Week 42 Review: The Luminous Dead

From Goodreads:

A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she'd be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she'd get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.

Instead, she got Em.

Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre's body with drugs or withholding critical information to "ensure the smooth operation" of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre's falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .

As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em's motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.

But how come she can't shake the feeling she's being followed?

My Review:
Man, this book was dark and twisted, and I couldn't put it down! I had such a great time reading it! Maybe it wasn't a good decision to lie, but Gyre didn't deserve what Em was putting her through. It was pretty awful, but I couldn't stop reading!

This book is basically Gyre, Em, and this cave. There are threats, and there's definitely claustrophobia, but the story mainly takes place in this cave, and it is almost always just the two of them. And it was such an entertaining read!

It's slow to start, to let you settle in and get to know what was going on, before things start to get spookier and creepier by the minute. I adored the atmosphere, they were very isolated and contained, and it just added to the tension! 

Honestly, I just wanted to know what the heck was going on. They both had similar pasts where their parents were gone early on in their childhoods, and that urge to find them. So I really enjoyed learning this, watching them heal from their emotional wounds. 

Loved reading this book, and I'll need to check out Caitlin Starling's other books! 

Author: Caitlin Starling 
Read: October 17th, 2022
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a DAC Book and a SAC 2022 Book! 
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Published: April 2nd 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars