The Thing by way of The Abyss, with overtones of The Shape of Water, and thoroughly well-executed. I love a good story about The Horrors Of The Deep(TM) and this is a great ride, with a balanced diet of pitched tension and outright gore. The sci-fi elements were thought all the way through and really creative, and felt natural to the setting rather than existing purely as plot devices. Also, I’m delighted by how Mo and Armin’s romance goes down. Coworkers-with-benefits-to-lovers isn’t a dynamic I see done well often, since it’s usually fraught with manufactured drama and assorted bullshit, but seeing the boys lean on each other increasingly more over the course of the book was so sweet and their connection felt very believable. Plus I love the ending, although I’d warn anyone that

whether or not it’s “happy” depends a lot on personal interpretation.

I think that in terms of narrative and structure, the last chapter ends in with a perfect cinematic close (speaking of which, 10/10 would watch this movie), but as a reader

I DID want a little more about Armin and Mo getting to go off and be Horrors together.

Recommended for other people who like ocean horrors, especially if you enjoyed books like Into The Drowning Deep or The Archive Undying, or if the above movie combination appeals.