Run For It
Paperback. 368 pages.
ATONE OR DIE.
Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when an opportunity arises to act as a research assistant on an anthropological expedition for her professor and lover, Edward Beck, she doesn't hesitate.
Beck assembles a team of academics and professionals to study the ancient sea-based Cult of the Leviathan, and the expedition descends into the sea caves where the cult are said to have dwelt.
But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. Surrounded by strange artefacts and scattered bones, an ancient trial has been set in motion. One by one, the members of the expedition will be tested and forced to atone for their greatest sin. . . or die."
I was immediately sold on this concept of a mysterious sea cave/rock formation thing that rises up out of the ocean one with without precedent and that no one can really explain or understand, but it's very clearly something. This story starts off strong: lots of mystery, a tense backdrop, some drama amongst the characters, and a cast of unique characters that all have a variety of hang-ups that they bring with them. Some of these components felt a bit familiar and this is definitely a general setup I've seen done before, but it's one that can work really well so I was very much on board for whatever was to come.
To this book's credit, it really starts off pretty quickly and doesn't take too long to get into things, which I think is a perk because this type of story is one that could easily have a slower start. But this quick jump into action, especially once our characters reach the cave, means that the entire dynamic of the story changed pretty quickly.
Caro, our protagonist, is an intelligent person who is grateful to have this opportunity to explore this new mystery, but she's still doing it stuck under the thumb of Beck, the married professor whom she's also having an affair with. I never found myself particularly invested in Caro herself, but I did appreciate how much depth her character was given and how much it all played into the events of the book, even though it did at times feel--once again--a bit familiar. I really appreciated that she was presented as a very flawed person who makes mistakes and is very aware of her mistakes, but still struggles to overcome them. That felt very real, very human, and very relatable.
I struggled a bit with the rest of the characters involved and didn't find myself caring for them that much. None of them ever really stood out and I often had difficulties remembering who was who, and although there are a handful of characters who we get to know a bit more because of things I can't say because of spoilers, I feel like the emotional threads or interest never went deep enough for me to care enough.. The only character I really wish we had gotten to know more was Mallory, as I found her the most intriguing of all the additional characters and thought she could've added even more to the story than she already did. I would actually have loved to read some of this story from her perspective.
Beck, unfortunately and probably unsurprisingly (especially if you've read the book) was probably my least favorite part of this book. I know he's meant to be annoying, but he felt like such a stereotypical archetype of what he was meant to be that it was almost too annoying. I've read this type of man a million times before: egotistical, arrogant, and condescending to everyone around him. Rather than find him entertaining or as a big obstacle for Caro to contend with, I found it slightly predictable and boring. I am sure that this is my own frustration with this type of character and others won't have these issues, but it did annoy me quite a bit throughout the reading experience.
The horror itself wasn't quite what I expected, but it was very well-written and multi-layered. I liked getting into the background of this sea cave and the lore surrounding it and how it worked, but the horror really leaned into more of a character-driven, psychological horror aspect that wasn't quite as compelling as I'd expected, but still offered a lot of really interesting scenes and food for though. It's the type of horror that really makes the characters--and ourselves--confront the worst parts of themselves, such as their regrets, bad memories, guilt, personal failings, and much more. There's also, of course, plenty external horror that comes in the form of gore and plenty of unsettling imagery that I think was written in a way that felt very visceral and truly horrific, and I applaud the author on creating those elements that really leaned into the horror of it all. However, the emotional and internal horror is really where this book seems to place its emphasis.
I do want to note that I think I quite liked the ending overall, and I think the final direction that Bontrager took the story in worked well with everything that was being done in the story. There are some elements here and there felt a little odd or convenient, but generally I think this was a solid story that told a tale of messiness and horror and wrapped it up pretty nicely--if you can call it that.
With everything I've said, I'm a little mixed on this book overall. I think my expectations didn't quite match up with everything in this book, but it wasn't a bad book by any means. I found that large aspects of it had a lot of promise, such the atmosphere, setting, and general concept, but something about it just didn't quite hit the mark for me. I found the background and mythology interesting, but they never quite grabbed me in the way I would have expected it to, and I almost wonder if it's because it was presented in ways that just never felt entirely cohesive and accessible. I kept waiting for the setting and plot to fully come together and grab me, but it never did. I'm very much inclined to believe this is simple a "me" problem because when I think about this book, every aspect of it sounds like it should be perfect, so perhaps something just didn't quite click with me.
Overall, I can see this working better for other readers, but it's still a really captivating horror with a fantastic premise and setting. If you're a fan of eerie ocean things and ancient cults and character-driven horror and the like, then you will definitely want to pick this one up.
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
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