Darcy Coates is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors and a must-read one during Spooky Season – as is evidenced by her appearing twice on this list! From Below is one of two books she has released in 2022 and puts a very unique spin on two very different spooky genres.

In 1928, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace while en route from the United States to Great Britain. Now, more than ninety years later, the wreck of the ship has been discovered lying on the seabed between Sweden and Finland, hundreds of miles from its intended route, and Cove Waimarie, a Maori documentary producer, is leading a team to explore it. Over the course of several dives, her team – brusque cameraman Roy, shy marine biologist Hestie, nervous assistant Aidan, and experienced dive leader Vanna – will explore the wreck and gather as much footage as they can for the company behind the documentary.

However, the Arcadia hasn’t yet claimed all the lives it wants. As the team moves around through its narrow passageways, the ship seems to close in around them. Doors close, corridors are blocked, and their dive lines work loose, causing the team to lose their way in the pitch-black depths as their oxygen slowly runs out. Even worse, something seems to be watching them. Shapes drift by in the distance and the team begins to realize that perhaps not everybody who went down with the ship ever really left it.

As someone with a strong fear of drowning and deep water, From Below was a truly terrifying prospect for a book. The author does a fantastic job of conveying the oppressive nature of the dive site. The utter blackness of swimming in deep water where no sunlight penetrates and you are reliant on tiny beams of light from headlamps, the unimaginable pressure of the water above you, and the knowledge that you can’t even swim quickly up to escape, instead, needing regular decompression breaks to avoid having your body torn apart from the inside by nitrogen bubbles. Add to that the twisting claustrophobia of the wreck and how easy it is to become disorientated and get lost, and this is already a horrifying story before the more fantastical elements of the storytelling even begin to take hold.

Scattered amongst the chapters taking place at the shipwreck in the present day are other chapters from the perspective of a crewman named Hardland aboard the Arcadia in the days leading up to the sinking. These chapters were equally as disturbing but for entirely different reasons. The ship becomes mired in an oppressive fog that seeps into every part of the doomed vessel and slowly sends those aboard mad. These chapters can be deeply upsetting with some graphic depictions of suicide and self-harm, but manage to avoid feeling overly gratuitous, instead, you’ll find yourself beginning to experience the same creeping sense of dread, terror, and hopelessness that Harland comes to face in the days approaching the sinking.

My biggest issue with From Below was some of the decisions made by the characters, one in particular who seemed determined to get themselves (and others) killed. The present-day characters repeatedly make stupid decisions, such as refusing to use a known exit route because of something unpleasant in the room and instead choosing to dive down new corridors in hopes of finding an alternate route when their oxygen levels are already low. These moments somewhat spoiled the book by making me feel much less sympathy toward the characters, especially the decision made by one person in the closing chapters – if you’re stupid enough to do THAT then honestly, you deserve everything coming to you! I also would have appreciated some more resolution regarding what really happened to the ship. One possible theory is presented but never fully substantiated and things are left somewhat open to interpretation.

From Below is a terrifying and tragic story that will get under your skin, particularly for those who suffer from claustrophobia or are afraid of deep water. The setting makes it one of the most unique horror novels I have ever read and has increased my certainty that I never want to take up deep sea or cave diving! The book is a perfect choice to read during Spooky Season and if you could do so while sitting by a window overlooking the ocean (or, even better, while on board a cruise ship) even better, but don’t come crying to me when you start having nightmares about being trapped underwater in the infinite dark…

Darcy Coates does it again with From Below! She sets the tone from the first page and really had me feeling claustrophobic. The characters are believable and act in realistic ways. Coates is becoming one of my favorite authors to read. The ocean is terrifying and Coates tapped into all my fears, but in the best way.

Like always, a knockout horror read by Darcy Coates! It's a fast paced anxiety attack. Keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last! This author has easily become one of my favorites and I'm always looking forward to more!

From Below did not disappoint...it gives you the same high blood pressure/heart palpitations as most that came before it. A haunted ship, ghosts, and high tension the entire ride.....this was another satisfying horror novel by one of the best!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the early access in exchange for an honest review!!

"Are individuals entitled to the truth as a basic human right? Or is it acceptable to disguise facts if they ultimately do more harm than good? In the modern day, where we’re exposed to government cover-ups and ingenuous PR campaigns from mega corporations, most people believe the truth to be an ultimate good. How can a lie be wholesome ? How can deceit be kind? But I would posit this is one of the few instances where deception would have no victims. Perhaps you would not be in the wrong to protect others from this.”

SS Arcadia vanished without a trace and made its bed on the ocean floor. Why did the ship lose communication with the outside world, veer off-course, and sink without cause? And what became of its passengers?

Many years and much speculation later, a crew has been granted permission to explore all that remains and put the rumours to rest with fact. Their discoveries are being filmed for a documentary and so their every move is being traced. But maybe, it is not only the cameras around them that is doing the tracking...

The story was told through dual-timelines and shifting perspectives. As the modern-day crew go on multiple dives and uncover progressively unsettling discoveries there, the truth about what happened all those years ago is also being revealed to the reader. I found this a very clever narrative style, as tension remained present throughout and my intrigue was heightened as the chapters progressed and the mysteries were revealed.

This proved a claustrophobic read with an intriguing cast that kept me engaged throughout. I did wish for a little more depictions of the horrors, at the novel's close, but still feel impressed with all the author did deliver.

“They don’t even want to hurt us. They just want us to stay here, with them, inside the ship forever.”

This review is tough for me.

The storyline and thrilling aspect to this story was so promising but I honestly found myself asking when it would be over. Lots of details I didn’t feel the book didn’t need. My personal problem was all the technical details made the read more of a "chore". My attention would be on a great scene, only to be derailed by silt moving (if I had a dollar for everytime silt was mentioned in this book).

I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if it was a way shorter story with less repetitive details.

I however still recommend this book, the story was great, just definitely felt it could have been a little less. If you love a long and detailed read, this one is for you!

This book is not for the faint-hearted. If you're afraid of deep water, confined spaces, and zombies, this is definitely not the book for you. There is something profoundly terrifying about the idea of exploring a ship three-hundred feet beneath the surface of the ocean, where anything that goes wrong could be deadly. I would definitely say this book fits into the "horror" genre, but unlike most books in that genre, it lacks profanity, gore, and sexual content. Huge pluses, in my opinion. It still manages to be terrifying without all the gratuitous nonsense. My only complaint is that some parts of the story dragged a bit, and I found myself getting bored/skimming in places. I think it would've been more effective as a shorter, faster read. Overall, it was very enjoyable and I'm excited to check out other books by Darcy Coates.

This book is so creepy and atmospheric. I’ve never really read underwater horror, but this certainly makes me want to read more. There are lots of interesting characters in it too!

This book!!!!!!!!!! I’ve never read (surprisingly) a haunted ship book before and I can’t believe I never have, I freaking loved this!! The horror and the fear and the storytelling kept me on edge and on my toes and my god it was an amazing read. I will be reading and reading this over and over again. Right from the beginning you are hooked!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book took me a MONTH to read. I usually read a book in 1-3 days. So right there, we’ve already got problems. I liked it well enough, but it felt too long. And then once I reached the last 15% or so, the book completely fell apart.

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Why in the hell would Aiden have gone back to the ship? I don’t care that he had the expensive ring down there. He knew there were literal dead things down there. Ugh. So stupid. Also, no one died, so there were really no risks. So disappointed. 4 for the first 85%, 2 for the last 15%.

Four stars for From Below by Darcy Coates. I love the premise of this book, I loved some sci fi elements and I think the set up was really interesting and unique. My main complaint for this book was that it was too long. If some of the pages were cut out, I feel like it would have been even more suspenseful. The atmosphere was one of my favorite parts. I liked getting multiple time periods and perspectives throughout this novel as well. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A famed shipwreck is the draw for documentarian Cove and her team. The Arcadia went down in 1928, with odd, conflicting messages issued by its crew prior to its disappearance. Cove decides that getting video of the wreck will be her next project, and with her corporate backers’ requirement of twelve hours of unique footage, she knows she’s got a great opportunity, but also an extremely dangerous assignment. The ship is resting at the bottom of the sea, around three hundred feet down, the water will be frigid, there is no life in this section of anoxic water, and she and her team will be the first to view the wreck in generations, and hopefully glean why it sank.

Using a dual narrative structure, one with Cove and her team in the present, the other with a crewman, Harland, in 1928 a little over a week before the sinking, Darcy Coates builds tension terrifically with the team’s dynamics and the difficult dives to the ship in the present, and the increasingly fraught days aboard the Arcadia as experienced by everyone on board.

Cove and her team encounter amazingly well preserved items on board, but begin seeing and feeling presences in their periphery. In 1928, Harland describes the unravelling emotions of everyone on board, with suicides occurring daily amongst crew and passengers.

The very idea of diving that deep underwater is enough to give me the heebie jeebies. Most of Cove’s team have warm water and reef dives under their belts, with only one team member being a highly skilled cave diver. So Coates let’s us know that what they’ll be doing is very risky.

Almost from the outset they all feel something odd within the Arcadia, and things only get worse with successive dives. There are some incredibly claustrophobic scenes in the wreck, which then transform into really scary moments as Cove and her team are trapped in the Arcadia and their dive tanks are steadily depleting. The visuals are great, and eerie, with skin-crawling visuals as the team encounters things for which they have no experience and can’t believe.

Though much longer than I expected, the pacing in the present day sections is good, though the 1928 scenes dragged a little. Regardless, I liked this spooky book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Holy Crap! I think this is my favorite book of this year! It was awesome!

A deep dive team tasked with documenting a Titanic like ship that has been lost for over 50 years. Found in one of the deepest parts of the ocean, this documentary team will need to use their diving skills to reach the ship safely and spend 12 hours over a span of 3 days, recording original footage of the never-before-seen sunken ship as well as try to determine the reason for the sinking.

At the time of the disappearance of the ship, there were attempted radio signal calls for help, but they held strange messages and the ship was nowhere near where it was reported to be. So going in, the dive team is very interested in finding out what happened. But they aren't prepared, at all, for what they will find.

The chills in this book were OFF THE CHARTS FOR ME. I was so stinking scared during certain scenes! OMG Coates ability to write chilling scenes is masterful in my opinion! Every scene was picture perfect clear in my head. It's like I was watching a movie. And the chilling haunts will stay with me forever.

In fact, I will never watch Titanic the same way again. I will always think of this story when I watch Titanic in the future and will be waiting for certain things to appear or happen :-)

The characters jumped off the page. I could see them perfectly clear in my mind and I feel like they are my crew, like I need to protect them. Such great character development!

And the end!! I was in tears!! In a horror book! TEARS!!!

It's been several days since I've finished From Below and I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I miss being in this world and miss the characters. I want so badly for this to become a series - I don't know how, but I know I want it! I need to be back with these people, searching more crazy sunken ship sites.

If you are looking for a chilling horror, paranormal read - THIS IS IT!

If you are planning your Halloween reads for this year - THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE ON IT!

From Below gets all the stars from me!!!

Thank you to @poisonedpenpress !

I really enjoy Darcy Coates cosy horror vibes. Overall I enjoyed this book, but at times I found it repetitive and thus sometimes over descriptive. It was an interesting concept and I felt the claustrophobic pressure the characters were under. Darcy Coates is definitely an author whos work I will continue to read and encourage others to do so!

I love Darcy Coates to death. Sadly, this bad boy was not for me. Those first chapters say a lot about a book and it just did not grabbed my attention. I’m honestly sad, the plot is great but it’s missing something.

I really liked this story. It was well written and the storyline really pulled me in. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and the horror in the ship didn't disappoint. I liked how the story went back and forth from the present day crew to the original timeline of the Arcadia crew.

There is a lot of information and narrative to this book. I liked the dialogue among Cove and her team. The writer did a great job of telling each characters experience in the book. I thought that was very interesting and a good part to the book. The information is supplied wonderfully in the book. The story of the dive team seems so real as I read their experiences during the dive. The book for me was a little entertaining, but I felt that I had to read through a lot of chapters to get to the exciting parts.

Absolutely loved this story! Anything Darcy puts out is magic to my mind anyway. But this tale provided all the creepy / twisty goodness my heart desires!

I actually give this book a 3.5. This story was a departure from Darcy Coates normal books and I thought she did a really good job. I loved the atmosphere and most of the characters. I preferred the present day passages instead of the past ones. All in all I really enjoyed this book.

Definitely satisfying enough, but not my favorite from this author. I enjoyed the atmosphere in this, the writing was smooth and readable. The characters could have been better, though. In the end, I'm happy with the experience.