Book Review: Scorpion Deep by CG Drews

I am a fan of CG Drews’ other works (Hazelthorn in particular) so I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of Scorpion Deep! It did not disappoint.

In this book we follow Jonathon Covey, a lonely boy with a difficult home life, who is living in a small island town. Jonathon’s friends all got into a college that he could not get into and will leave the island at the end of the summer, leaving Jonathon even more alone. To try to save himself from the loneliness, Jonathon does a ritual to call upon Scorpion Deep, a mythical eldritch sea god. The ritual works and Jonathon is left to contend with the monstrous sea god.

I put aside all my other reading once I started this book because I could not put it down! It’s very compelling, mysterious and really draws you in. I read it nonstop and almost wish I had drawn it out a bit more because I was sad once it ended!

Similarly to some of Drews’ other novels, the asexual representation is incredibly well done. Jonathon’s experiences are so relatable. His feelings of loneliness really cut straight to the heart, such as with this line:

he aches for the shape of something else to describe him, hold him, explain him to the world in a way that will be understood.

I also love this line about his relationship to his friends:

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.

Overall, I highly recommend checking this book out! Make sure to check the trigger warnings before doing so though!

I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC. All opinions are my own.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rating: 4.5 stars

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