Review: Beyond the Graves Waits Mist and Sea - Kathleen Kaufman

Although there’s a lot to like here, I have to be honest and say that this book and I never clicked. On paper, it had all the potential to become something I loved. In reality, I feel this was far more forgettable than I wanted it to be…

The Story:

Marine biologist Harper Hafdóttir travels to the isolated Bell Island off the coast of Boston to search for evidence of a mysterious new species of octopus. But the fog-shrouded island holds secrets far older—and darker—than the creatures beneath its waters. As Harper experiences haunting dreams, strange phenomena, and unsettling encounters, she discovers a centuries-old journal connected to the island’s troubled history. With a devastating storm and tsunami threatening Bell Island, Harper must unravel the mystery surrounding her past and discover why she seems to have been drawn there before it is too late.

What I liked:

Ocean-themes, a “gothic horror” label, a female scientist protagonist and an atmospheric Icelandic setting: this synopsis seemed to be written for me personally. Unfortunately I felt a little catfished by half of them. The ocean themes and the atmosphere were strong, and having been to Iceland last year, I could vividly picture the novel being set there. Although I liked the atmosphere that Kaufman created, I wouldn’t call it horror, let alone Gothic horror. Magical realism, folk-mystery or dark fairytale feels more fitting. This is neither positive or negative; just different from what I was expecting based off the synopsis and tags.

The same can be said for the science-element, which was far less present than I’d hoped it to be. Harper’s PhD never feels truly relevant to her character or the story, other than to place her in the location where the plot needs her to be.

What I didn’t like:

I have already mentioned a few personal disappointments for me, but here’s where we get to the more “objective” issues.

The book feel incredibly long and drawn out. There’s about 250 pages worth of story in here, dragged out to a length of almost 400 pages, and it becomes tedious and repetitive in the process. Harper experiences countless, almost identical dream sequences, which I didn’t enjoy the first time round, and became to truly detest by the 8th time… The same can be argued for the repetitive journal entries; nothing of value would’ve been lost by cutting the 4th to 9th repetition… Had this not been a review-copy, I would have DNF-ed it about half-way through.

Then there’s the characters. Harper often felt more like a plot-vehicle to whom events just happened, than a character living her own life on page. She is introduced as a strong willed biologist, devoted to her research, with a bit of a twisted sense of humor when it comes to her theme-parties. I actually really liked the dynamic and character that was set up in that first scene at the party. However, by the time we reach the island, Harper reads like a completely different person. Her willingness to abandon any scientific logic (and research pursuits in general) and embrace the supernatural explanations that – for all she knows – are just ancient folklore, felt unbelievable.

I had a difficult time keeping track of the side characters. Not because there were so many, but because none of them felt distinct enough to latch on to. This was specifically a problem with Lady Bell, who is framed to be a fascinating, mysterious and deeply charismatic character. The story hinges on our intrigue with her. Unfortunately, she’s written with the charisma of a wet piece of cardboard, leaving me utterly uninterested in anything to do with her storyline.

Speaking of mystery and intrigue: many ARC-readers seemed to enjoy this aspect of the book. Unfortunately, I found the foreshadowing to be too heavy-handed to truly experience any of it.

Many thanks to Kensington Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

You can find this book here on Goodreads.