My Two Cents (Book Review): THE DEEPING by Antoinette McCormick

In "The Deeping" by Antoinette McCormick, sisters Mallory and Brynn have inherited a derelict lighthouse on a remote and uninhabited island. Brynn is the wild child, always off in search of new adventures. Mallory is the more pragmatic of the two, and when she learns that Brynn plans to convert the lighthouse into a paranormal tourist attraction, she immediately disapproves. She also immediately heads for the lighthouse to try and talk some sense into her reckless sibling, and it's here that our story begins.

Along the way by ferry to the desolate Sorrow Island, Mallory is warned that the lighthouse is "no place for a woman." She finds this admonition more patronizing than anything, and her irritation only intensifies upon her arrival, when she discovers Brynn has invited a group of YouTube ghost hunters to stay and film on the island, hoping to drum up public interest in her haunted B-n-B plan. Mallory bickers with both Brynn and the YouTubers, then things start getting weird, and she realizes maybe Brynn's not so wrong to think something supernatural inhabits the island.

There's a lot I enjoyed about this story. McCormick is a good writer, and the supernatural elements -- in particular, the creatures at the heart of this creature-feature -- are weird and terrifying, harkening back to the classic cosmic horrors envisioned by Lovecraft. There are cultish elements at play, too, along with a good old-fashioned ghost story, and all these, set against the backdrop of a storm-tossed sea, a gale-ravaged island, and a creepy lighthouse, make for a chilling, atmospheric tale.

That being said, I wish the characters had been as well developed. The relationship between Mallory and Brynn is touched on, but not explored in any depth, and although we see that there's conflict between them, we never really understand why. Similarly, the YouTubers Brynn invites to the island are referred to collectively as "the trio," which makes sense because none of them feel developed as individuals. That would be fine if they were just passing through, but they occupy a pretty good stretch in the story, and we learn little to nothing about them. This was especially confusing because when Mallory first realizes they're on the island, she greets them with such open hostility, I really expected there to be some backstory between them to explain her reaction, but it never developed.

In the end, like the lighthouse at its center, I feel like "The Deeping" has good bones, and a phenomenal cover to boot. I enjoyed the story, but would have liked to see the characters and ideas fleshed out a little more, even if that added to the overall page count.

"The Deeping" is available August 30, 2025 here.