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sgatz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an achingly beautiful book. Cannot wait to reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Animal death
Moderate: Suicide, Abandonment, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism
atalea's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Confinement
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Animal cruelty, Blood, Alcoholism, Cancer, Suicide, Abandonment, Death, and Bullying
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
theseaghost's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was excited for this because I’d heard good things and have a tattoo of a sperm whale on my arm. But it was a series of wildly improbable events with paper thin characters and a cloying attention at sentimentality that falls entirely flat. I think this might have been better served as straight up young adult or teen fiction or maybe a graphic novel or something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicide
rmceachern's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Child abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Alcoholism, and Homophobia
gorbon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Vomit
phantomgecko's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
One of the blurbs I read for this claimed it was scientifically accurate. With a story so fantastic, that doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about whale anatomy and scuba diving to dispute it.
Gritty detail. This kid gets messed up.
But it's not all gnarly mishaps. There is a lot a lot of interpersonal trauma packed into this book. Via many many flashbacks. But all the flashbacks are okay because, while it's a lot of exposition, really interesting things are happening in the present as well. And the flashbacks do tie into the action.
Gritty detail. This kid gets messed up.
But it's not all gnarly mishaps. There is a lot a lot of interpersonal trauma packed into this book. Via many many flashbacks. But all the flashbacks are okay because, while it's a lot of exposition, really interesting things are happening in the present as well. And the flashbacks do tie into the action.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Alcoholism, Body horror, Blood, and Animal cruelty
jacobwayne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide
abookwanderer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is a science fiction adventure thriller with a dash of horror all rolled into a deeply emotional story about a son’s complex feelings of grief for the death of his estranged father. And I didn’t want to put this one down, reading furiously to discover what would happen next!
Jay Gardiner has decided the only thing that will bring peace to his family is to recover the remains of his father off the coast of Monastery Beach in California, a location proclaimed by his father as the most dangerous beach in America, as well as being labeled ‘Mortuary Beach’ by locals and fellow divers due to its powerful rip current and steep drop-off. Jay will reluctantly use his father’s teachings to guide him, but can anything really prepare you to be swallowed by a whale?!
When I was invited to read Whalefall in June, I knew it sounded like one I would enjoy, but I’ve been trying to restrict the amount of early copies I read in order to read more off my existing shelves. BUT it was hard to resist this one, so I penciled it in to reconsider closer to the publishing date. Then I started seeing it everywhere and heard an adaptation had already been optioned. I knew I had to read it. I ended up reading it in one day, almost in one sitting, and it’s a great reminder to trust my gut about books.
We alternate between the past and present in this nerve-wracking novel, which works perfectly. We meet seventeen year old Jay as he’s preparing to dive at Monastery Beach, with cobbled together equipment, his father’s instructions intrusively running through his mind, and as he’s trying to make it into the water without being noticed. The chapters are mostly short and to the point, effectively ramping up the building tension, but we learn about Jay and his relationship with his father as Jay works through the steps he needs to take to get him safely under water to begin his search.
And everything that happens after that is astounding, but written with scientific facts that make it wholly believable. This one is being compared to The Martian and 127 Hours, and it’s spot-on. I couldn’t help being reminded of The Martianwhen I was reading this one with its lonely protagonist facing insurmountable odds, an inhospitable environment that seems determined to prove its strength, all backed with scientific facts, thankfully explained in layman terms.
But in Whalefall, the circumstances seem even more dire because Jay only has a limited amount of air, which means the bulk of the story taking place in the present day happens within a few hours.
Whalefall is a shocking, terrifying undersea adventure. If you’re fascinated with the ocean or man versus nature or the complex relationship between children and parents, you’ll find something that will capture you in Whalefall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to MTV Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Jay Gardiner has decided the only thing that will bring peace to his family is to recover the remains of his father off the coast of Monastery Beach in California, a location proclaimed by his father as the most dangerous beach in America, as well as being labeled ‘Mortuary Beach’ by locals and fellow divers due to its powerful rip current and steep drop-off. Jay will reluctantly use his father’s teachings to guide him, but can anything really prepare you to be swallowed by a whale?!
When I was invited to read Whalefall in June, I knew it sounded like one I would enjoy, but I’ve been trying to restrict the amount of early copies I read in order to read more off my existing shelves. BUT it was hard to resist this one, so I penciled it in to reconsider closer to the publishing date. Then I started seeing it everywhere and heard an adaptation had already been optioned. I knew I had to read it. I ended up reading it in one day, almost in one sitting, and it’s a great reminder to trust my gut about books.
We alternate between the past and present in this nerve-wracking novel, which works perfectly. We meet seventeen year old Jay as he’s preparing to dive at Monastery Beach, with cobbled together equipment, his father’s instructions intrusively running through his mind, and as he’s trying to make it into the water without being noticed. The chapters are mostly short and to the point, effectively ramping up the building tension, but we learn about Jay and his relationship with his father as Jay works through the steps he needs to take to get him safely under water to begin his search.
And everything that happens after that is astounding, but written with scientific facts that make it wholly believable. This one is being compared to The Martian and 127 Hours, and it’s spot-on. I couldn’t help being reminded of The Martianwhen I was reading this one with its lonely protagonist facing insurmountable odds, an inhospitable environment that seems determined to prove its strength, all backed with scientific facts, thankfully explained in layman terms.
But in Whalefall, the circumstances seem even more dire because Jay only has a limited amount of air, which means the bulk of the story taking place in the present day happens within a few hours.
Whalefall is a shocking, terrifying undersea adventure. If you’re fascinated with the ocean or man versus nature or the complex relationship between children and parents, you’ll find something that will capture you in Whalefall.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to MTV Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Animal death
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
sarahweyand's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.
This is a book with a totally unique concept that I've been excited to read ever since I was approved for it on NetGalley. It's one of the few books I'll say I really liked but will absolutely never read again. I even hesitate to call it horror apart from its setting, which is absolutely nasty and stomach churning (no pun intended). This book is existential, reflective, emotional and sad, and very hard-hitting. It examines a heartbreaking father-son relationship amidst a devastating survival story, and it does so very well.
I loved the metaphors and the role Jay's father plays in being a medium for conversation. Seriously, most of this book is so good. The only downside I have is due to the slight feeling of plot convenience with some of the things going on within the whale's stomach, but it wasn't anything book-ruining for me.
Overall, I read that I would certainly recommend, if you can come to terms with the nauseating setting.
This is a book with a totally unique concept that I've been excited to read ever since I was approved for it on NetGalley. It's one of the few books I'll say I really liked but will absolutely never read again. I even hesitate to call it horror apart from its setting, which is absolutely nasty and stomach churning (no pun intended). This book is existential, reflective, emotional and sad, and very hard-hitting. It examines a heartbreaking father-son relationship amidst a devastating survival story, and it does so very well.
I loved the metaphors and the role Jay's father plays in being a medium for conversation. Seriously, most of this book is so good. The only downside I have is due to the slight feeling of plot convenience with some of the things going on within the whale's stomach, but it wasn't anything book-ruining for me.
Overall, I read that I would certainly recommend, if you can come to terms with the nauseating setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness and Pandemic/Epidemic
sarahbythebook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I expected more of a thrilling tale of harrowing escape. I got a psychedelic trip with a sentient whale and a young man capable is withstanding insane amounts of physical pain.
Whalefall is less about Jay’s struggles inside an aged sperm whale and more about his horrible relationship with his father, now totally lost to him due to suicide.
Was this the book I was expecting? No. But I did still enjoy it.
The oceanic science and research into whales is clearly well done. It’s easy to get a bit lost in the technicalities of diving equipment and marine life that sets the backdrop to Jay’s misadventure. Since the ocean freaks me out, I was expecting the thriller aspect to be a bit stronger, but the constant back and forth in time and the self-reflection broke that up in the first half. The second half flew by.
There were a few things that threw me off totally enjoying this book:
1. At some point, the human mind will shut down from pain and a person will pass out. The amount of injuries Jay sustains makes me think he would have been well past that point, making survival unlikely.
2. The sentient whale/dad was confusing and seemed like a step away from the careful research that went into whale biology. Not bad, just weird.
3. This boy needs therapy, and the experience in the whale does not take away from the horrid childhood Jay. I don’t like that the ending makes it seem like all is understood. And shame on his mom and sisters for pressuring and blaming him through the whole thing.
I expected more of a thrilling tale of harrowing escape. I got a psychedelic trip with a sentient whale and a young man capable is withstanding insane amounts of physical pain.
Whalefall is less about Jay’s struggles inside an aged sperm whale and more about his horrible relationship with his father, now totally lost to him due to suicide.
Was this the book I was expecting? No. But I did still enjoy it.
The oceanic science and research into whales is clearly well done. It’s easy to get a bit lost in the technicalities of diving equipment and marine life that sets the backdrop to Jay’s misadventure. Since the ocean freaks me out, I was expecting the thriller aspect to be a bit stronger, but the constant back and forth in time and the self-reflection broke that up in the first half. The second half flew by.
There were a few things that threw me off totally enjoying this book:
1. At some point, the human mind will shut down from pain and a person will pass out. The amount of injuries Jay sustains makes me think he would have been well past that point, making survival unlikely.
2. The sentient whale/dad was confusing and seemed like a step away from the careful research that went into whale biology. Not bad, just weird.
3. This boy needs therapy, and the experience in the whale does not take away from the horrid childhood Jay. I don’t like that the ending makes it seem like all is understood. And shame on his mom and sisters for pressuring and blaming him through the whole thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Grief
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
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