Reviews

A short but effective creature feature, following a deep-sea expedition looking to capture or manufacture footage of mermaids for a schlocky TV production. The last thing they expect is to find the real animals who inspired the myths, nor less that they'd turn out to be dangerous predators that swiftly cut through the crew, leaving no one alive. (That's not a spoiler; it's one of the first things we learn in the book.) Author Mira Grant includes some welcome disability representation, and she taps into the creepiness of what might be lurking unknown in ocean depths, but the characters are too many and too unremarkable to keep straight, especially in audiobook format. I'm able to generate little attachment to any of them, which makes watching their slaughter a more dispassionate affair than it could have been.

[Content warning for gore.]

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jennygagne's review against another edition

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5.0

Very interesting, fun to listen to. Reminded me a lot of Max Brooks, told from a quasi-"historical" perspective.

theglowcloud's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

handheldgirl's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

mlliu's review against another edition

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4.0

The book was a super quick read, almost like a movie treatment. I could picture perfectly the setting, the characters, the rising panic. The ending felt kind of flat to me.

Spoiler

It's very much the kind of ending one sees in found footage horror movies. That is, end of footage, open to interpretation by the viewer. Though given how quickly the characters encounter the mermaids, I'm not sure how else it could have ended.

dishuel's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Glad I give the book another chance.

deebug09's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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