sarcastic_cat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this read as a kind of fluffy suspense novel with sci-fi aspirations...
It actually grabbed my attention a lost faster than I expected, and then held onto it for the rest of the book. The suspense was palpable, the horror was minor, but memorable, and the characters were fun and interesting. I liked the intertwining threads of story (the murder case, the monster-chase, the templar knights, and the main character's childhood memories) and how they fit together. There was a little comedy, but not enough to make the story seem too silly. The story was like Michael Crichton meets John Grisham. A thoroughly entertaining read!
My only complaint would be the way the female characters are written. They're all pretty one-dimensional, predictable, and unrealistic. That being said, the females are mostly minor characters, and it didn't bother me to the extent of ruining the story.
It actually grabbed my attention a lost faster than I expected, and then held onto it for the rest of the book. The suspense was palpable, the horror was minor, but memorable, and the characters were fun and interesting. I liked the intertwining threads of story (the murder case, the monster-chase, the templar knights, and the main character's childhood memories) and how they fit together. There was a little comedy, but not enough to make the story seem too silly. The story was like Michael Crichton meets John Grisham. A thoroughly entertaining read!
My only complaint would be the way the female characters are written. They're all pretty one-dimensional, predictable, and unrealistic. That being said, the females are mostly minor characters, and it didn't bother me to the extent of ruining the story.
georgann's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sjj169's review against another edition
4.0
History, Scotland, and a great story..what's not to like?
ava_lynn_beck's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
sydnapped's review against another edition
2.0
An o-kay tale of nessie mystery and environmentalism that's overshadowed by a dubious murder trial with plot twists that may as well be Scooby Doo canon.
Alten, while I applaud his willingness to write and bring awareness about cryptozoology from a grounded angle, fell short of delivering a fulfilling and balanced blend of science and nessie lore.
While the Scottish countryside sounded charming, I frankly found everything else in the book to be a rollercoaster that went from tedious and boring to uber melodramatic in too short of a time frame. Also, was really put off by his truly vacuous and avaricious female characters.
Suffice to say, there's not a whole lot of well-edited cryptofiction out there written by authors that have the reach that Alten does, so I do give a nod to the attempt, however I hope to see better from him in the future, and I know he is capable of it because I really loved MEG.
My teenage self would probably have enjoyed this book a lot more, so I do recommend it for the younger audience interested in sea monsters, cryptozoology and marine biology, or for anyone who my summary sounds appealing for.
My summary -
PROS: Scottish history, nessie cryptofiction, supports an interesting theory on the loch ness monster phenomenon
CONS: TOO much Knights Templar history, not enough suspense, flat or inconsistant characters, too many main character flashbacks
WHAT I LIKED BEST: The accounts of nessie eyewitnesses intermingled between chapters.
If you like Secret societys, Knights Templar and scooby-doo plots, this is the book for you, as Nessie almost seems secondary.
Alten, while I applaud his willingness to write and bring awareness about cryptozoology from a grounded angle, fell short of delivering a fulfilling and balanced blend of science and nessie lore.
While the Scottish countryside sounded charming, I frankly found everything else in the book to be a rollercoaster that went from tedious and boring to uber melodramatic in too short of a time frame. Also, was really put off by his truly vacuous and avaricious female characters.
Suffice to say, there's not a whole lot of well-edited cryptofiction out there written by authors that have the reach that Alten does, so I do give a nod to the attempt, however I hope to see better from him in the future, and I know he is capable of it because I really loved MEG.
My teenage self would probably have enjoyed this book a lot more, so I do recommend it for the younger audience interested in sea monsters, cryptozoology and marine biology, or for anyone who my summary sounds appealing for.
My summary -
PROS: Scottish history, nessie cryptofiction, supports an interesting theory on the loch ness monster phenomenon
CONS: TOO much Knights Templar history, not enough suspense, flat or inconsistant characters, too many main character flashbacks
WHAT I LIKED BEST: The accounts of nessie eyewitnesses intermingled between chapters.
If you like Secret societys, Knights Templar and scooby-doo plots, this is the book for you, as Nessie almost seems secondary.
aknapp82's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read things like this, but I really enjoyed this book, especially the history and science interwoven into the story. It was a little long, and some of the dialect tripped me up. But it also made it feel more authentic, and the story never dragged. I'd read it again.
atarbett's review against another edition
2.0
Things that annoyed me:
- The Scottish dialect. This was really distracting and about half way through the book started to piss me off.
- The "romance" between Zachary and Brandy was so contrived it literally made me want to vomit.
Things that could have been handled better:
- The Scottish history. I like history, and I have enough Scottish blood in me (lowland rather than Highland though) that I would have found it interesting... had I wanted to read a book on Scottish history. But I didn't. I picked up a book about a bloody-thirsty sea-monster. I get that Scottish history plays into the story, but info-dumps were way too long and took to long to actually play a role.
- The murder trial. Perhaps I've watched too much Law & Order, but when there's a murder trial, I expect it to be done right. This one just seemed like a throw-away sub plot and kind of ignored along side the bigger plot of "crazy sea monster eats everyone."
Things I liked:
- ... eh. I can't really thing of anything.
I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I read and loved Meg and when I picked it up I thought this book had promise, but it fell flat.
- The Scottish dialect. This was really distracting and about half way through the book started to piss me off.
- The "romance" between Zachary and Brandy was so contrived it literally made me want to vomit.
Things that could have been handled better:
- The Scottish history. I like history, and I have enough Scottish blood in me (lowland rather than Highland though) that I would have found it interesting... had I wanted to read a book on Scottish history. But I didn't. I picked up a book about a bloody-thirsty sea-monster. I get that Scottish history plays into the story, but info-dumps were way too long and took to long to actually play a role.
- The murder trial. Perhaps I've watched too much Law & Order, but when there's a murder trial, I expect it to be done right. This one just seemed like a throw-away sub plot and kind of ignored along side the bigger plot of "crazy sea monster eats everyone."
Things I liked:
- ... eh. I can't really thing of anything.
I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I read and loved Meg and when I picked it up I thought this book had promise, but it fell flat.