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Summary
New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant, author of the renowned Newsflesh series, returns with a novel that takes us to a new world of ancient mysteries and mythological dangers come to life. The ocean is home to many myths, But some are deadly... Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy. Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves. But the secrets of the deep come with a price. More from Mira Grant Newsflesh Feed Deadline Blackout Feedback Rise: A Newsflesh Collection Parasitology Parasite Symbiont Chimera
I gotta stop buying these discounted books because they always turn out to be like this one. The book's title seemed cool and the blurb caught my attention, but then it hits you that it's about mermaids. Mermaids! However, the way they're introduced is kind of intriguing and there's some potential in the beginning, but the story quickly fizzles out. Every character is a stereotype. You've seen them all before. There's the mysterious guy employed by the corporation, the arrogant professor who thinks he's smarter than everyone, the hunter who can't see any other perspective... none of them are developed enough to be interesting or evoke any emotions. What really bothered me was the bleeding-heart liberalism. Every creature is precious (even if they're munching on you)! Everyone is fluid when it comes to gender! All corporations are wicked! If you don't know sign language, you're a jerk because deaf people matter! On top of all this, I found the language overly dramatic. The descriptions of events dragged on, not in a way that helped me visualize them, but more like someone trying too hard to make something sound more important than it actually is. I couldn't relate to any of the characters in any way. At the end of the day, I like to learn something from a book. Even fiction can teach us because it lets us put ourselves in different situations and imagine how we'd feel and respond. But nothing in this book was relatable, realistic, or engaging for me. I won't be picking up anything else by this author in the future.
The ending was a bit disappointing, but it made sense. The book was truly horrifying and offered a fresh perspective on mermaids/sirens that felt more realistic. It also subtly highlighted the impact of humanity on the world without being too preachy.
As for the narrator, she was alright. Her accents were decent, but the male characters felt a bit flat unless they had accents. Additionally, some of the female voices were slightly too high-pitched for my liking. However, all things considered, it was still an enjoyable audiobook.
The book gives off a vibe that seems as though the author took inspiration from Twitter, collecting all the current trends and using them to create stereotypes. It feels like social justice warriors were involved in the character development, and an eco-feminist collective contributed to the plot. There's an inexperienced reporter, who is incredibly attractive but somehow insecure. The deaf characters have a superiority complex over the hearing characters, despite needing a full-time caretaker. The autistic character can't stop talking about how they are different, not worse, just different. There's a lesbian character who is just beginning to explore her sexuality. The book is also filled with gender issues, where competent characters are all female and male characters are either evil, bumbling, or serve as valets to the female characters. For example, the protagonist's "lab partner" drives her around in his family's Tesla and pays for her expensive research privileges. To make matters worse, there's a female big game hunter who saves a male researcher from an evil mermaid and mocks him for mistaking her pistol for a tagging dart pistol. And let's not forget the talking dolphins! This aspect of the story could have been interesting if it was developed more thoughtfully, but it feels like it was haphazardly thrown into the plot with a dolphin inner monologue about their agreement with humans. The book explores themes of humans mistreating dolphins and damaging the environment, especially the sea. I was really excited about the concept of the book, as it was intriguing, but unfortunately, I had to tap out.
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