fuonlyknew

Welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share books that, well, make you scream!

I’ve got a couple wicked ones to share today. How do you like your mermaids. Pretty and sweet…or dark and lethal?

Rolling In The Deep

Rolling In The Deep #0.5

   By Mira Grant

Genre:  Horror / Mermaids

My Review

What a rush. For a short story it sure came packing a lot of terror and bloody mayhem. And we like that, don’t we?

 I like how the story is presented. It’s like found footage, only in words instead of tapes. And you don’t miss a thing.

With failing ratings, Imagine Network discovers its golden ticket when they decide to do a documentary on mermaids. Many believe they exit and others scoff. Mermaid, myth or real? The Atargatis sets sail hoping to delve the depths and find answers. They travel to the an area far from land, anchoring over the deepest part of the ocean, in an place known for mysterious disappearances.

Along with Image Network members, scientists with studies in several areas, and a film crew to document everything, an unusual group is included. Professional performing mermaids. Partly for show and also to provide a mermaid sighting if the real ones deign to avail themselves. I really liked the gals with tails. The descriptions of the many colored mermaids was amazing. I could see them cavorting and dashing about in the water.

Just as visual was the description of the real mermaids. They claw up from the depths, scale the ship, and devour their bounty. Slimy, gray things with mouths full of needle sharp teeth and cold lifeless black eyes like a shark. I admit I have a fondness for the pretty, sparkly mermaids, but I’ll always go for the scary ones. The ones of nightmares. I feel if we ever do find real ones, they’ll be a lot more like these.

Knowing the outcome, that none survived, didn’t take away from my enjoyment while reading this book. In fact, it heightened my curiosity and excitement. I was going to get my evil mermaids and a high body count.

  What I didn’t expect was how easily I connected with some characters. This isn’t a long book but I came to know and care for several of them. And then there were those I felt deserved to become mermaid poop.

I was hooked before I even started reading Rolling In The Deep. Just look at that spectacular cover art. Read that thrilling blurb.  This was horror fodder for me and I read it in one bloody, happy gulp.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.

They didn’t expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn’t expect those mermaids to have teeth.

This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.

Amazon

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And now for more mermaids!

 Into The Drowning Deep

Rolling In The Deep #1

By Mira Grant

Genre: Horror / Mermaids

My Review

After devouring and loving Rolling In The Deep, I couldn’t wait to get on the ocean, set sail, and see how this next venture would wind up.

It’s been seven years since all were lost on the Atargatis. It’s no longer top news and many think it was a hoax. Imagine Network isn’t done yet. They commission a new ship, a much larger crew, security guards, and supposedly failproof systems to protect them from what they now know lives under the waves, deep in the Marianna Trench.

Among the crew is a girl who wants vengeance, a reporter trying to make her name, two big game hunters looking to add mermaid heads to their walls, more scientists than you can shake a stick at, and some who feel it’s their duty to be there.

There is a lot more character development in this second book. It’s a longer story and I needed that. Sure, I couldn’t wait for the mermaid scenes, and there were were plenty of crazy ones, but I wanted to care about the character’s, feel their hopes and fears, and worry for their safety. I also wanted to select the ones I’d feed to the mermaids. It’s fun to have some that you loathe. I imagine how they might meet their sticky ends. And Mira Grant doesn’t disappoint with any of this.

And the mermaids. We learn quite a bit about them. We already know they’re killers. Now we find out what they really are. What it might mean to mankind, and the world. Scary stuff, indeed.

If you like your mermaids dark and lethal, you’ll love this one. You don’t have to have read Rolling In The Deep to enjoy it. Mira does a great job of filling in the blanks without breaking the easy flow of the story. But why miss out on more fun. I’d recommend you read them both.

And I’m hoping for more in this series. That titillating ending has me crossing my fingers that the author hasn’t weighed anchor on these mermaids yet.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

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.

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 maritime 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.

Amazon

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Did you happen to catch the Animal Planet Documentary, Mermaids The Body Found, when it came out? Here’s a short clip supposedly capturing a real mermaid on video from a deep sea submersible.

So, what do you think? Real or fake?

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