Welcome to Freakin Fridays, where I share my reviews of books that scare you, thrill you, and get those endorphins pumping.
Today I’m sharing a couple of scary good ones about freaks of nature.
~~~~~
Fury Of The Orcas
by Hunter Shea
Genre: Thriller
My Review
Being a huge fan of Hunter’s books and having a fascination for the creatures of the sea, I was quite excited to get my hands on this book.
It starts quickly. Something is wrong with the Orcas. Incidents of the mammals attacking and killing humans isn’t just confined to the theme parks. They’re also focusing on ships at sea and oil rigs. The author spares no one and this is a favorite trade mark of mine. Hunter isn’t above killing off his main character’s and that keeps suspense at a maximum.
There’s plenty of gory bits to keep horror fans happy. For the first time, I was more on the whale’s side than the humans. I didn’t warm up to the characters and some scenes of Orca’s being massacred tugged at my love for the magnificent creatures. I felt they were more victims than monsters.
And there was a lot of sex. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against it, but most of the time it just felt like it interrupted the story and was unnecessary. And when I found out why the Orcas were going crazy, I was a bit confused. I was hoping for something more natural. Also, at times this didn’t feel like a Hunter Shea book. Perhaps because it was more of a thriller than straight up horror.
I enjoyed this book, but it’s not a favorite. That said, Hunter Shea is still one of my go to authors for horror. In fact, I’ve already pre-ordered his next release.
3 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
They call them the wolves of the sea.
From marine parks to the deepest oceans, the world’s killer whale population has turned against man and beast alike. Orca show trainers are ripped to pieces before stunned audiences. Ships are capsized. Oil rigs are bashed without mercy. What has driven the apex predators stark raving mad?
Chet Clarke has dedicated his life to preserving the health and dignity of orcas in captivity. Along with orca trainer Rosario Benitez, he embarks on a whirlwind journey across the globe to witness unconscionable carnage and uncover the mystery for the sudden outbreak of mania. Is this the start of a catastrophic pandemic? Or do the clues lead to an enigmatic experiment in the wilds of Alaska and shadow operations in a Russian ghost town? Time is running out faster than the lives of those in the path of the orcas.
~~~~~
Zero Day
The Hatching #3
by Ezekiel Boone
Genre: Horror
My Review
To say that the world went to Hell in a handbasket is putting it mildly. America isn’t doing so well. The first spider outbreak was fast and furious, killing millions before the spiders mysteriously just died off. The second wave was worse, with the spiders coming at humans in new and sneakier ways. And now, with roads destroyed, communication iffy, the spiders still coming, and everyone pointing the blame at someone else, it’s not looking too good.
I really enjoyed the first two books and my imagination ran wild as to how the author would wrap up his series. There’s lots of characters and many I’d grown fond of. But, being a horror novel, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see some of them meet bloody, sticky ends. While I felt the author played it safe in the beginning, I never let my guard down.
My spidey sense was tingling as the book raced to its conclusion. I couldn’t see the ending and was happy with how the author wrapped it up. And while I wouldn’t have minded a bit more spider action, this was still a creeping, crawling thrill.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
In the finale of Ezekiel Boone’s Hatching series, the United States goes to war against the queen spiders that threaten to overtake the human race forever.
The world is on the brink of apocalypse. Zero Day has come.
The only thing more terrifying than millions of spiders is the realization that those spiders work as one. But among the government, there is dissent: do we try to kill all of the spiders, or do we gamble on Professor Guyer’s theory that we need to kill only the queens?
For President Stephanie Pilgrim, it’s an easy answer. She’s gone as far as she can—more than two dozen American cities hit with tactical nukes, the country torn asunder—and the only answer is to believe in Professor Guyer. Unfortunately, Ben Broussard and the military men who follow him don’t agree, and Pilgrim, Guyer, and the loyal members of the government have to flee, leaving the question: what’s more dangerous, the spiders or ourselves?
Pre – Order Links
~~~~~
Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!
You can find a list of my reviews HERE.
