Ocean Grave – Matt Serafini
Reviewed by Becca Futrell
- Paperback: 286 pages
- Publisher: Severed Press (20 Jun. 2019)
Thank you to Matt Serafini for providing me with a copy of Ocean Grave in exchange for an honest review.
For my review on Ocean Grave, I just want to knock out my negative thoughts right away so that we can dive right into the positives. Get it? Dive? The book is called Ocean Grave? Anyway… I’m not entirely sure why this read didn’t click for me. I either 1) chose to read Ocean Grave at a time that I just wasn’t in the mood, or 2) simply put, this book wasn’t for me. I strongly believe that Ocean Grave has all of the qualities that can make readers fall in love; I, unfortunately, just wasn’t one of those readers. Ocean Grave dragged, and it wasn’t until the 50% mark that I actually started getting into it.
Another unfortunate problem I had with Ocean Grave is the number of characters that get introduced. Thankfully, Matt Serafini kills them off almost as soon as he introduces them. For me, there are only about three characters that actually stick out, and only two that I found myself really rooting for.
Ocean Grave is a lot more than just a deep-sea horror. Ocean Grave follows a couple on their honeymoon in Madagascar, where they are drawn into the hunt for lost treasure. This hunt catches the eye of bloodthirsty pirates, and government agents which then leads to a load of violence, and bad times for the couple. On top of this, they’re all being hunted by a prehistoric shark, also known as Death’s Head. Wonderful honeymoon, amiright?
Ocean Grave is filled with action, and if you’re into video games, I found myself comparing a lot of the adventure to that of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted. I can easily imagine the games’ protagonist, Nathan Drake, getting into these dangerous shenanigans. The entire cast of characters finds themselves in conflict after conflict, and not a damn person is safe when it comes to Death’s Head.
Ocean Grave is drenched in blood and gore, which for me, is always a plus. Serafini is absolutely magnificent with his descriptors, without over-flowering it. His description of Death’s Head is, honestly, the most terrifying description of a shark that I have ever read.
I wouldn’t deem Ocean Grave as too character-driven of a story, however, I did enjoy following Sara and Carly’s journey. During the events of Ocean Grave, they are introduced and end up clicking and working extremely well together. We love strong women that work together, right? Right.
Again, I do believe that Ocean Grave is a book others will absolutely love. It’s action-packed, pirates attack in search of the booty, and a prehistoric shark is hunting everyone in its path. Ocean Grave makes for the perfect beach read, but make sure to be careful in the water! We wouldn’t want to see you become shark-bait!
Ocean Grave
Discover the secret the world was never meant to know…
On their honeymoon in Madagascar, a young couple are drawn into the hunt for lost treasure. Their search grabs the attention of a bloodthirsty pirate who intends to seize the riches for himself. The seedy government agents on his trail have their own reasons for wanting it too. And they’re all in the path of a creature long thought extinct. A creature that has turned the world’s third largest ocean into a hunting ground. A creature that is about to turn their dreams of fortune and glory into a nightmare from which there’s no escaping.
You can buy Ocean Grave from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Becca Futrell
Writer, Reader & most importantly, Mother of Cats. Thanks to her horror-obsessed father, Becca found her childhood nights dedicated to watching movies such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween. As she continued to get older, her love for the genre only got stronger. Now, her goal is to share this love with like-minded people & possibly convert others along the way. When she’s not reading or writing, Becca can be found playing video games or begging her cats to take a nap with her.
Blog: http://beccaleighanne.com
Twitter: @astoldbybex
Instagram: http://instagram.com/readwithbex
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