I really enjoyed Whale Fall! It was such a different book for me but I loved the story and how it was told. I couldn’t put it down. Seeing the psi at the top of each page made me so anxious I found myself reading faster to see what happened next. I loved the flashbacks and how everything tied together. So many emotions in this book - uplifting, motivating, heartbreak, gruesome, sad, funny. Will definitely recommend this to others!

3.5
A scuba diver is swallowed by a sperm whale and has 1 hour of oxygen left in his tank! Will he make it out alive?

This is a very readable book with short chapters that rotate between how much PSIi Jay has remaining in his tank and the past which is titled in years. Jay is troubled by his fathers death and does this dive specifically for his dad. We slowly learn the back story of his somewhat turmoiled relationship with his father and the history we are told tends to relate to his current circumstances underwater.

There was a decent amount of science and biology involved in the book that made this whole situation believable. I applaud Kraus for his intense research to make it feel very real! I found myself looking up details, photos and videos online regarding whales and scuba and squid that enhanced my reading experience.

This will make for a great summer read keeping things intense and the reader has to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. Because it's a whole lot more than just being swallowed by a whale!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advance e-book.

It took me only a short while to get into this book. I am not familiar with Kraus’ style of writing, which threw me off in the beginning. That said, once my brain fog cleared, I couldn’t have picked a better writing style. I felt like I was in the narrator’s mind, which really helped build upon the atmosphere of this survival story. I took my time with this book because I didn’t want it to end. It is exactly what I look for in every book I read, regardless of the genre. Powerful, sad, hopeful, and shocking, with a message to take with you. I wouldn’t consider this “horror” per se, but definitely horrific. It serves as a great reminder that sometimes it’s our perception of ourselves that harms our relationships with others.

In an attempt to find closure after his father’s drowning suicide, Jay goes on a solo dive to find his dad’s remains and soon encounters a giant squid. But he and the squid soon find themselves in the mouth of a sperm whale, and Kraus takes us on a terrifying ride that’s even more claustrophobic than horror film favorite THE DESCENT.

But this is no SyFy channel creature feature schlock: WHALEFALL is a page-turning thriller packed with science, grief, and Jay’s determination to prove himself to his late father, an unlikeable person who still managed to instill skills in Jay that guide him through his impossible dilemma.

Kraus brings the chills (and gross outs) full throttle as he steers his tale into a triumph of spiritual and physical self-discovery.

Few, if any novels released this year will grip the reader as intensely as this deep dive into the resolve of the human spirit.

Fast-paced, claustrophobic and engaging. A recommended purchase for most collections - this has cross-genre appeal.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Whalefall. I've never been so honored to read a book ahead of publication. I ugly cried. I loved it. I'm here to hype.

Whalefall is a moving and visceral story of a boy being consumed by a sperm whale while searching the ocean for his late father's remains. I was on the edge of my seat for the action part of the story as much as I was for the backstory (father/son relationship). Literally, I could not put this down. I let food burn in the oven twice.

It's a story about what it means to be human, but also about our place in the larger natural world. It illuminates our effects on the environment in a way that wasn't doom and gloom (a rarity). It was inspiring without being religious. And it also disparaged the effects of toxic masculinity on relationships. It was all of this, baked into a thrilling, gory story recommended in my Books of Horror Facebook group.

I won't add quotes because I think they'll spoil the story, but some lines of this book will stay with me for a very long time. I loved Kraus' writing style, even when, at times, it verged on overwrought. I give it 5 strong stars. I think this book will appeal to anyone looking for a tearjerker, a horror, or anything in between.

This is a rollercoaster of hope, grief, love, hate, power,
weakness,loss, gain, isolation and freedom. It pulls you in from page one and takes you on an above and below water adventure that will have you absolutely needing to know what happens next. You will be invested in these characters and their relationships. You will be there from the first tear of pain to the last tear of relief. This should be on everyone's TBR.

Oh, and the MC gets swallowed by a huge sperm whale.
So, there's that, too.

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC ebook!

I had high hopes for this book. I felt like there was too much scuba and diving talk. The back and forth was confusing too. I only finished so i could find out what happened to the whale and if he got out alive. Could have been so much more!

I am so impressed with this book. I picked it up expecting a fun, creepy horror made all the more thrilling by the air tank time limit and the alien underwater world. But Whalefall is so much more than ‘just’ a scary story. There is a poetic quality to the narrative that raises the stakes to the almost spiritual.
The writing does a fantastic job of aligning me with Jay, the protagonist’s, mindset, especially in regards to his father Mitt. At the beginning I was fully onboard with hating Mitt alongside Jay, and I thought to myself that if this novel tried to shoehorn in some kind of reconciliation, it had better pull off something spectacular to justify it. Well… it did. Without excusing or explaining away Mitt’s failures as a father, the story nonetheless brings me to see him as a complex man deserving of some grace. Nor were the women of the family forgotten, as so often happens in stories of fathers and sons.
But even if you have no interest in cleverly written family dynamics, Whalefall is an excellent horror novel, carefully paced and managing to raise the stakes every time you think the situation is as dire as it can get. I finished the book in two sittings, and by the end I found that I was covered in sweat, as though merely reading the last chapters put me through some kind of physical exertion. The science of scuba diving and whale biology is neatly incorporated into the narrative for the reader to understand the gravity of the situation without ever feeling like an info-dump.
To read this book is to experience the sublime, in all its thrilling implications.

Wow. This book is cinematic, tense, and well worth a read. The concept drew me in but the character and his development led me through to the end. I really appreciated how he worked through his inner conflict along with his physical situation. The balance of survival story and processing grief was well done. I could definitely see this one adapted to a feature film.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I was completely drawn into the topic and could not stop reading it.

Whalefall has ruined my life (complimentary). The dynamic between Jay and his family, not just his dad but his sisters and mom, is fraught and tense, punctuating the present narrative where he is literally inside of a whale. I became attached to everyone involved here: Jay, Mitt, the whale, and Beaky, and had to set reasonable expectations about all of them (minus Mitt, who starts the book dead.)

I love how the “lousy dad” and “disappointing son” narrative was flexed here.

Whalefall was an incredible page turner, while also warranting several audible sounds of being grossed out—especially whenever Beaky was around. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers or who needs a reason to not go in the ocean.

This book, talk about a page turner, wow! It has insanely short chapters (which I love) and a plot and pacing that just begged me to read another insanely short chapter. Before I knew it, I had read every insanely short chapter.

The science in this book is so interesting, it made me want to fact check constantly. I know very little about the science of scuba diving or the science of whales and other sea life. So I found myself researching things that I was learning. Gotta love a book that entertains and teaches you something new.

The writing style within is so easy to read, despite some of the scientific terminology. This was yet another reason this was such a quick read.

Overall, this really tickled my inner sci-fi geek. The ocean is such a vast, unexplored place and this very much gave me vibes of The Martian or Project Hail Mary, with someone trapped or isolated and under extreme circumstances. Claustrophobic and breath-taking! Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an eArc. All opinions are my own.

Whalefall tells the story of a young man who, in the process of seeking closure after his father’s death, is swallowed by a whale. This book’s absurd premise and slightly slow start had me worried that I would not enjoy this. Thankfully, this ended up being one of my favorite books I have read this month. The story is surprisingly emotional; I felt for the main character as he recalled his complicated memories of his father, and I was fascinated with the elderly whale who had decided that it didn’t have anything to live for. As someone who loves the ocean, I love when it is used as the setting for more unique books. Overall, this was a great book that I will definitely be recommending and reading again.

I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about this one, but first let me say that it was excellently researched and mostly realistic. Most of the story was really, really good, as well.

As to what didn’t work for me — all of the religious references. Despite saying he wasn’t a religious man, the last hour or so of the book is especially rife with references. In one section, it got so bad that I rolled my eyes.

The other thing I didn’t care for was how much of a d!ck his dad was to him, yet he saw a softer, more caring version of him while he was inside the whale. Yes, I know that everything he experienced took place inside his head. And maybe he needed to see a better side of his dad to forgive him. But the dichotomy between him rightfully disliking his dad versus the new way he came to see him kind of felt like he was self-gaslighting.

The fact that I still feel like this book deserves 4 stars is truly a testament to how riveting this story was. And despite what I’ve listed above, I still highly recommend reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

An astonishing work of fiction that I won’t be able to forget for a long time. Terrifying, claustrophobic, heartbreaking, powerful and redemptive. I don’t think I’ve read such a beautiful exploration of a relationship between a father and son in quite some time. Both of them endlessly and desperately hunting for that white whale of love, understanding and purpose. I dare you to put this one down. Destined to be one of the most talked about books of the year and it deserves every accolade and ounce of praise that’s coming its way! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Gosh this was beautiful. Brutal, violent, terrifying, but totally breathtaking. The descriptions of the whale alongside the total life and death mechanics Jay goes through is totally mind blowing, and so well grounded.

I finished this book a couple of days ago, but I had to sit with my thoughts for a bit and decide what I want to say. Part of me didn’t want to say much at all, because Whalefall surprised me, and I love that. So maybe stop reading here and go in blind.

This book is beautiful. For a story about diving, I admit I expected less depth, but this is not just an underwater monster thriller. It’s is about knowing when to let go and when to move on. It’s a tale of memories, self-reflection, and loving when it’s difficult to love—and when it’s too late.

Whalefall is fast-paced but always keeps you rooted. The stakes are high at every turn. You are rushed along the adventure but at key moments are given a second to breathe, turn back, and look how far you’ve come, and remember how you (we) got here.

There are parts that may be hard, especially for animal lovers, but ultimately it’s about grief, and grief is ugly and cruel and necessary. It was worth it to carry on, and the pain I felt was integral to the experience.

Anticipated favorite read of 2023.

I received an ebook from Netgalley and am very thankful for it, I’m still buying this one too!!

A young man dealing with the loss of his estranged father. It’s dealing with the loss of a parent from suicide, while dealing with Jay’s own mental health issues.

He goes to the ocean looking for remains of his father, finding much more than he bargained for.

The Whale is a beautiful representation of life, challenge and the ocean as a whole.

The way that Mitt is integrated with the whale, using this as a device to both show the wonder of nature and healing from that past trauma is just chef’s kiss.

Book : Whalefall
Author : Daniel Kraus

Thanks so much NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review!

This book was surely a wonderful breath of fresh air to read. Completely out of my reading comfort zone and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint me doing so. The horror and suspense in this book is was took me in. I loved that aspect of this book.

This was a great page turner. I sat and read this from front to back in one sitting. The anticipation of how it was going to end and the anxiety of what is happening next kept me page turning. Watching and feeling Jays feelings and emotions through the book all the way to the end. The writing was beautiful, fantastic and just amazing! This is book is a must read on everybody’s TBR.