Thank you to Netgalley, Atria, and MTV Books for an eARC of Whalefall.

The premise of this book intrigued me! I already think whales are mesmerizing, so throw me a book with a man being swallowed by a whale and I'm in. A grieving son goes on a dive to find his father's remains and is swallowed by a whale. The rest of the story is about his survival from inside the whale, but also delves into his relationship with his father. That part of the story is equal parts sad and frustrating. The whale facts were way better! I think I find myself in the middle of the road with this one. Not a bad story, just slow at times.

Oh man. I really wanted to love this one. A horror eaten by a whale?! But unfortunately this revolved more aroun dour main character and his dad trauma than anything else. I found it a bit repetitive and it just didn't work for me.

Wow....just wow. I have never read anything like this book. Some of the details made me squeamish, some claustrophic, but all very visceral emotions. So good job to the author Daniel Kraus for painting such vibrant pictures with his words. This book while highly unbelievable was a very interesting concept. It could have been a very surface level struggle for survival, but Daniel created a backstory, and purpose for his main character. There was depth "no pun intented" and heart that made you care about this character and his struggle to survive. Very interesting book! 100% the most unique I have read in awhile. I am giving it three stars only because it dragged on it many parts, and I found myself skimming to get to the action and the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙗𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙮-𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩, 𝙨𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙮-𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙭𝙮𝙜𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩.

Brilliant, unique, compelling, and creepy, Whalefall is a must-read.

Jay is scuba diving in search of his father’s ashes, but he gets swallowed by a sperm whale and only has an hour before his oxygen runs out.

I completely read this only because of the cover and synopsis - I was immediately intrigued. This is such a scary scenario I’ll never like to be in. This is a survival horror thriller, but it also was emotional at times.

I was engaged and hooked by the story, it was a super tense, suspenseful, and fully intense story. I loved the eerie atmosphere and how the story focuses more on just surviving.

There’s a father/son relationship and was brilliantly written. There are themes such as grief, forgiveness, and survival. There’s a certain aspect of the book I loved, which would be a spoiler so I can’t mention it.

While it was a slow start, it did pick up and I was immersed in the story. I also loved the scientific research with scuba diving and marine biology.

If you’re looking for an intense, captivating, horrifying, and edge-of-your-seat kind of read, then you might want to check out this survival story.

Thank you so much NetGalley and MTV Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

"Whalefall" by Daniel Kraus is a compelling novel that explores the depths of human experience and the intricacies of relationships. Kraus navigates complex themes with a deft touch, delivering a narrative that is both poignant and thought-provoking.

One of the novel's strengths is Kraus's ability to craft a multi-layered story that intertwines various elements of human emotion and connection. The characters are meticulously developed, each with their own struggles and triumphs, contributing to the overall richness of the narrative. The exploration of themes such as loss, resilience, and the passage of time adds depth to the storytelling.

However, readers may find that the nonlinear narrative and shifting perspectives require careful attention, and some may desire a more straightforward storytelling approach. While the complexity enhances the depth of the novel, it may pose a challenge for those seeking a more straightforward narrative.

In conclusion, "Whalefall" is a commendable novel that engages readers with its intricate exploration of human relationships and the complexities of life. Daniel Kraus's skillful storytelling and the nuanced character development make it a worthwhile read for those who appreciate thought-provoking narratives. While the novel's structure may pose a challenge for some readers, those willing to invest in the layered storytelling will find "Whalefall" to be a rewarding and emotionally resonant experience.

For a book that was marketed as in the vein of the Martian, this on fell a little short me. I guess it's a lot to live up to but I was hoping it would capture a little of the magic of that locked in highly scientific vibe of the Martian. Whalefall on the other hand was a lot more emotional than I was expecting, which is not necessarily a bad thing but I found the characters in Jay's flashbacks a little tedious. Instead of adding depth to the story, the flashback with Jay's dad felt poorly developed and lacking in the depth of emotion I would have liked to see from a complicated abusive relationship. A lot of it ironically felt surface level for a book with so much detail in the other sections.

Never did I think I would be reading a book about a guy being stuck in a whale, but oh my goodness it was perfection. The ocean is scary enough, but when you add, in the fact of giant whales, no thank you.!

Definitely a thriller I wasn’t prepared for!
Jay departs on an ambitious dive off the coast of California with the hopes of recovering his estranged dad’s remains who died by suicide the year before. Equipped and going solo into the Pacific Ocean, everything is going smoothly until a giant squid arrives. When Jay tried to escape, he is caught in its tentacles as an even bigger danger arrives. A sperm whale arriving to feed on the squid swallows them both whole, pulled into one of its four stomachs. With only an hour left in his oxygen tank, it’s a race to escape and survive, all while the depth pressure and lack of oxygen starts causing hallucinations as he also confronts the grief of his dad’s death.
This is a unique thriller that leaves the reader holding their breath more than once as you’re caught in Jay’s thoughts and race for survival.
Thank you to MTV Books and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don't even know why I requested this book. It was really not for me. But I did give it a try.

Whalefall was my first book by Daniel Kraus. It was hyped up a lot and I was excited to get the advanced copy of this one. But it just didn't hit for me. I thought it was more family drama than anything. I didn't really love or connect with any of the characters, there wasn't enough action, and I just could not get into the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

What a ride of a book! I'm very glad I took a chance on this story--one that is normally outside of mycomfort genre. Well worth it.

This novel draws you in from the start. I was not prepared for the emotional and claustrophobic roller coaster that I embarked on.
It was one of those stories I could not set down. I had to finish so I could breath normally again.
It is a heartbreaking story about a tumultuous father/son relationship.
While scuba diving to find his father’s remains Jay is swallowed after an encounter with a rarely spotted whale. Jay is simultaneously battling for his life and with his past demons.
The author does an amazing job of making you feel you are in the stomach of a whale right there with Jay..
I highly recommend this breathtaking tale.

While this book isn't in a genre I typically gravitate towards, I really enjoyed this harrowing tale. Very riveting and honestly keep me guessing!

Thank you to Atria/MTV Books for providing me with an eARC of Whalefall.

I think my hopes were set a little too high when it comes to Whalefall which unfortunately impacted how I felt while reading.

This book is very heavy with grief & daddy issues. & I zoned a bit.. too much when I was reading this. I still like the premise and the survival scenario that occurs during Whalefall. Being trapped inside a whale is terrifying, y’know? So it was still a decent read, just not necessarily as wild as I was hoping.

This story was wild and one of my biggest horrors in a book I’d being underwater but you don’t know claustrophobic until you’re under water AND inside a whale

Thank you for the advanced copy, really enjoyed this entire story, and the characters I met along the way.

Quite the gnarly read. I was very entertained and flew through this book, but it definitely isn't for the faint of heart. The descriptions of destruction and decay done to Jay are quite visceral and upsetting. Overall, a very entertaining and thrilling adventure.

One of the strangest, most bizarre, most innovative books I've ever read. I read this in one sitting, as I simply could not put it down.

Much thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for this book.

Review contains spoilers!

This book had a structure that was engaging, specifically centered around Jay's oxygen supply as he dives in a local bay to find the remains of his father who drowned there after taking his own life. Jay's resentment towards his father, who was often emotionally abusive and manipulative to him, comes in flashes as the story takes us back and forth in time.

When Jay is swallowed whole by a sperm whale, he fights for his life, coming to terms with the fact that he learned so much from his father to help him survive.

The physical tension of Jay trying to survive was harrowing, gross and wild. His emotional realizations were important, though I liked how he acknowledged what his sisters taught him as well to escape the whale. Some of the emotional payoff seemed too easy.

In the end, some of the ending dragged on a bit too long for me, but I enjoyed reading a book that swung hard and was a very wild ride.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you MTV Books and Netgalley!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Some major trigger warnings for this book include suicide, grief, blood, claustrophobia, and animal death, so be mindful of these things prior to picking up this book if you are sensitive to these topics.

Broadly speaking, this is a book about a young man named Jay coping with the loss of his father after years of a strained relationship between the two of them. After Jay's father dies by suicide while scuba diving (Jay's father's greatest joy in life), Jay decides to go scuba diving to find his father's remains, and hopefully also find some closure and acceptance of his father's death and the father-son relationship they never got the chance to experience. During this dive, however, Jay ends up being swallowed by a giant sperm whale and must use all of the life lessons taught by his father, both good and bad, to fight his way out of the stomach of this enormous whale.

Daniel Kraus does an excellent job of symbolically exploring the complicated emotions surrounding Jay's life situation including grief, anger, guilt, loss, and finally closure. This story is POWERFUL and sad and unlike anything I have ever read before, and it will be on my mind for a long time to come. Unfortunately, though, I found that this book became overwritten and kind of unhinged at the end which took me out of the main point of the story and more into the literal bodily horror involved in escaping the belly of a whale. This kind of struck me as unnecessary to the overall message and made me need to suspend my disbelief on the likelihood of this guy's odds of survival. I usually hate the "woke up and it was all just a dream" trope, but it may have actually worked better for this book?

To summarize, this book is probably not for those looking for a fast-paced science fiction/horror novel, as many of the horror/sci-fi elements of this book are more symbolic than literal, but still a very unique and powerful read.

Thanks again to Netgalley and MTV Books for this book!

When I saw this book, it intrigued me. I had a hard time getting through it, however. I may just not be a science fiction reader. I didn’t connect with the plot or characters.