Thank you to Net Galley, Sy Montgomery and National Geographic for an Advanced Ebook copy of this book.

This is my second Sy Montgomery book. I picked up and read “How To Be a Good Creature” and was captivated by her memoir where she interacts or care for 13 different types of animals ranging from a pig to a little foray into her friendship with an octopus. When “Secrets of the Octopus” popped up as an ARC I immediately wanted to read it. Not only have I always found the Octopus fascinating, but I also have found them to be incredibly attractive, strange, and squishy looking. Secrets of the Octopus combines both the knowledge and personal narratives of Montogomery, but also matched with beautiful spreads of Octopuses (what beautiful colors they have).

Learning about the intelligence of such a flexible creature with no central nervous system was so intriguing. Learning about how Octopuses can feel emotions, recognize friends and less liked individuals and the protective nature of them as mothers kept my attention. Montgomery is able to explain much of the science behind learning about Octopuses with ease and offer explanations that make sense to a layman like me. Immediately after reading this book, I watched multiple videos of Octopuses solving various puzzles (which seem so complicated and they easily solve, and seem to enjoy as well).

As the author states, “octopus are having a moment.” I was intrigued after reading a few other books and watching a Netflix documentary about them. This book does NOT disappoint. Honestly, the only downside to reading this book as an ARC is not being able to fully enjoy the amazing pictures because they don’t render well in ebooks! Otherwise, a really great and interesting read!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

Fun, informative, surprisingly touching—"Secrets of the Octopus" has convinced me to pay a lot more attention to octopuses, and I am so grateful.

For readers wanting a more rigorous look into current octopus science, I think Montgomery's first book, "The Soul of an Octopus," might be a better option. "Secrets" is anecdotal and charming, but the more I read, the more I found myself wanting science as much as stories. Maybe that was Montgomery's ultimate goal—draw a reader in with incredible stories, give them just enough factoids to deepen their interest, and ultimately encourage them to pursue more knowledge on their own.

My only regret with this novel is I got the ebook instead of a physical copy. Either way, it is a beautiful book and a perfect companion to the show now streaming.

This book delightfully sheds light on a creature which was very mysterious to me. The writing is first rate and exciting while the photos are just the cherry on top. A most enjoyable read!

Secrets of the Octopus was a lovely read. I enjoy Montgomery's ability to make animals fascinating without being overwhelming with science.

This is a great book for lovers of octopuses (octopi?) and the creatures in our oceans. I have long been fascinated by these animals, and was delighted to read this book. I have not seen the documentary, so I. am grateful to be able to read the book.

One fascinating thing I learned from the Secrets book is how intelligent octopuses are. Wicked smart.

In the past year, I have started watching animal and nature documentaries, and reading books like Secrets. This book is fantastic and I highly recommend to those who are interested in octopuses.

I would like to thank NetGalley and National Geographic for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

If you love cephalopods and enjoyed Sy Montgomery's "Soul of an Octopus" then you will also love this book, "Secrets of the Octopus!" It is the companion to the new NatGeo special of the same name (available on Hulu and Disney+). Sy is considered the "octopus whisperer" and manages to combine science, humor, and empathy to take the reader on an underwater journey into the octopus world, covering a wide range of topics and species.

Secrets of the Octopus features beautiful and brilliant full color images of many different types of octopus and their behaviors. The octopus is considered one of the most intelligent creatures, with an often alien-like quality. The book takes us on a deep dive into their qualities and abilities, including physical, emotional and intellectual. Did you know, the octopus dream? They do! Studies show they experience sleep cycles similar to humans! This is just one of the many things I learned reading this book.

This book is short and easy to read, and I enjoyed the stories mixed in with the science and facts. I also loved the photos, and wished there were more! and This was an interesting and easy read of various stories mixed in with factual data. There is some repeat/overlap of stories from the first book, but it is still a worthwhile and interesting read. I highly recommend this one for fans of octopi or shows like The Blue Planet.

Fascinating, and with great photos. But the text felt a little disjointed and lacking in detail. This is a companion to a NatGeo special, and I think it will work very well as a tv show.

A beautiful book with so much information on octopuses and other cephalopod species. I already had a deep love of them but even if i didn't i absolutely would now. Engaging and informative, absolutely love it! Would recommend for both people new to the cephalopod world and those who are already fully submerged.

My favorite quote from the book comes from Jim Cosgrove, an expert on giant Pacific octopus, who tells his students, “Sometimes you are working on your
master’s degree, but the octopus is working on its Ph.D.”

If you want to read the latest research about octopuses, this book is full of new findings and magnificent pictures of them. While I was worried that it would be repetitive from the Soul of the Octopus, it was clear that since 2015, there has been further interest and research. We can thank books and movies like Remarkably Bright Creatures, My Teacher the Octopus, and Finding Dory for aiding in our curiosity.

Sy Montgomery continues to awe us with her stewardship of these incredible creatures and reminds us that they may be more similar to us humans than we ever thought.

Thanks to National Geographic for the early review copy of the e-book via NetGalley. (Available now)

“The companion to the highly anticipated National Geographic television special—narrated by Paul Rudd and airing for Earth Day—this beautifully illustrated book explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus—a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.”

If I had a nickel for every time I stopped reading to look up a photo of a particular species or video of octopus behavior, I could afford to adopt one as a pet. I couldn’t afford to KEEP it, though. The required size tank, filtration, power, food, and entertainment are more than I want to take on. So, I will live vicariously through books and YouTube videos (much to hubby’s relief).

I found several stories from Montgomery’s previous book, THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS, repeated here. However, if you didn’t read them back-to-back, as I did, you’d likely welcome the reminders.

I recommend you find a hard copy to appreciate the photos best. They’re spectacular, but in the e-book format, they are split over two screens (swipe to see), which makes them less impressive. (Check out @octonation’s feed for more examples from the gorgeous book.)

Thanks, Karen (@melloyellobooks), for buddy-reading this with me and putting up with all the videos and articles I sent you! My favorite was from Mark Rober’s YouTube channel (a favorite of mine for his backyard squirrel obstacle course), where he designs a maze for his pet octopus, Sashimi.

I'm buzzing with excitement about the upcoming National Geographic special on octopuses, which will be a treat for all octopus enthusiasts.

i loved this, so much info about octopuses, the scientists trying to study and protect them, so many beautiful colorful photographs of so many kinds of octopus!!! i liked sy’s soul of an octopus better but this really benefited from the beautiful photographs. netgalley sent me an e-arc but i also preordered a physical copy and highly recommend it for the photos!!!!

This book was so wonderful! "Secrets of the Octopus" dives further into the world of the octopus after Montgomery's previous book "The Soul of an Octopus." Although this book repeats/recaps information/stories from the previous book, it is still a very informative read. It can be read as a standalone or as a follow-up to "The Soul of an Octopus."

"Secrets of the Octopus" goes more in depth into the world of octopuses, sharing unique traits, habits, survival techniques, personalities, and so much more about a number of octopus species. I learned so much about octopus habits, food preferences, personalities, and identifying traits. This book did not feel like a textbook or an information dump, but rather like a conversation with a friend about an interesting topic.

The gorgeous photos accompanying the text from National Geographic make this book so much more enlightening, as I had not seen so many of the different octopuses featured- and octopuses are my favorite animals! After reading, my new favorite octopus is the Hairy Octopus.

Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review was posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads.

I read Sy Montgomery's book The Soul of the Octopus so when I saw this one come up, I knew I had to read it. These are such fascinating creatures so any chance we have to read something so detailed about these incredible creatures, we should jump on it! I highly recommend this fascinating read.

Thank you for the EArc. Another gorgeous book about our favorite 8 legged creatures. The photos are absolutely stunning as are the stories. You will never look at octopuses the same way again. What remarkable creatures!

Here is a delightful and informative sampling of octopuses and their world. We already knew they are smart, right? That’s only part of it. Everything from their skin to their brains and hearts is strange and marvelous. Their ways of life are varied with the many species. And their personalities can be a hoot. Sy Montgoemery explores all this in a very easy to read manner. Warren Carlyle provides thumbnail portraits of some species. And, of course, there are quality photos.

Filled with beautiful National Geographic photography, Secrets of the Octopus explores the underwater world of the octopus and brings to light new information that affirms the underwater, alien-like creatures are one of the world’s most intelligent and complex creatures.

Y’all - this is my first nonfiction book that's not a memoir and/or wasn’t assigned to me in school (which, I’ve been out of school for 9 years, if that tells you anything…). I asked for an advance copy of this off NetGalley because that always gives me a little more pressure on myself to actually read the book and not just say I will. Plus, once I found out this was a companion novel for the newest special coming out, I wanted it even more. Oh man, am I glad I did.

Obviously being my first nonfiction novel, I haven’t read anything by Sy Montgomery before, but I really like her writing. It was informative but I never felt like I was just being thrown the science. It was written in a way that was easy to follow and understand. I was constantly screenshotting and highlighting things all the time. I read this in two days and then proceeded to chat my partner’s ear off about it over lunch the following day.

I learned so many things and am proud to say octopuses are my new favorite marine animal.

Overall, I believe anyone who picks up this book will be walking away a little bit more of a lover of these eight-legged saltwater creatures with this easy to digest novel. This will also get one excited for the miniseries coming out here soon.

*Thank you National Geographic and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery and Warren K. Carlyle IV is an evocative stunner of a book which highlights the intelligent and inquisitive octopus. Cuttlefish and squid are mentioned as well. Not only did I absorb the information like a sponge, the images guided me to another world, one we know comparatively little about.

One of my favourite aspects about this clever creature is its probing curiosity. Rather than flee, it can reach out to humans, tasting with every part of their skin. They can form emotional bonds with people and can differentiate between individuals. They are amongst the very few animals which can follow pointing fingers to find things. Not only that, but they may dream! I crave more knowledge about the 300 species of shapeshifters, texture changers and camouflage artists. The photograph of one walking upright is mind blowing! They transform into algae shapes, juggle crabs, learn from experience, play, convincingly mimic weather and flounders and stealthily escape tanks like Houdini.

Written in a friendly, witty and easy-to-understand manner, this book is easy to grasp and is propulsive. So cliché but truly difficult to let go, mentally and physically.

One needn't be knowledgeable about cephalopods to be enamored by this book. After reading it, so much is sticking in my brain and I actually feel smarter. There is so much to admire and respect about octopuses, and this book took me down a wondrous rabbit hole of research.

My sincere thank you to National Geographic and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this reading adventure.

Thank you NetGalley & National Geographic for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

Sy Montgomery covers many topics in this work and draws on many personal & shared stories of her colleagues and experts. The reader is fully immersed in digestible research on octopuses, but also incredible images that allow us to "meet" different species as we read. The way Montgomery and others in the book discuss the octopus is so genuine and full of wonder and awe, that you can't help but find yourself feeling the same way. A light is shed on just how intelligent and individual the octopus is, as well as gives us a deeper understanding of their habits and preferences. I cannot wait to watch the new Nat Geo series that this book goes alongside with. Once again, Sy does an incredible job advocating for and sharing the octopus with readers.

Sy Montgomery's first novel 'The Soul of an Octopus' quite literally changed my world in 2016 when I read it as a senior in high school. I had always had a fascination with the octopus, and that novel really opened my eyes to my passion for marine biology. Thanks to that novel, I pursued a job at an aquarium, and I was able to have my own incredible experience with a giant Pacific octopus before he passed. What made it all even more special, is I was able to share my experiences with Sy and keep communication with her. We've talked many times since then, and receiving this ARC of her new novel was so, so special to me.