The Undercurrent

The Undercurrent is a book that is thought provoking and will challenge readers perceptions, it's extremely topical and relevant. The writing style is like marmite, you either have an infinity with it and enjoy it, or you find it hard to connect with.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book. I liked the subject of this book. It is about eco-activists saving the Arctic Ocean. Two unlikely wealthy kids meet a party. Yulia gets Curtis involved in saving the ocean. This book has lots of action, adventure, and deceit. Definitely makes you think about climate change and endangered animals.

This is a contemporary science fiction novel that will catch the attention of both adult fiction and young adult fiction readers. It portrays environmental destruction by corporations and the environmental activists that are risking everything to save the environment. Incorporating intelligent sea slugs on the coral reefs in the Arctic Ocean lead to the science fiction feel of the story. This novel is both action packed and depressing with respect to family dynamics that are at play as well as the issue of the environment's potential destruction. I was engaged in this story until the end. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Full of action and drama. Pretty good story that I normally wouldn't read. Definitely makes you think. Worth picking up and check it out. Plenty of tension to keep you flipping the pages. Happy reading!

The Undercurrent is a unique story. It is the story of two teenagers who happen to meet at a party. They are both from influential families. Yulia introduces Curtis to the Saccoglossans pyasinskii; a sea slug with the extraordinary ability to share memories. He has visions and nightmares of a dying ocean. Yulia invites him to join the radical eco-environmentalist group to prevent devastation in the arctic waters and that is when his whole world is turned upside down.

This book is an interesting read. At first, I struggled to make sense of the story. Although it was engaging, it was a bit tricky to follow. There are a lot of characters, a lot of real names and a lot of codenames to wrap your head around. But once you have sorted all that in your head, you are well drawn into this story. You are invested so you must trudge through the arctic snow to finish this lengthy read.

In places, the writing is profound and poetic. Unfortunately, I found that some of the descriptions were lengthy and felt that it prevented the story from moving forward. However, that could have been my impatience getting the better of me as I really wanted to reach the end.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the premise. The prominent man versus nature theme took an unusual twist and I really liked it. I was also impressed by the author’s focus on the environmental impact of the oil industry on nature. The views on environmental impact were expressed with beautifully written passages that drove the message home.

Many thanks to the NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book.