3.5 stars for the story and the narration…
There was an interesting blend of ideas in this novel – crypto/paleo zoology, occultism, Nazis, hollow earth theory, and so on. I was curious to see how these elements would wind together as the plot unfolded. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likeable, so it didn’t matter to me if someone survived or died (although I was glad to see that some of the characters received their fatal comeuppance). I thought that the author introduced us to the lake monster quite well. All of the scenes that featured the monster were engaging. I admit that I was a little more skeptical when it came to the relationships and dynamics among the characters and the local community; sometimes I found it difficult to get a sense of how much of a closed-vs-open secret the monster was for the community (especially since the monster took victims pretty regularly).
The narration was good, but I’m not used to the style of speaking that the narrator used so I found it challenging sometimes to get immersed in the story. The narrator has an interesting, almost laconic inflection at the end of most sentences that sometimes distracted me. Also, I *think* he might have been trying to speak with an Aussie accent. It seemed to be somewhat evident in some dialogue but then it would disappear.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."