3 out of 4 stars
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This novel gives new life to an old urban legend. In Man of the Sea, author Nathan Kippley answers the question “What if the scary stories of our childhood are true?”. In this book, the legend of the “Man of the Sea” is presented as a familiar one in Florida Keys. The Man of the Sea is a mysterious lone fisherman who attacks unsuspecting boats. This legendary figure is different than standard pirates. The Man of the Sea doesn’t just want to pillage your valuables. All this villian really wants is to torture and kill people. According to the tales, very few have ever escaped The Man of the Sea with their lives.
The novel follows two brothers, Joe and Silas, as they start their new lives in the Florida Keys. They arrive with nothing but a little bit of cash and their dreams of becoming fisherman. At first, they think their biggest problem will be the greedy boat salesman who tries to hustle them. They quickly learn, however, that there are much more dangerous things waiting for fisherman in the Florida Keys.
Man of the Sea also tells the story of Billie, a woman who’s leisurely boat trip with her husband turns into a fight for her life. Billie and her husband aren’t familiar with the legend of the Man of the Sea because they are visitors passing through the area. They quickly learn firsthand how horrible this mysterious man is. Billie must try to survive the terrifying situation the Man of the Sea puts her in. The stories of Billie, Joe, and Silas, all eventually intersect for a thrilling finish. The book ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you excited to read the next one in the series.
This book was a fun and entertaining read. I finished it within one weekend because I didn’t want to put it down! It was nicely paced throughout the entire novel and was full of thrills and adventure. The author also did an excellent job of creating suspense. Just when I thought I had the ending figured out, there was a twist that I didn’t see coming at all. As I was reading this book, I found myself wondering if the Man of the Sea is a real legend in the Florida Keys, or if the author created the story for this book. The story is scary and strange enough to be believable as an old urban legend.
My one major critique of this book is that it a little implausible in some parts. For example, Joe meets a girl he likes his first night in the Keys and they have a nice date together. By the end of the week, she tells him that she loves him. That declaration felt very silly to me. It seemed like author was quickly escalating the relationship just for the sake of raising the stakes. It wasn't a natural progression of the story. The character of Carlos also was a little over-the-top. He was such an extreme villian that it was hard to be invested in what happened to him. Carlos was redeemed slightly at the end, but not enough to make his character believable. I was a little bothered by the big twist at the end. I was definitely shocked, but it also didn’t really make much sense to me.
These issues with character development do not cause any significant problems in the overall fun of the book. For this reason, I would highly recommend Man of the Sea. I give it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. There is a fair amount of graphic violence, so this book is not for anyone who is bothered by that. Anyone who enjoys adventure books and thrillers would enjoy Man of the Sea. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series when it is released.
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Man of the Sea
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