Australia has always had a problem with feral animals, especially those creatures introduced to the ecosystem by humans from other nations. They wreak havoc on the native fauna, on the agricultural industries, on people's homes and at times, they can be deadly. On the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, a rural community, some distance from the state's capital city, a local snake catcher and school teacher find a reptile they assume is just another feral species. However, this one is different. Its bite causes flesh to rot off the bones of their victim. Second it grows fast. Way too fast. Third, there's more than one. Lastly, it is not a mere snake. It is the immature form of something much larger, much more dangerous and mythical and it falls on this duo to try to stop these creatures before they reach maturity and nothing can stop this... INVASIVE SPECIES.
Judging by the blurb this was right in my wheelhouse and it is a fun creature feature - the fact it's set in South Australia, a place I'm very familiar with, was a nice bonus. It starts off great but I have to admit the more I read, the more I struggled to stay interested. The creatures seem to be secondary to the developing relationship between the two main characters. I don't mind romantic subplots but it was a little too drawn out for me in this one - it seemed like every second chapter Brayden and Anthea would have yet another deep discussion on their feelings and where their relationship is heading. I would have rather more time be spent on other things, like why and how the beasts end up in this tiny outback town, since that's never really explained.
It is a cool idea for a story and it's pretty well written. If it was 100 pages shorter I think that'd have made it much better because it does tend to drag on in the middle. A good effort though, and I don't regret reading it.
Why wasn't this recommended to me earlier? This is a book full of great characters and lots of action. I was terrified of the snakes and their metamorphosis. I couldn't put this one down, and that is a statement of how much I enjoyed this one even though I am experiencing severe kidney pain...it took my mind off the pain. This is a great book for all who love creature horror stories. This is not your typical snake, and when it evolves, whew.
Meh. Likely not worth your time to even try to read ….
Made it to 39%. And that’s only due to my internet being down because of storm. This story’s ok, I guess. Just kinda the same emotional tension/situations between the two main characters regurgitated (& on the part of the male, MAJOR even slight beginning of a relationship commitment issues) …. As well as carbon copy creature scenes over & over. Fairly dull overall. Thus, I give up ……
This book has a fantastic premise, but it is brought down by meandering, in my opinion. I am okay with the first-person perspective and the thoughts of the narrator being prevalent in the story. My issue is that the attraction and romance were shoved into a week, so all the introspection that may happen across a longer time frame is shoved into this very condensed time frame. I freely admit that I was annoyed by how often and how long Bray's emotional analysis showed up in the narrative. The concept of this novel was wonderful and imaginative and the parts of the novel dealing with the actual creatures were great. I just think that this could be trimmed down a bit. It felt a little like Godzilla 2014, where every time you see Godzilla and settle down for a good long fight between monsters the camera is blocked by something and it goes back to human drama.
I read a lot. I mean really a lot. Occasionally I find a good book that catches my attention, but not often. Most books today are either written by someone with a desire to see how many times they can use the same profanity, illustrate the most carnal acts in the poorest manner, or they are just plain boring. The only thing missing from “Invasive Species “ is reading where it is being made into a blockbuster film.
This is my first time reading this author. A good solid storyline. It dragged in places, and the romantic involvement was childish. Too much repetition. The build on the creature development was well thought out and held my attention. Overall, it's a good story. It's a little tense in parts. Enjoyed the ride. I will try more from this author.
This is a book with a different premise--what if it were possible to find a larval form of a mythical beast. What would you do to keep everyone safe from it. Very entertaining with well-rounded characters. I highly recommend this book.
You will be taken on a journey that you will not believe that could happen . The story takes place in Australia where they have many different and dangerous things are , you have a snake hunter that saves them people that want them dead. This is where things get strange and a school teacher gets involved and they help each other and gets real good. The author did a great job with the book you not stop reading it , great job.
Thought be a deadly animal horror story, had a fantasy twist. The concept of the novel isn't a negative idea the exacution left something to be desired. The characters felt bland, and despite the events of the novel felt unemotional. The story is ment to be suspensful and horrific, but unfortunately felt two dementional. Overall a bland and flat story that ended up being a disappointment.
Lots of excitement , lots of mythical beasts , and a great romance in between all of that. If your not afraid of snakes this is a book you should read, but afterwards you maybe afraid of snakes and mythical beasts
Really enjoyed a story from a different country for a change. Loved that I could kind of follow the action on Google maps while reading the book. I will be looking for his other books.
the first thing that comes out when the new version comes is that it's a bit different than a previous! There's your damn 20 words. this was a great read,I really enjoyed it
Could have been a fun creature feature, if the romance had been left out. The romance was juvenile at best, ended up skipping pages and skimming to the end to see the end result of the creatures. Glad it was a KU read.
Enjoyed the snake part but could have done without all the adolescent behavior from supposedly mature people. Leave that all out and you’ll have a 5 star rating.
Interesting concept, but I feel like we wasted way too much time on the protagonists’ relationship rather than the creatures. Their love felt too rushed and heavy to the point of being cringeworthy for me at least. I found myself skipping over multiple pages just to get back to why I grabbed the book to read in the first place. I also never felt I got much explanation as to why the creatures arrived where they did? It was breezed over, but how likely is that to just happen?
I must say that I did enjoy this. For a creature feature it really told a complete story, not just attack after attack. There is some romance, sorry if you don't like that, but it worked well. The characters were very well written, a teacher after a recent break up and a snake catcher, after her break up. Both hurt and not really looking for new partners, but you know how it goes. Monster hunting can bring people together. As far as creatures go, I loved this one. The descriptions were eerie and the creature reveal was awesome. Some good action and gore. I would have like a bit more history of the creature and where exactly it came from, then it would have earned another star.