I’m always confused about what genre to classify books like this one under. However, being a fan of Mathew Reilly and James Rollins I knew I had to read this one.
I’m one of those weird people who not only aren’t afraid of spiders, but I also kinda like them. And yes this book is about spiders, a fact the author takes far too long to get too. It felt like watched a tv series with breaks for ads because the picture Ed sends Rebecca are oh so secret. While I appreciate the fact that the author was trying to draw out the suspense of what the creatures are I think it could have been more skilfully done.
What I really enjoyed about this book had nothing to do with the spiders at all. It was the location, statues and the ancient buildings that really appealed to me. Also the whole idea that this ancient city might hold the answer to a renewable non exhaustible source of energy was intriguing.
What I didn’t like about this story boils down to two main things, Rebecca and the length of this book. Rebecca is supposed to be the spider expert and with whom the storyline progresses for the most part. The problem is, as a main character whose strength is supposed to be information on the new species, she’s pretty ineffectual. In fact most of the initial observations are pointed out by Jessy, Ed’s new girlfriend. On top of that, Rebecca isn’t a particularly likeable character. Every explanation she has to give is drawn out. For example when Kriedman wants to stay at camp but she thinks it’s a bad idea she says no we need to leave at least twice or thrice before finally explaining why they need to leave. The relationship between her and Ed was supposed to be complex fraught with sexual tension (I think), but really didn’t add anything to the story line and only served to make Rebecca look bad. Perhaps this would have been a far more thrilling read if told from the viewpoint of the soldiers or maybe even Ed.
This book is a whopping 500+ pages long. The problem is the constant action scenes tend to get repetitive and therefore, boring and less and less believable with every new thing thrown at the characters. Owen and Roberto’s tangent storyline added no value to the main story arc and only served to prolong the story.
The climax of the book should have revolved around finding the mysterious renewable source of energy. However while it is found (and used) I have no idea what happened to it and our main characters have to suffer through at least three more harrowing situations before finally getting out and safe. Which I think is a bit too over the top and served only to dampen my enjoyment of the whole thing. Maybe cut down on the extraneous impossibilities in this book and reduce the number of pages by 200.
This last point isn’t really a problem per se, but I do think this book would be better served if it had maps of where all the action was taking place so people can better picture what’s going on where.
It was just an alright read for me.2.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Fast paced and fun.! Lots of action right off the bat and the characters were believable. I would , and have, recommended to several friends that I know will love this. Best read with no spoilers, so I will just beseech all action readers to Read This Book!

TERROR HAS A NEW SPECIES

Deep in the Amazon, the solution to the global energy crisis has been found; a mysterious source of power set to end our dependency on oil.

When she receives stunning photographs related to the discovery – courtesy of expedition leader and former partner, Ed Reardon – entomologist Rebecca Riley finds herself on the next flight to Brazil, heading down to join the team of scientists assembling there. She hasn’t seen Ed for more than a year, and their relationship hadn’t ended well.

But his revelation is impossible to ignore.

What she and Ed uncover is beyond imagination: strange statues in the jungle… a ruined city built by the refugees of a lost Pacific continent… and a terrifying new species of animal.

Forced to confront a crippling childhood phobia she’d thought long dead and buried, Rebecca realises this new species is no ordinary enemy.

It is an ancient enemy, one whose very existence has implications for all of humankind… and the planet itself.

What did I think:
My rating: 5
OMG this book was and is a great read, it had me hooked from the very start to the very end, as well as sitting on the edge of my bed, so glad that I picked it up, and as soon. I can I'm picking up a copy to add to my library. Once again thinks NetGalley for helping me find a new book as well as a new author to check out, all so I would like to say I was giving a chance at reading it in a change for my honest opinion and this is 100 % my honest opinion,also on a side note don't pick this up if you want to sleep a night.

I was amazed, surprised and happy at finding a book and story that was carefully plotted, suspenseful, thrilling, and similar to some of my favorite authors. This is a true adventure. It set a tone and mood that swept me as the reader into the plot. I thought about it even when I was not reading it. The characters were well described, their motives, feelings and thoughts were well understood. The location was fully described without being too wordy and set just the right tone for the actions. The monsters, of which there are human and "being" were truly malevolent. It is especially scary that the beings featured a meme that ranks in the top 5 of "scary things". I would compare this book to those authored by Clive Cussler and those by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am a picky reader. Many books I give up on by 50-100 pages. Others are just 'meh'. This book grabbed me within the first 20 pages and kept me coming back for more. I am so glad to find another author of scary, suspenseful adventure
novels and look forward to many more from W.W. Mortensen.

While not in any way a negative, the author is described as being from Australia. I did notice some words and abbreviations that are not common to American English. Most will go unnoticed, a few I had to think about, and only one did I not really understand. The other item is that there is an excess of chapters, 150 in all. Many are only a few pages. I believe the author does this to increase the suspense, but for those who are reading this as an ebook, get your swiping finger ready

4 Stars

We start our story with a plane crash in the jungle. Two years later, Roberto Sanchez and Ed Reardon find a mysterious statue in the jungle.

Rebecca Riley journeys to the amazon after receiving some photographs. She is a research scientist and entomologist. There she meets up with Ed, Roberto, Jesse and some others for a journey deep into the jungle, ostensibly to find a lost city.

While somewhat formulaic, this book is written very well. The journey through the jungle and the dangers the team faces are predictable, but that doesn’t take away from the excitement of the story. This book is a real adventure, complete with scientists, soldiers, crazed natives and action. It is relatively fast-paced and a joy to read. It kept me hanging on to discover what came next.

I’m not going to tell you what they found in the jungle, suffice it to say, “Ewwww!”

My only criticisms of the book were that Rebecca spent a lot of time freezing in place and screaming. Get it together woman! And that the book strains credibility at times. But it is a rollicking read and well worth your time. So suspend belief and dig in! I look forward to reading more of Mr. Mortensen’s books.

I want to thank Netgalley and W.W. Mortensen for forwarding me a copy of this delightful read.

This is a great fast-paced adventure that I recommend as an entertaining read in the vein of Rollins and Cussler, and checks off all the boxes of things I enjoy and expect in such novels- adventure in exotic parts of the world, ancient artifacts and lost civilizations, danger in many forms, from a hostile environment to evil mercenaries with guns. Rebecca is an entomologist (bug expert) who joins a mission to investigate an area deep in the uncharted Amazon. She's a great heroine- very flawed, but facing her fears in a major way here, and her characters growth was a highlight of the novel for me.

The scenes in the Amazon were great and believable, and the chases, escapes and action scenes were harrowing and suspenseful, and set a great, creepy atmosphere. The creatures in the Amazon were cool and unpredictable as well, and some interesting twists along the way to discover. Some interesting characters who were hard to figure out where their allegiances were as well. My only beef would be that the story took a while to get going and get all the characters assembled and doing their thing- I felt much of that could be trimmed from the novel. Once the action started, though, it was a fun ride. So the first part of the story was headed for 3 stars for me, but the last half of the book was between 4-5 stars for me, so I'm splitting the difference and saying 4 stars. I wished there was a bit more information on the civilization they discovered and the backstory of the energy source, but I can see the potential for a sequel that might explain it.Overall a fun read, and I would recommend it for fans of this genre.

**I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review, from NetGalley** thank you!