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.

The Undercurrent is a beautifully sad novel that promotes the climate change crisis through the eyes of two young coming of age teenagers. The plot has heartbreak, deception and lessons of inner growth alongside the environment. Burnett uses the harsh reality of climate change and fills it with drama in order to keep your brain engaged through the love of two new characters he has bought to life.

It is important to understand the nature of this book because he poses themes relevant to the news and worldly events. For example, he includes the power and defeat of a eco activist group and an oil baron all of which has been mentioned through news articles like Greenpeace activity and oil spills in the Antarctic. It is like he has come in touch with the world around him through the use of very good research. Burnett takes you into the rainforest, Antarctica and the world of the wealthy. It is beneficial that he uses the narration of two young people because they are the future of this earth and it is important for the younger generation to see what adults see or perhaps to be able to feel as though they want to do something about this crisis. It was nice listening to him not shy away from the important issues around us. He also narrates a few other people into the novel in the style of James Patterson but intertwines their time line in an affective manner. As a reader, you need to peruse the book in order to enjoy the plot twists at the end. It does seem like a long book but every piece of information he gives you is vital to the book. You will find that Yulia is a stubborn, spoiled and irrational teenager at first but you come to adore her by the end of it. She is faced with some very hard decisions and grows within the book. She is a fierce, decisive and passionate Jane Eyre type character. Curtis is a scared, shy and misunderstood character which we learn bounces off of Yulia's dominance.

This book was a little hard to break into once past the first chapters. It is only because Burnett plays on the emotion of each character and their values to their mission which is due to be carried out. You have to bare with it for a while as he then raises the tension, thrill factor and sense of adventure. Overall, it is an interesting take on climate change and it will be recommended!

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.

When a first novel is as good as this, my old favourites get a rest. I love it when someone with a fresh voice arrives on the literary scene, making such a powerful entrance. I could not put this book down. The last book that made this much of an impression on me was Andy Weir's 'The Martian'. 'The Undercurrent' is fast-paced, the characters beautifully drawn, the plot imaginative and yet grounded in a gritty reality. Highly recommend.

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.