Stephanie Sullivan: Review

TITLE: Bite Club

RATING: ★★★★

RELEASE DATE: May 4th, 2023

Summary (from Goodreads): Dramatic and inspiring accounts from survivors of the most shocking shark and other animal attacks from around the world.

It’s a trauma like no other. Being perceived as a threat or, worse, hunted as food makes an animal attack a unique ordeal. Suddenly you’re helpless, at its mercy. When an animal strikes it is lightning fast, determined and can’t be reasoned with. Often brutally violent, such an attack can leave horrific injuries, both physical and emotional that endure long after the encounter. '

Whether it’s a great white shark, a bear, lion, or other deadly predator, the impact such attacks can have on the victim, their families, the communities, and the wider human psyche is often profound and enduring. And when you add the media attention that such incidents often attract, the actual bite might not be the only attack a survivor has to endure.

In Bite Club , we meet brave people from around the world who have come face to face with sharks or other deadly predators and lived to tell the tale. And we learn of the group of survivors who are supporting each other to navigate, recover and grow from what is for many, their most traumatic experience ever.

REVIEW: First off, I’m terrified of water I can’t see the bottom in, so I NEVER go swimming in the ocean. The only big body of water you’ll find me in is a swimming pool. Secondly, I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean and shark attacks. Crazy, huh? So, when I saw this book on shark (and other apex predator) encounters, I had to read it. The survivors stories are truly admirable and inspirational, and the pictures included are both jaw-dropping and nauseating. (There’s a trigger warning on the book cover so consider yourself warned). But these are true stories of horrifying animal attacks, and you get it all, right down to the gory pictures and every little detail of the person’s experience, and I really liked that. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because of the many grammatical and spelling errors. (PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS AN UNEDITED COPY!) Maybe it’s the British or Australian way of speaking, but every time I saw “in hospital” instead of “in the hospital” I died a little inside. It’s published in the UK, and most of the stories are told by Australian survivors, so perhaps there’s a language barrier there. I honestly don’t know, but the misspelling and numerous other grammatical errors were very distracting. I sincerely hope, if this IS an unedited copy, that they will hire a professional editor and go through it again with a fine tooth comb before publishing.

(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)