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Oceanarium: A Deep Sea Thriller
Investigative reporter June Reilly has been searching for reclusive billionaire Dom Logane for years. It shouldn't be possible for someone so rich and famous to just vanish off the map, and yet somehow he has.
When a mysterious contact tells her that she knows exactly where the billionaire is, many possibilities occur about what the man might be up too. What she isn't prepared for, though, is to be taken to an underwater facility, built by Logane in secret, stocked with terrifying aquatic creatures from prehistory and myth from every corner of the world. It would be fascinating, if she didn't happen to end up there on the exact same night where Logane is having all loose ends permanently tied up.
If June Reilly is going to survive the night, she'll need to think on her feet. And she will need to uncover the final, ultimate secret behind... The Oceanarium.
When a mysterious contact tells her that she knows exactly where the billionaire is, many possibilities occur about what the man might be up too. What she isn't prepared for, though, is to be taken to an underwater facility, built by Logane in secret, stocked with terrifying aquatic creatures from prehistory and myth from every corner of the world. It would be fascinating, if she didn't happen to end up there on the exact same night where Logane is having all loose ends permanently tied up.
If June Reilly is going to survive the night, she'll need to think on her feet. And she will need to uncover the final, ultimate secret behind... The Oceanarium.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2023
142 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
June 4, 2025
3.5 stars. This was pretty good. Definitely could have been elongated a bit and let some of the action and suspense get broken up a bit, but overall it was a fun ride. One thing I will say is that the author crammed a lot into 90 pages, and he didn't overly rely on the biologically weaponized prehistoric monsters too much. Sure, they had a presence, but the whole story didn't just revolve around them killing people working on the underwater kingdom and whatnot. There was a good approach here and June was a good lead. She could have had some better development, especially in the beginning, as to not rush it, but all of it was handled pretty well. She kept me interested, as did the premise and continually thickening plot, and even with an open ending, I liked most of what was included in here. I wasn't aware that this was the first book in a potential series, but with all the loose ends, PK Hawkins could get several fine books out of the content.
February 5, 2024
No. I'm very sorry, but no. This wasn't good.
July 25, 2023
June is an investigative reporter. She follows an anonymous tip to a warehouse and meets Maury, who lures her into the warehouse and down a ladder into a submarine, taking her to an underwater theme park owned by a slightly suspicious sounding billionaire.
I won‘t tell you more about the plot, in case you want to read this. There is a megalodon involved, which you can guess from the cover. Let‘s just say that June‘s first encounter with it was one of the least exciting things I have read in a while. And the least descriptive. I was rolling my eyes pretty hard by that point.
The writing is not great. I don‘t know if an editor was involved. It might have been helpful. I will most definitely not get anything else by this author. I returned this ebook to Amazon after reading chapter 6 (40 of 105 pages) and got my money back. Even creature features should be written well. Too many books, too little time…
I won‘t tell you more about the plot, in case you want to read this. There is a megalodon involved, which you can guess from the cover. Let‘s just say that June‘s first encounter with it was one of the least exciting things I have read in a while. And the least descriptive. I was rolling my eyes pretty hard by that point.
The writing is not great. I don‘t know if an editor was involved. It might have been helpful. I will most definitely not get anything else by this author. I returned this ebook to Amazon after reading chapter 6 (40 of 105 pages) and got my money back. Even creature features should be written well. Too many books, too little time…
February 21, 2024
A reporter gets an inside and up close tip on the story of a lifetime. This is part mystery, thriller, and action. There are creatures, underwater ones in case you couldn't guess, but they don't really come into play until later in the story. This was just a fun, straightforward, fast story, for those that like underwater creature features, this is for you.
July 9, 2023
DNF @ 39%
What started as something I was totally excited about ended up fizzing out and almost put me in a reading slump.
The Cover: 100000% sold me on buying this. The title is also catchy. My hopes skyrocketed for an insanely cool and intense summer read.
The Writing: The writing itself wasn't horrible. It was pretty simple and easy to follow and captivating to a point. But the foul language was irritating and needless. The author could have easily gotten the same point across without the expletives.
The Characters: I'm not a fan of June from what I read. She was flighty and unlikeable.
The Plot: Okay. The plot had great potential. Think Jurassic Park but in the ocean. I was so excited to get up close and personal with some awesomely descriptive and terrifying creatures. Sort of what the cover hints at. Sadly, up until where I stopped, this was not the case. We barely see any of the creatures. Hopefully, this improved by the end of the book, but I was losing rapidly losing interest and had to call it quits.
The Themes/Messages: With the proper amount of money you can silence anyone you want and build a deep-sea theme park filled with mythological creatures.
The Romance: None.
Content Warnings: Language. Several H's and some F's. Character death.
Overall: 1.5 stars. Take out the language and I would have kept reading for sure. But the watered-down scary creatures would have still been a disappointment. Others might love this but I'm not the author's intended audience. If the heavy language doesn't bother you and the idea of a deep-sea Jurassic Park intrigues you, you might like this.
What started as something I was totally excited about ended up fizzing out and almost put me in a reading slump.
The Cover: 100000% sold me on buying this. The title is also catchy. My hopes skyrocketed for an insanely cool and intense summer read.
The Writing: The writing itself wasn't horrible. It was pretty simple and easy to follow and captivating to a point. But the foul language was irritating and needless. The author could have easily gotten the same point across without the expletives.
The Characters: I'm not a fan of June from what I read. She was flighty and unlikeable.
The Plot: Okay. The plot had great potential. Think Jurassic Park but in the ocean. I was so excited to get up close and personal with some awesomely descriptive and terrifying creatures. Sort of what the cover hints at. Sadly, up until where I stopped, this was not the case. We barely see any of the creatures. Hopefully, this improved by the end of the book, but I was losing rapidly losing interest and had to call it quits.
The Themes/Messages: With the proper amount of money you can silence anyone you want and build a deep-sea theme park filled with mythological creatures.
The Romance: None.
Content Warnings: Language. Several H's and some F's. Character death.
Overall: 1.5 stars. Take out the language and I would have kept reading for sure. But the watered-down scary creatures would have still been a disappointment. Others might love this but I'm not the author's intended audience. If the heavy language doesn't bother you and the idea of a deep-sea Jurassic Park intrigues you, you might like this.
April 6, 2023
Engrossing
I was pulled into the story! Wish it was longer but thought well written (and proofed!). Could definitely see an interesting sequel from this.
I was pulled into the story! Wish it was longer but thought well written (and proofed!). Could definitely see an interesting sequel from this.
April 1, 2023
Oceanarium: A Deep Sea Thriller
It's a fun read, not too serious but you must wonder if researchers are working on such creatures. I would be interested in seeing if this evolves into a series of books.
It's a fun read, not too serious but you must wonder if researchers are working on such creatures. I would be interested in seeing if this evolves into a series of books.
July 8, 2023
Be careful what you wish for
A reckless reporter is willing to do anything to get the scoop on a missing billionaire. She gets more than she bargained for when she is taken to his underwater theme park stocked with creatures that haven't existed for a long time. I thought it was an okay fast paced thriller that could have been better with a good edit and more character development.
A reckless reporter is willing to do anything to get the scoop on a missing billionaire. She gets more than she bargained for when she is taken to his underwater theme park stocked with creatures that haven't existed for a long time. I thought it was an okay fast paced thriller that could have been better with a good edit and more character development.
August 19, 2024
I've read a few books now by this author so I know what to expect-a short, creature related story of some kind that doesn't waste a lot of time of padding out the story. That's exactly what this book is so if you're expecting a very descriptive story with lots of character development and so on, you won't find it here. But if you want a fun quick read for a couple of hours max, you might just enjoy this.
June is a dogged reporter who has been investigating the disappearance of the billionaire Dom Logane, amid strange rumours on the internet about an underwater theme park. Her mysterious contact offers to get her the evidence needed to write her story but she needs to trust him and go to see the facility for herself, to understand what is really going on. Determined to get her story, June agrees to go with him but what she discovers is beyond anything she imagined.
It's difficult to write an accurate review of a short novel without giving away the plot. Lets just say that there are interesting creatures in this theme park that you really wouldn't want to mess with, like the megalodons on the cover. Reading about the theme park plot got me thinking that I'd love to go a place where you can see dinosaurs or megalodons...it'd be one hell of an experience, assuming of course that there were no disasters!
June is obsessed with her story which sort of leads to her not making the smartest choices in following a complete stranger in the middle of the night with a vague promise of evidence. I do like that she is a normal person who doesn't think clearly when things start going wrong and overall she was a decent main character. Logane of course is the stereotype evil billionaire that makes you want to shout 'boo, hiss!' at when he appears.
Without giving away the plot twists, I was initially a bit puzzled about the actual point of the creation of this place...we get a little mention during a conversation towards the climax of the book but I'm still a bit unsure about it. Another review says that this is the potential first in a series, so further expansion of this plot could follow so I'm not going to be critical about it.
I do wish we could've seen more of the creatures in the various tanks as I love sea monsters and cryptids but I do get that the author was leading the story to a particular place and wouldn't want to just pad it up without a point. I would personally have liked a bit more of Mark and the evasion of the enemy as I was liking that part of the story. However in short stories you can often be left wanting more so it's not a big deal. I still enjoyed it.
June is a dogged reporter who has been investigating the disappearance of the billionaire Dom Logane, amid strange rumours on the internet about an underwater theme park. Her mysterious contact offers to get her the evidence needed to write her story but she needs to trust him and go to see the facility for herself, to understand what is really going on. Determined to get her story, June agrees to go with him but what she discovers is beyond anything she imagined.
It's difficult to write an accurate review of a short novel without giving away the plot. Lets just say that there are interesting creatures in this theme park that you really wouldn't want to mess with, like the megalodons on the cover. Reading about the theme park plot got me thinking that I'd love to go a place where you can see dinosaurs or megalodons...it'd be one hell of an experience, assuming of course that there were no disasters!
June is obsessed with her story which sort of leads to her not making the smartest choices in following a complete stranger in the middle of the night with a vague promise of evidence. I do like that she is a normal person who doesn't think clearly when things start going wrong and overall she was a decent main character. Logane of course is the stereotype evil billionaire that makes you want to shout 'boo, hiss!' at when he appears.
Without giving away the plot twists, I was initially a bit puzzled about the actual point of the creation of this place...we get a little mention during a conversation towards the climax of the book but I'm still a bit unsure about it. Another review says that this is the potential first in a series, so further expansion of this plot could follow so I'm not going to be critical about it.
I do wish we could've seen more of the creatures in the various tanks as I love sea monsters and cryptids but I do get that the author was leading the story to a particular place and wouldn't want to just pad it up without a point. I would personally have liked a bit more of Mark and the evasion of the enemy as I was liking that part of the story. However in short stories you can often be left wanting more so it's not a big deal. I still enjoyed it.
August 21, 2023
The cover and the blurb of this one got my interest and it's a fun little novella - more or less Jurassic Park underwater, featuring mythical/prehistoric sea creatures instead of dinosaurs, with a reporter infiltrating the complex to investigate.
Nothing wrong with the idea, but it gets bogged down because the author is way too wordy and so many simple actions here are given loads of unnecessary detail. So many things that could just be one or two sentences get stretched into paragraphs. Main character June can't just put on a pair of overalls and security badge she finds - there has to be paragraphs of info about the pros and cons of the decision. Explosives aren't where she expected them to be - we can't just move forward, there has to be another two paragraphs about where the missing explosives came from in the first place and where they could be now. Just move on with the story already!
On top of that there's no real ending here - feels like the setup to a second book so I didn't get much satisfaction out of reading this. If you're looking for a good deep sea creature novel try Steve Alten's original Meg book or some of Michael Cole's catalogue
Nothing wrong with the idea, but it gets bogged down because the author is way too wordy and so many simple actions here are given loads of unnecessary detail. So many things that could just be one or two sentences get stretched into paragraphs. Main character June can't just put on a pair of overalls and security badge she finds - there has to be paragraphs of info about the pros and cons of the decision. Explosives aren't where she expected them to be - we can't just move forward, there has to be another two paragraphs about where the missing explosives came from in the first place and where they could be now. Just move on with the story already!
On top of that there's no real ending here - feels like the setup to a second book so I didn't get much satisfaction out of reading this. If you're looking for a good deep sea creature novel try Steve Alten's original Meg book or some of Michael Cole's catalogue
June 17, 2024
I was enjoying myself for most of it -- lots of scary imagery of monsters seen through dark murky water -- but after setting up the question of why Trenchland existed through the whole story, the answer was unbelievably stupid.
December 4, 2025
Overview: June Reilly has spent the better part of a year searching for what happened to cause Dom Logane, one of the world's wealthiest men alive, to seemingly disappear off of the face of the earth. Luckily for her, she's gotten one heck of a tip. Unfortunately, it's a very bad day to be unlocking Logane's secrets. What all can go wrong? Let's find out.
Dislikes: Dom Logane is an evil man. This has less to do with his wealth, and more to do with his lack of morality.
Likes: Maury took a serious chance. As did Mark. You have to already know that your goose is cooked before you even try what they did.
June was crazy, and kind of stupid, yet she did try to do the right thing.
Conclusion: This is a rather suspenseful little novella. If you like creature features, and don't mind the shorter works, then this book is for you. Enjoy the read.
Dislikes: Dom Logane is an evil man. This has less to do with his wealth, and more to do with his lack of morality.
Likes: Maury took a serious chance. As did Mark. You have to already know that your goose is cooked before you even try what they did.
June was crazy, and kind of stupid, yet she did try to do the right thing.
Conclusion: This is a rather suspenseful little novella. If you like creature features, and don't mind the shorter works, then this book is for you. Enjoy the read.
February 20, 2024
Started off better than a lot of shark fiction (or more broadly, the sea monster subgenre of horror/thrillers). Female characters in this genre tend to be either shark meat or badass marine biologists, and I liked that this protagonist, June, was neither, but rather a business reporter trying to get the big scoop on a tycoon’s secret plans. However, the story quickly devolved into the CEO being a basic Mr. Big Evil, and June is scrambling left and right from bad guys and pre-historic sea creatures to escape from the secret facility. Ham-handed, rushed, and two-dimensional. This was a group read and most of the group seemed to want to escape as much June.
January 5, 2024
Aquarium of Death
Oceanarium by P.K. Hawkins is a really fun and exciting read. The overall story follows June as she is investigating Trench Land and eventually escapes. The plot itself flows really well and has extremely good pacing. I really did enjoy the heroine of the story June as she was very well written. The cover shows a Megalodon but do not be fooled there are plenty of other predators of the sea in this story for the reader to enjoy. All in all I would recommend Oceanarium by P.K. Hawkins to anyone who enjoys deep sea thrillers.
Oceanarium by P.K. Hawkins is a really fun and exciting read. The overall story follows June as she is investigating Trench Land and eventually escapes. The plot itself flows really well and has extremely good pacing. I really did enjoy the heroine of the story June as she was very well written. The cover shows a Megalodon but do not be fooled there are plenty of other predators of the sea in this story for the reader to enjoy. All in all I would recommend Oceanarium by P.K. Hawkins to anyone who enjoys deep sea thrillers.
March 3, 2025
Underwater monster park goes awry
Oceanarium is about a reporter trying to do a story on a reclusive billionaire which goes wrong after a lead takes her to what is ostensibly an underwater theme park but ends up being a bioweapons facility. The writing is very forced, all but a single character is even a bit fleshed out, and the extremely short nature of the book keeps it from fulfill its possible promise. If you absolutely love sea creature horror this book might be for you, but, for most, its just not worth it. 2/5 stars.
Oceanarium is about a reporter trying to do a story on a reclusive billionaire which goes wrong after a lead takes her to what is ostensibly an underwater theme park but ends up being a bioweapons facility. The writing is very forced, all but a single character is even a bit fleshed out, and the extremely short nature of the book keeps it from fulfill its possible promise. If you absolutely love sea creature horror this book might be for you, but, for most, its just not worth it. 2/5 stars.
May 30, 2023
Short, simple, and horrifying
As someone who is terrified of deep water, this short book was the stuff of nightmares. It was short but plenty scary. I wish there had been a little more detail about the creatures and how they were made or found. But the things the June sees were all horrible in their own way. Part of me is glad the author didn't reveal what the tentacled thing in the dark pit was
As someone who is terrified of deep water, this short book was the stuff of nightmares. It was short but plenty scary. I wish there had been a little more detail about the creatures and how they were made or found. But the things the June sees were all horrible in their own way. Part of me is glad the author didn't reveal what the tentacled thing in the dark pit was
June 26, 2023
3.5⭐s The huge Shark on the cover grabbed my attention
The huge Shark on the cover grabbed my attention. I wasn't quite sure what to expect - certainly not a fantastic assortment of Creature Feature monsters. This was an interesting story, full of suspense, danger, chase scenes, massacres, and intrigue. A reporter is on a mission to uncover a massive conspiracy story. What she ends up uncovering is the stuff of nightmares.
The huge Shark on the cover grabbed my attention. I wasn't quite sure what to expect - certainly not a fantastic assortment of Creature Feature monsters. This was an interesting story, full of suspense, danger, chase scenes, massacres, and intrigue. A reporter is on a mission to uncover a massive conspiracy story. What she ends up uncovering is the stuff of nightmares.
July 25, 2024
A short hundred page novella about a reporter named June who is looking into Dom Logane an eccentric billionaire who disappeared. While a quick read it suffered for it length. The length didn't allow enough time for depth or context for characters actions and behaviors. June in particular felt reckless and made stupid choices repeatedly. I wanted a quick, fun, action pack monster story and while this had all the parts it was not executed well in my opinion.
April 22, 2023
So much could have gone better in this book. It's like the shell of an idea, like an outline or something. Totally unrealistic characters with totally unrealistic responses to super traumatic events. No where near enough actually "cryptid" animals, you get like a glimpse, a tease, of a few big names like megalodon. Boo, hiss. Sorry, not for me.
July 25, 2023
I gave this 2 stars, which I think is generous. The idea had potential but it never went anywhere. The whole novel could have been condensed into a few chapters, and the rest of the book could have been developed into something interesting. Instead I finished it in a little over an hour, wondering what happened.
August 20, 2023
A reporter has been trying to find a missing billionaire. She gets a tip and is told to meet at a dock near a warehouse. Little does she know she's in a fight for her life, and what she discovers is unlike anything she's seen before, things that should be extinct or not even exist. I wish this book would be turned into a movie because it's THAT good. 100/5 ⭐️s This book was AMAZING!
August 31, 2024
This was an OK read
I like the premise of this story, a lot, but I was able to read through it in less than an hour. As soon as the book started, it ended. It left me unsatisfied in a lot of ways. I do liken the Carl Kolchak feel of it severity development and fleshing out if would have been a wild ride.
I like the premise of this story, a lot, but I was able to read through it in less than an hour. As soon as the book started, it ended. It left me unsatisfied in a lot of ways. I do liken the Carl Kolchak feel of it severity development and fleshing out if would have been a wild ride.
January 1, 2025
Boring
All talk and no action. Definitely not a Deep Sea Thriller. Yeah, an uneventful submarine ride to someplace supposedly deep under the ocean. Most of the story could have been in any big city above ground.
No blood and guts and no interactions between humans and monsters. This one surely won’t give you nightmares.
All talk and no action. Definitely not a Deep Sea Thriller. Yeah, an uneventful submarine ride to someplace supposedly deep under the ocean. Most of the story could have been in any big city above ground.
No blood and guts and no interactions between humans and monsters. This one surely won’t give you nightmares.
June 30, 2025
There’s genuinely so much promise and potential in this story, but it’s too rushed to be explored properly. Discovery -> end was literally wrapped up before it had even started. It doesn’t allow one to even comprehend the implications of the discovery before it’s all over, and wrapped in an un-neat bow. I enjoyed the premise but it left me wanting far more
May 19, 2023
Good quick read
Good read, entertaining and light. There were a couple of way too unlikely "lucky" hits here and there that the author acknowledged as too convenient. Dues ex machina and all that. But, readable non the less
Good read, entertaining and light. There were a couple of way too unlikely "lucky" hits here and there that the author acknowledged as too convenient. Dues ex machina and all that. But, readable non the less
November 15, 2023
Quick, fun read!…..
Tightly written, creative, & exciting little mystery/creature/ocean tale.
Loved it!
Definitely recommend & I’ll be on the lookout for other books by author P.K. Hawkins.
Tightly written, creative, & exciting little mystery/creature/ocean tale.
Loved it!
Definitely recommend & I’ll be on the lookout for other books by author P.K. Hawkins.
April 22, 2023
Interesting!
This was an interesting premise for a book.
I would have liked more description as some of this has been done before.
Quick read to keep you busy.
This was an interesting premise for a book.
I would have liked more description as some of this has been done before.
Quick read to keep you busy.
May 2, 2023
Very short
Fun read but more like a short story than a novel. Would be nice bundled with something else, not stand-alone.
Fun read but more like a short story than a novel. Would be nice bundled with something else, not stand-alone.
May 12, 2023
Interesting story though it seemed to drag now and then. The creatures were well described and properly terrifying.
June 5, 2023
This is fun and quick read. The idea is entertaining and could easily have been a full length book. I like the characters and the pacing was good despite only being 100+ pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews