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Marty and Grace #4
Mutation
Marty and his best friend, Luther, have managed to rescue Marty's cousin Grace from the clutches of the nefarious pseudo-naturalist Noah Blackwood, but their most dangerous mission lies ahead of them. Marty's parents have been missing in Brazil for months, and their trail has all but run cold. With time running out, Marty and the Cryptos Island crew race off for Brazil - where they discover that Noah Blackwood has twisted the natural order of things beyond their wildest, most terrifying dreams.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 26, 2014
59 people are currently reading
913 people want to read
About the author
Roland Smith
153 books838 followersRoland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
September 25, 2022
I wish there were more books in the series. I don't want to leave these characters behind.
RTC
RTC
September 30, 2014
Along with millions and millions of readers, I wept when turning the final page of the last Harry Potter book.
And now, it’s happening again. Fourteen years after beginning a story that roared along like a never ending tidal wave, through eight riveting books, Roland Smith is tying it all up in his grand finale entitled, Mutation. The adventure started in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and now ends in the jungles of the Amazon, leaving Roland Smith fans asking, how does it get any better than this? With this satisfying finale, can Mr. Smith ever top a denouement that includes scores of fried monkeys, jumbo mutant man eating alligators, mounds and mounds of the stinkiest dinosaur poop ever smelled, zip line spider webs spread through rain forest canopies, coupled with the amazing courage of a group of intrepid teenage friends?
In Mutation, all our old friends—Jacob Lansa and his dad from The Jake Lansa Series, Marty, Luther, Grace and the gang from the Cryptid Series, and Dylan and his parents from Sasquatch—are on a perilous quest to the Amazon to hook up with Robert Lansa to find Marty’s parents. We are relieved to find Marty and Grace safely adventuring together, but any feeling of safety is ripped away as soon as the dreaded Noah Blackwood and his villainous henchmen Butch McCall arrive to begin their brand of deadly mayhem.
The plan of rescue quickly breaks down as teams of rescuers begin to disappear and lose touch with each other, thanks to the dastardly high tech intervention of Butch and his team. Gizmos, high tech recon devices introduced in the Cryptid series, become invaluable in guiding the teams back together, but when at last reunited, find themselves in a life threatening quandary--many of the crew have been imprisoned while the others are desperately seeking a way to free them.
The location and purpose of Blackwood’s evil empire will sit readers up in their seats, scratching their heads, thinking what a fantastic bit of history Smith uses to tie up the big picture for his readers. The final hundred pages rip along unearthing new ground while cleverly tying up fourteen years’ worth of action packed adventure.
The characters share a lot history on three continents, and if Mutation is a reader’s entry point to this adventure, it might make the story even more exciting if they read at least Sasquatch, Cryptid Hunters, and Thunder Cave, the first book in each of the series. With these three under a reader’s belt, the sequels with become must reads.
What’s next Mr. Smith? What do you have Beneath that action packed chrome dome? For now we will need time to mourn and celebrate what few have done in the Intermediate/YA field—sustain a story through a muli-book, multi-series for well over a decade.
And now, it’s happening again. Fourteen years after beginning a story that roared along like a never ending tidal wave, through eight riveting books, Roland Smith is tying it all up in his grand finale entitled, Mutation. The adventure started in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, and now ends in the jungles of the Amazon, leaving Roland Smith fans asking, how does it get any better than this? With this satisfying finale, can Mr. Smith ever top a denouement that includes scores of fried monkeys, jumbo mutant man eating alligators, mounds and mounds of the stinkiest dinosaur poop ever smelled, zip line spider webs spread through rain forest canopies, coupled with the amazing courage of a group of intrepid teenage friends?
In Mutation, all our old friends—Jacob Lansa and his dad from The Jake Lansa Series, Marty, Luther, Grace and the gang from the Cryptid Series, and Dylan and his parents from Sasquatch—are on a perilous quest to the Amazon to hook up with Robert Lansa to find Marty’s parents. We are relieved to find Marty and Grace safely adventuring together, but any feeling of safety is ripped away as soon as the dreaded Noah Blackwood and his villainous henchmen Butch McCall arrive to begin their brand of deadly mayhem.
The plan of rescue quickly breaks down as teams of rescuers begin to disappear and lose touch with each other, thanks to the dastardly high tech intervention of Butch and his team. Gizmos, high tech recon devices introduced in the Cryptid series, become invaluable in guiding the teams back together, but when at last reunited, find themselves in a life threatening quandary--many of the crew have been imprisoned while the others are desperately seeking a way to free them.
The location and purpose of Blackwood’s evil empire will sit readers up in their seats, scratching their heads, thinking what a fantastic bit of history Smith uses to tie up the big picture for his readers. The final hundred pages rip along unearthing new ground while cleverly tying up fourteen years’ worth of action packed adventure.
The characters share a lot history on three continents, and if Mutation is a reader’s entry point to this adventure, it might make the story even more exciting if they read at least Sasquatch, Cryptid Hunters, and Thunder Cave, the first book in each of the series. With these three under a reader’s belt, the sequels with become must reads.
What’s next Mr. Smith? What do you have Beneath that action packed chrome dome? For now we will need time to mourn and celebrate what few have done in the Intermediate/YA field—sustain a story through a muli-book, multi-series for well over a decade.
April 3, 2019
AWESOME. I love this entire series. There are a few twists in this book that shake it up a "bit". The thing that kind of disappointed me was there were only 4 "cryptids" in this book. 2 have already been known in the 3rd book. But I love this book to find out the ending conclusion. I wish there was another book coming, and I might write a message to the author saying to please write another book that tells a story with the things that this book ends off of.
September 17, 2016
The book Mutation is the third and final book to the Cryptid Hunters series. The author provides a 2 page summary of all the characters and their role in the book. The next 4 pages are a summary of all the things which have already happened in the past two books so I didn't feel like there is was a need to read the first two books before reading this one although it was a little confusing in the beginning. The book is about Noah Blackwood who is a environmental television superstar who is considered as a kind and amazing person, always engaged in some animal rescue. All of this is actually fake though the public doesn't know that. Grace, Marty, Luther, Wolfe, Ted, and a few others know all about his cruelties and lies. In reality, Noah sends out his people to find exotic creatures and kills them to later be stuffed and put in his private diorama. The group set out on a hunt for the baby pandas and dinosaurs(only two left on earth) which Noah has under his captivity. Grace manages to steal them back from Noah and return the pandas to their rightful place. The confusion was that where would they keep the dinosaurs so they kept them in the helicopter with them the whole time. Another mystery they also solve is about the plane crash in the Amazon rain forest which had supposedly killed everyone on board. Wolfe and Ted think that Timothy and Sylvia might have survived because they had the experience of being adventurous, daring journalists. These two were also Marty's parents who he had almost lost hope for and assumed they were dead. Later on in the story they do find them but not exactly in the place they had expected....Noah's underground rooms. Noah could do whatever he wanted to do with them whenever he felt like it. It might sound like how are they going get out of this trouble and fight against the most powerful tycoon of the time but the book does end with a happily ever after.
My favorite character was Luther because even though the story might not revolve around him, he was the reason of all the tragedies which happened from the middle through the end. He had an adventurous and determined mind in whatever he did; whether good or bad. My favorite part of the story was when Wolfe had been trapped inside the cage with bearcat and nine(the mutated animals). His smart mind had helped him escape through all of this dilemma he was facing at the time. The characters in the story did feel very real to me for some reason than other books maybe because of the way the author described them. The tense scenes were written very well which made you feel like you were in the situation at the time.
The main reason for my dislike of this book was that there were too many main characters and I couldn't even identify a protagonist in the story. The book is written in 3rd person which makes it even harder. The story revolves around at least 10 main characters and abruptly changes the story place without a chapter change or dashed line which made me catch myself halfway through the story thinking that everyone was in the same place eventually realizing there were 3 different stories at the same time. The confusion was also the reason why I didn't really find the book gripping either. Altogether I gave this book a 3/5 stars and would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading mysteries. People who like realistic fiction might also enjoy this book. I just felt like this book wasn't exactly the type of books I enjoy reading.
My favorite character was Luther because even though the story might not revolve around him, he was the reason of all the tragedies which happened from the middle through the end. He had an adventurous and determined mind in whatever he did; whether good or bad. My favorite part of the story was when Wolfe had been trapped inside the cage with bearcat and nine(the mutated animals). His smart mind had helped him escape through all of this dilemma he was facing at the time. The characters in the story did feel very real to me for some reason than other books maybe because of the way the author described them. The tense scenes were written very well which made you feel like you were in the situation at the time.
The main reason for my dislike of this book was that there were too many main characters and I couldn't even identify a protagonist in the story. The book is written in 3rd person which makes it even harder. The story revolves around at least 10 main characters and abruptly changes the story place without a chapter change or dashed line which made me catch myself halfway through the story thinking that everyone was in the same place eventually realizing there were 3 different stories at the same time. The confusion was also the reason why I didn't really find the book gripping either. Altogether I gave this book a 3/5 stars and would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading mysteries. People who like realistic fiction might also enjoy this book. I just felt like this book wasn't exactly the type of books I enjoy reading.
January 11, 2015
I may have liked this one, maybe not the best of the series, but definitely quite a close second. Or, more accurately, the last 100 pages were superb enough to bring up the first 200 pages that dragged and didn't hold much character development. Those were pretty much traveling up the Amazon River, feeding dinosaurs (not as exciting as you might think), running through a jungle, or zip-lining through/into trees. But then you hit the South American research compound where you run into the clones, mutations, Nazis (essentially), and a whole lot more good stuff, none of which I saw coming. Okay, well, I saw the happy ending coming from a mile off, but none of the other stuff.
Blackwood got promoted from generic "oooh, I'm so evil, look at me, I want to stuff endangered animals for my private collection" to a legit villain with an actual backstory and motivations and I like it. I'm almost sad to see him go, now that he's an interesting character and not a pansy. It really does make sense though. I always thought he was too hard-core and violent to have a motivation of animal stuffing.
I was disappointed we got to see so little of Violet, Rose's clone, but I'm glad that she's not the psychopath we thought she was and she gets to live with her clone's daughter's family.
Also, we saw so little of the O'Hara family together. It was kinda only the whole reason behind the books, so I would have thought that a bit more time could have been spent on seeing the plot finally fulfilled.
My only other real disappointment was that so much time was spent on running around, which made the last 100 pages, while awesome, way too rushed.
And this bugged me:
"I guess that means you're not going to answer me."
"Yes," Ziti said.
"You mean no."
"Not understand."
Yeah, me either. He actually does mean "yes", so why you're saying he means "no" doesn't make any sense. (Page 166-7)
Also, there was cell service in the underground bunker? Either highly suspect or very impressive.
Blackwood got promoted from generic "oooh, I'm so evil, look at me, I want to stuff endangered animals for my private collection" to a legit villain with an actual backstory and motivations and I like it. I'm almost sad to see him go, now that he's an interesting character and not a pansy. It really does make sense though. I always thought he was too hard-core and violent to have a motivation of animal stuffing.
I was disappointed we got to see so little of Violet, Rose's clone, but I'm glad that she's not the psychopath we thought she was and she gets to live with her clone's daughter's family.
Also, we saw so little of the O'Hara family together. It was kinda only the whole reason behind the books, so I would have thought that a bit more time could have been spent on seeing the plot finally fulfilled.
My only other real disappointment was that so much time was spent on running around, which made the last 100 pages, while awesome, way too rushed.
And this bugged me:
"I guess that means you're not going to answer me."
"Yes," Ziti said.
"You mean no."
"Not understand."
Yeah, me either. He actually does mean "yes", so why you're saying he means "no" doesn't make any sense. (Page 166-7)
Also, there was cell service in the underground bunker? Either highly suspect or very impressive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2019
I have very, very, VERY mixed feelings about the ending.
For one, it feels incredibly rushed. Something like 20 pages? I was nearing the book and wondered, how the heck is he going to wrap all this up? Everything went by so fast, I hit the end thinking "well, alright then."
And Grace's journal entry at the very end, well, it totally felt like something she would have wrote for Blackwood to read. Butch and Blackwood poetically but conveniently get eaten by their own mutations. Violet turns out to be an angel, as if smart people couldn't become brainwashed. Nine turns out to be a cuddly demonoid. The GMO'd indigenous peacefully accepting their new gods (since when has anything involving religion been so bloodless??). Dylan and Grace, even though he's several years older than her.
I understand this is a kid's book, but perfect endings like this one just feels too fairy-tale to me. I personally think the second book was the best, partly because of how believable it felt despite all the ludicrous sci-fi.
The shock that Rose was Blackwood's clone was very well done though. But I wish he'd done more with it, showing Wolfe's internal conflict and delving into the moral nuances of human cloning. How does this change his relationship with Rose? Would he ever tell Grace?
So what's my verdict? Violet is actually the one behind everything, masterminding the death of her "father", because she couldn't exert enough control over him. She's the only immortal person alive now, as well as possessing superhuman ingenuity. She won't be greedy and self-serving like Blackwood, but she will strive to lead humanity and the sciences onto an even colder and more brutal path of evolution. All our main characters will live out their happy lives, oblivious to her true nature until their dying moments.
I mean, it's either that or putting Marty, Grace, Dylan, and Violet into a love rectangle. Throw in some Luther and hatchling daddy issues to spice things up.
For one, it feels incredibly rushed. Something like 20 pages? I was nearing the book and wondered, how the heck is he going to wrap all this up? Everything went by so fast, I hit the end thinking "well, alright then."
And Grace's journal entry at the very end, well, it totally felt like something she would have wrote for Blackwood to read. Butch and Blackwood poetically but conveniently get eaten by their own mutations. Violet turns out to be an angel, as if smart people couldn't become brainwashed. Nine turns out to be a cuddly demonoid. The GMO'd indigenous peacefully accepting their new gods (since when has anything involving religion been so bloodless??). Dylan and Grace, even though he's several years older than her.
I understand this is a kid's book, but perfect endings like this one just feels too fairy-tale to me. I personally think the second book was the best, partly because of how believable it felt despite all the ludicrous sci-fi.
The shock that Rose was Blackwood's clone was very well done though. But I wish he'd done more with it, showing Wolfe's internal conflict and delving into the moral nuances of human cloning. How does this change his relationship with Rose? Would he ever tell Grace?
So what's my verdict? Violet is actually the one behind everything, masterminding the death of her "father", because she couldn't exert enough control over him. She's the only immortal person alive now, as well as possessing superhuman ingenuity. She won't be greedy and self-serving like Blackwood, but she will strive to lead humanity and the sciences onto an even colder and more brutal path of evolution. All our main characters will live out their happy lives, oblivious to her true nature until their dying moments.
I mean, it's either that or putting Marty, Grace, Dylan, and Violet into a love rectangle. Throw in some Luther and hatchling daddy issues to spice things up.
April 13, 2022
I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I liked this book because the main character are very well-thought-out. The rivalry between Blackwood and Wolfe is always entertaining to read about. My favorite part about the book is when the crew finally uncovers Blackwoods secret about the clones he has made. When everybody found out about Blackwoods clones. I could just image everybody's jaw drop. It is very interesting that the main protagonist and the antagonist are related, and a lot of the side characters are related as well.
There are a couple of things that I didn’t like about this book. I didn’t like there were so many characters. It got a little hard to follow at times. The imagery and word choice could have been better also. In some parts, it was hard to understand what was going on because I couldn’t picture what was going on in my mind. To add to that, I feel like the author could have made it a little more descriptive. I got boring at times.
There are a couple of things that I didn’t like about this book. I didn’t like there were so many characters. It got a little hard to follow at times. The imagery and word choice could have been better also. In some parts, it was hard to understand what was going on because I couldn’t picture what was going on in my mind. To add to that, I feel like the author could have made it a little more descriptive. I got boring at times.
November 22, 2022
2022
2020
I really liked the way the story ended. It was mostly a happy ending for all (except for the baddies, of course). But I like the way that Violet turned out (because there was an epic chance that she might have wound up on the opposite side of Grace). And I liked that nothing poor happened to the hatchlings or to the chupacabra. Unfortunately, I was sad about the bearcat.
2017
2020
I really liked the way the story ended. It was mostly a happy ending for all (except for the baddies, of course). But I like the way that Violet turned out (because there was an epic chance that she might have wound up on the opposite side of Grace). And I liked that nothing poor happened to the hatchlings or to the chupacabra. Unfortunately, I was sad about the bearcat.
2017
January 17, 2025
I enjoyed this series for what it was, but looking back I was a little annoyed that chunks of these books were just action scenes. By the time I got to this one, I just skimmed those scenes. They didn't give me much substance. I was way more interested in learning about Grace and her backstory than anything else going on, but it was condensed to a few pages of lore at the end. I skimmed hundreds of pages of action just to get to the true "meat" of the story that I wanted, and sadly I was just left wanting more.
Also there were so many characters that had little to no impact, like the FBI guy. I would probably give this a 2 stars, but the author did create characters I enjoyed reading about (Marty, Grace, Wolf, Laurel, Noah, Butch). The actions scenes had them moving around as pawns. It read more like an action movie, which may be preferable to some people, but I just wanted to learn more about Grace and her history, which is why I forced myself to finish.
This book has multiple deaths (even more animal deaths) so I am not sure it is suitable for middle grade readers, if that is what you are looking it up for.
I have a couple questions that I will spoiler. It is possible I missed the answers while skimming the action scenes.
Also there were so many characters that had little to no impact, like the FBI guy. I would probably give this a 2 stars, but the author did create characters I enjoyed reading about (Marty, Grace, Wolf, Laurel, Noah, Butch). The actions scenes had them moving around as pawns. It read more like an action movie, which may be preferable to some people, but I just wanted to learn more about Grace and her history, which is why I forced myself to finish.
This book has multiple deaths (even more animal deaths) so I am not sure it is suitable for middle grade readers, if that is what you are looking it up for.
I have a couple questions that I will spoiler. It is possible I missed the answers while skimming the action scenes.
February 18, 2020
With the gang all back together, Marty, Grace and their friends are off to find the missing O'Hara's, with Noah and his people not far behind - and with the chase heating up in the jungles of Brazil, it will take some serious risks and surprises to stop Blackwood from getting what he wants. Smith ends this entertaining series with a pleasant wrap-up that, though short, provides heart and humour to a dark but exciting tale. Will Marty and Grace find the O'Hara's alive in the depths of the jungle, or are the answers waiting for them too horrible to comprehend?
July 6, 2021
One of my favorite books! Holds a special place in my heart as it was this book that got me hooked on reading back in middle school. Its what also started my obsession with cryptozoology... highly recommend!
March 10, 2025
Phenomenal ending to the series. I do wish there was a bit more at the end, rather than a Moleskine summary, but it could have been far worse. Everyone we wanted to survive lived, and everyone we didn't want to survive died! There were some... unfortunate moments, but a fantastic ending.
December 14, 2024
Whoops o finished this book ages ago.. uhhh it was good not very many cryptids in the books like I read all 4 and there was 2 in them cause erm dinosaurs aren’t cryptids they were real 🤓
August 21, 2019
So many interesting pieces, and unfortunately the author has no clue what to do with any of them. Plus, the characters got more and more cartoonish as the series progressed. I loved the first book as a kid and still enjoyed it as an adult, but the series has severely diminishing returns.
October 16, 2014
A fabulous conclusion to the Cryptids series!
April 22, 2018
Read this review (and others) at: https://literatureislife.com/2018/04/...
Note: This review will contain spoiler for the previous three books in the series (plus some of Smith’s other works).
Mutation is the culmination of three different stories by Roland Smith. First off is the previous Marty and Grace books, obviously. Dylan, who started off in Sasquatch, returns here as well. And Mutation brings in Jake Lansa and his parents from their series as well. Going into this one I did not know to read the Jake Lansa books beforehand, but you can tell they come in from another story. They are too fleshed out from the get-go to be brand new characters. And there is a little summary at the beginning of the book to give readers a refresher.
Everything across seven other books has led to the story here in Mutation. Marty’s parents have been missing since the beginning of Cryptid Hunters and it is time to finally find them. But of course, it will not be easy, not if Noah Blackwood has anything to say about it. With the dinosaurs still in his clutches, Marty’s parents are not the only ones who need saving. Chupacabra showed us how cruel and terrible Noah can be while Mutation delves into why. His origins felt a bit cliché but overall it works and fits well in a Young Adult series.
Despite being in the Marty and Grace series, Mutation does not focus on Marty and Grace as much as the previous three books. With former leading protagonists from other books in here as well, that is understandable. But it made it harder than necessary to focus on the good guys part of the story. Having Dylan and Jake along to help is fine, but their stories were wrapped up in their own books. Since this series was started with Marty and Grace, it should end with them as well. Writing former main characters as side characters can be difficult and awkward, but sometimes it needs to be done.
The story also has the characters in groups, so there is a bit of backtracking so that after we see what Group A was up to we can see what Groups B and C were up to at the same time. These little gripes are enough to make me say that Chupacabra was the high-point of this series, but this being the grand finale gets Mutation a solid score for second place.
Note: This review will contain spoiler for the previous three books in the series (plus some of Smith’s other works).
Mutation is the culmination of three different stories by Roland Smith. First off is the previous Marty and Grace books, obviously. Dylan, who started off in Sasquatch, returns here as well. And Mutation brings in Jake Lansa and his parents from their series as well. Going into this one I did not know to read the Jake Lansa books beforehand, but you can tell they come in from another story. They are too fleshed out from the get-go to be brand new characters. And there is a little summary at the beginning of the book to give readers a refresher.
Everything across seven other books has led to the story here in Mutation. Marty’s parents have been missing since the beginning of Cryptid Hunters and it is time to finally find them. But of course, it will not be easy, not if Noah Blackwood has anything to say about it. With the dinosaurs still in his clutches, Marty’s parents are not the only ones who need saving. Chupacabra showed us how cruel and terrible Noah can be while Mutation delves into why. His origins felt a bit cliché but overall it works and fits well in a Young Adult series.
Despite being in the Marty and Grace series, Mutation does not focus on Marty and Grace as much as the previous three books. With former leading protagonists from other books in here as well, that is understandable. But it made it harder than necessary to focus on the good guys part of the story. Having Dylan and Jake along to help is fine, but their stories were wrapped up in their own books. Since this series was started with Marty and Grace, it should end with them as well. Writing former main characters as side characters can be difficult and awkward, but sometimes it needs to be done.
The story also has the characters in groups, so there is a bit of backtracking so that after we see what Group A was up to we can see what Groups B and C were up to at the same time. These little gripes are enough to make me say that Chupacabra was the high-point of this series, but this being the grand finale gets Mutation a solid score for second place.
April 17, 2022
I totally called the cloning plot twist from the very first book! I was a little off though - I thought Grace was going to be a clone of Rose, but then later I thought that Rose was probably a clone of her absent mother. Then part way through this book I thought that Noah was going to also be a clone and that Mr Zwilling would be the "real" original person, so I was partly right with that. I feel gratified that my suspicions have been confirmed, but overall I think this could have wrapped up the story a little better. It took me a long time to get into it, because there was not as much about cryptozoology in the beginning, but once we learn about the compound, I got very into it very fast. And the village of triplets is intriguing, but there's never really an explanation for them. It sounds like they existed before the Nazis set up a compound, but are they a village of naturally occurring triplets? I find that very hard to believe, so that leads me to believe they are also clones, but that's never clarified. But if Blackwood likes to work in threes, then it makes sense that he had Rose, Grace, and Violet, all clones. It was also very convenient that the Cryptos Island crew had an inside man (Violet) in Noah's compound, but they didn't know about her until she betrayed Noah to help them. I also wish that there was more information about what happens with the compound after Blackwood's death. I would have liked to learn more about the animals that he had at the compound and what their lives will be like now. Overall, I seriously enjoyed this series, and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2018
Mutation
Roland Smith
"Marty and his best friend, Luther, have managed to rescue Marty's cousin Grace from the clutches of the nefarious pseudo-naturalist Noah Blackwood, but their most dangerous mission lies ahead of them. Marty's parents have been missing in Brazil for months, and their trail has all but run cold. With time running out, Marty and the Cryptos Island crew race off for Brazil, where they discover that Noah Blackwood has twisted the natural order of things beyond their wildest, most terrifying dreams." (Scholastic)
Mutation is an awesome story about friendship (not just with other humans) and how it helps you overcome amazing tasks. Smith weaves together a fantastic conclusion to his Cryptid Hunters series that leaves the reader asking themselves questions after every page turn. The extreme detail that Smith uses makes the storyline very interesting, not to mention easy to picture for younger readers.
Mutation is quite action-packed and thrilling. I often found myself on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down so I could find out what happened next. I recommend this book for readers who like interesting plots, not similar to what you might think.
Roland Smith
"Marty and his best friend, Luther, have managed to rescue Marty's cousin Grace from the clutches of the nefarious pseudo-naturalist Noah Blackwood, but their most dangerous mission lies ahead of them. Marty's parents have been missing in Brazil for months, and their trail has all but run cold. With time running out, Marty and the Cryptos Island crew race off for Brazil, where they discover that Noah Blackwood has twisted the natural order of things beyond their wildest, most terrifying dreams." (Scholastic)
Mutation is an awesome story about friendship (not just with other humans) and how it helps you overcome amazing tasks. Smith weaves together a fantastic conclusion to his Cryptid Hunters series that leaves the reader asking themselves questions after every page turn. The extreme detail that Smith uses makes the storyline very interesting, not to mention easy to picture for younger readers.
Mutation is quite action-packed and thrilling. I often found myself on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down so I could find out what happened next. I recommend this book for readers who like interesting plots, not similar to what you might think.
May 27, 2017
I think this was the most high-stakes adventure yet. It was a nice closer for the series, taking them back to another jungle which was reminiscent of the first book. But despite how fun and action filled it was, I had a few problems with it.
First, Ted and the FBI agent were barely in the book. I'm not sure what actual purpose they served in the story other than to get the kids to where they needed to be and kill a few people. Second, a lot of things felt under-explained. Like the Trips. Are they more clones? How does the cloning even work? And what about Violet? She didn't make a lot of sense. And the last was that the climax was disappointing. It was over too quickly and too easily in my opinion.
However, I really did enjoy this book. Dinosaurs running through the jungle? Very Jurassic Park. And you get to see more of Marty, Grace, and Dylan. Such a great team. Overall, a great series for anyone who loves adventure novels with a bit of speculative fiction.
First, Ted and the FBI agent were barely in the book. I'm not sure what actual purpose they served in the story other than to get the kids to where they needed to be and kill a few people. Second, a lot of things felt under-explained. Like the Trips. Are they more clones? How does the cloning even work? And what about Violet? She didn't make a lot of sense. And the last was that the climax was disappointing. It was over too quickly and too easily in my opinion.
However, I really did enjoy this book. Dinosaurs running through the jungle? Very Jurassic Park. And you get to see more of Marty, Grace, and Dylan. Such a great team. Overall, a great series for anyone who loves adventure novels with a bit of speculative fiction.
November 30, 2024
I want to preface this by saying I really loved this series - I read the first three books back when they were first released, and reread the entire series recently in order to finally read this conclusion. This book was good, however, it felt like a very anticlimactic ending to the series. Had it not been for this, I would've given the book a higher rating, as I did the others in this series.
July 13, 2018
After years of waiting (and a couple years not knowing there was a fourth book) I have finally had the chance to read the finale to a gripping tale, and I FLIPPING LOVE IT. Foreshadowing the research center with Rose's journals was great, fleshing out Nothing Blackwood and finishing off his back story was so needed, but unexpected, and I loved the whole thing. I would have liked to see more of Violet, and to have heard more about Rose, and to have had more info on how the O'Hara family was doing, and stuff about the Trips, and about Doc taking over the research center. The loose ends getting tied off just felt a little abrupt, even though there was room within the book to give us more. On its own I might give it a 4/5 because of that conclusion, but paired with the rest of the series and as a finale I was overall really happy with it, and glad to know how it all ended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2021
This book wasn’t as dynamic as the rest of the series as it was a wrap up instead of a hunt for a cool critter, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. If you’d asked me how this series ended, I wouldn’t have predicted this.
As always, Marty and Grace prove their resourcefulness, and knack for finding trouble. And the gadgets, man I’d kill for them.
I feel like I always knew the parents were still alive, but I didn’t expect them to be captives of Blackwood. Nor did I expect Blackwood to have a secret ex nazi base for genetic experiments... and for he and rose to be the products of said experiments.
Butch and Blackwood got what they deserved, but honestly I’d hoped they’d survive and be arrested and exposed. That seemed a lot more fitting. But oh well.
This series is super fun and I highly recommend it!
As always, Marty and Grace prove their resourcefulness, and knack for finding trouble. And the gadgets, man I’d kill for them.
I feel like I always knew the parents were still alive, but I didn’t expect them to be captives of Blackwood. Nor did I expect Blackwood to have a secret ex nazi base for genetic experiments... and for he and rose to be the products of said experiments.
Butch and Blackwood got what they deserved, but honestly I’d hoped they’d survive and be arrested and exposed. That seemed a lot more fitting. But oh well.
This series is super fun and I highly recommend it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2018
The final adventure ends in the Amazon and to see what has been uncovered by the Cryptid Hunters.
The final book in the tense and amazing series. The cryptid hunters find themselves stuck against Noah Blackwood. The book is taken in a different setting - The Amazon rainforest. The cryptid hunters find themselves losing power one by one so they need one way to save themselves. They use great observation in the story.
The author gives you a brief introduction of what happened in the first two books but you should definitely read the first two books to get the full adventure. The way the author shows how the characters think is a neat way to understand the reason of their choice. All of this contributed to this amazing book.- Varun K
The final book in the tense and amazing series. The cryptid hunters find themselves stuck against Noah Blackwood. The book is taken in a different setting - The Amazon rainforest. The cryptid hunters find themselves losing power one by one so they need one way to save themselves. They use great observation in the story.
The author gives you a brief introduction of what happened in the first two books but you should definitely read the first two books to get the full adventure. The way the author shows how the characters think is a neat way to understand the reason of their choice. All of this contributed to this amazing book.- Varun K
January 25, 2017
Mutation by Ronald Smith has a lot of things in common with the other three books except for the fact that they are searching for different cryptids, baby pandas and dinosaurs which Noah stole. The book takes place in the forests of the pacific northwest, it has a lot of interesting parts however there might be too many main characters because it is hard too keep track of all of them. Grace manages to steal back these animals and she returns them of course. despite having lots of characters I enjoyed this book and thought that it was a good ending to the series, it was getting very repetitive.
November 19, 2018
They are on a new adventure to a rainforest. Wolfe goes out to look for Marty's parents but gets trick and caputered so does the rest of the group beside Marty, Grace, and Dylan. They are getting tracked down by Youvonne and some thugs. They find the place where everybody is, make a plan sort a and go in. Marty gets cuaght by butch and was about to be killed when a giant crocidile comes out of the water and eats him. Everybody is saved and Marty found his parents. Some people are staying at the jauger perseve and some are staying at the Nazi base. Now that blackwood and his crew are dead Wplfe might not have any problems anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2020
I read this book 3+ times, and for a good reason too. This book is fantastic. The characters are likeable and relatable. I love how the book switches perspectives every now and again to keep things fresh and entertaining. By switching perspectives, it is increasingly exciting to see there characters slowly moving towards conflict or a point where the good guys and bad guys are close enough to see each other. This book also gives loads of sensory information, making you feel immersed in the unique and gorgeous settings. The outstanding plot makes this a real page-turner. Love the ending, too. A great and fulfilling way to end off a series as good as this!
February 1, 2023
I re-read this series as I remember loving it when I was young. I'd forgotten some of the surprises, so it was a delight to re-encounter them. My only issues with the series as a whole is that the author kept rehashing and repeating plot points or information from the previous books. It was also a little too exposition-y for my taste.
I also didn't realize until now that some of the characters introduced in this series are crossovers from two other books/series ("Sasquatch" and "Thunder Cave") that Smith had written. So that was cool!
Overall, Smith has created a very unique world that is a thrill to dive into.
I also didn't realize until now that some of the characters introduced in this series are crossovers from two other books/series ("Sasquatch" and "Thunder Cave") that Smith had written. So that was cool!
Overall, Smith has created a very unique world that is a thrill to dive into.
July 3, 2020
A fantastic end to a thrilling series. I forgot that what I was reading was a book meant for kids. I read the first book when I was 10 years old, and here I am ten years later, just as in love with the characters and the story as I was then. Smith doesn't fail to keep you engaged with plot twists and revelations at every corner. Every question you had will be answered, and then some. I could not recommend this series more for anyone of any age, you will enjoy it. Now I'm off to buy myself a couple of moleskine journals.
May 18, 2025
Loved this whole series and this book had an amazing plot with a great set up it just felt like it ended way too abruptly. For all the build up in this book it didn’t feel like it climaxed for long enough. The plot twists were great but I for saying goodbye to the entire series I felt like it deserved some longer explanations and more drawn out scenes. The creativity and lovable characters remained constant as always and still concluded one of my favorite series in a way I liked but I was left wanting so much more.
September 26, 2017
Mutation immediately grabs you as you read the first couple paragraphs. It contains action, suspense, and mystery. The main characters you follow (Marty and Grace) have different missions so each few paragraphs the sub-stories switch off, leaving you in suspense.
As the story progresses more mysteries get solved leaving you stunned and wanting more.
Another upside about this book is the variety of characters, you never get bored.Not to mention the phenomenal ending and intriguing storyline.
Overall, this book is packed with great content, lots of characters, secret connections, and lots of action. es more mysteries get solved leaving you stunned and wanting more. Every character is unique and interesting which really adds to the story. Another wonderful thing about this book is how you don't need to read the other books to have a great understanding.
As the story progresses more mysteries get solved leaving you stunned and wanting more.
Another upside about this book is the variety of characters, you never get bored.Not to mention the phenomenal ending and intriguing storyline.
Overall, this book is packed with great content, lots of characters, secret connections, and lots of action. es more mysteries get solved leaving you stunned and wanting more. Every character is unique and interesting which really adds to the story. Another wonderful thing about this book is how you don't need to read the other books to have a great understanding.
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