With thanks to the author, publishers Amber Books Ltd and NetGalley, for providing me with a DRC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sharks have been roaming the seas for at least 400million years, before the dinosaurs, and so have proven themselves as being near if not top of the food chain by their longevity. I had no idea there were so many different species of sharks though, from a dwarf variety that you fit in the palm of your hand, to the enormous whale shark which can grow to 40ft in length.

And not all varieties are the scary man-eaters that Hollywood and the media would have us believe. I swam with whale sharks in Australia over 20 years ago, one in particular that had a mouth as wide as a bus, but it was more interested in plankton than me for a snack!

Through a combination of informative texts blurbs and stunning photographs, this book presents them all in a format that is easy to read through or dip in and out of as time allows.

It also covers other rays and skates, other predators such as jellyfish and a variety of crustaceans, and finally marine mammal hunters like the seal, walrus, polar bear and even the killer whale.

Overall a really comprehensive guide to the marine predators of all shapes and sizes!

This is a decisively important and well crafted informative volume on sharks and other undersea predators of note such as box jellyfish and octopuses. The photography is absolutely breathtaking and fully allows you to appreciate these animals as best you can shy of an aquarium or being in the water with them. It is full of information on feeding, life cycles, breeding, habitats, etc. Also it introduces the reader to many varieties and species of shark they may not normally be aware of. As a long time water of shark week there is always more you can learn and education is key to protecting these immensely Powderly and vulnerable predators from the dangers we pose to them as our world continues to change.

Amazing photographs which hook the reader in and so many facts. Great for non-chronological reports and reading for pleasure. Amazing subject.

I learned so much about sharks. I was not expecting to see sharks I had not heard of. The photos were beautiful, The facts were interesting. I am looking forward to seeing it full size.

5 stars

Once more Amber Books give us something sitting nicely halfway between a coffee table book and something a touch more academic. Here are all the vicious large sharks, and the dogfish, and a lot else besides, as later chapters that look at anything vaguely predatorial, whether it be a jellyfish or an orca, prove. Visually this is nothing short of splendid, with the amount of dynamic and crystal clear photos really helping us appreciate these critters, while the text in the captions is just enough for my tastes – anything less would have seemed too slight, anything richer in detail probably off-putting for the general browser such as I. Many a child would have seen a general book about sharks and similar beasts when young, just in case they remained of interest and it made an oceanographer of her – this is very much the adult equivalent, and it's an informative and very attractive title to flick through. A strong four stars.

I am an avid Shark lover. This book was so beautiful and incredible that I will be purchasing the print version when it is released. The photography is phenomenal.

Thank you to Amber Books and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the best shark book that I have seen in a long time. This would be great for a child who loves sharks or in a classroom. The real pictures of sharks are the best thing about the book. There is so much information on different sharks that you can spend a long time learning something new.

Really interesting! It's amazing with all the photos. It contains lots of interesting facts and stories about all kinds of sharks. I've learned a lot of new things about sharks, thanks a lot.

My 11 year old son and I greatly enjoyed this book. Mostly just for enjoyment as opposed to educational it was beautiful, with a few facts sprinkled throughout explaining the pictures as you went along. There were some truly exquisite pictures throughout, especially of the rays and cephalopods, they were our favourites even though the main title of the book is Sharks. The facts that were sprinkled throughout the book were educational and relevant to the photos which was fab. All in all a great coffee table book for all ages to presume through.

We (my little kid reviewers and I) loved this book! Initially I thought it would be a mild educational book to flip though, but the PICTURES!! Wow. We zoomed in, zoomed out, went back to look again…talk about magnificent pictures. I will say, we were disappointed in a lack of Goblin Shark appearances, but the book itself is well organized, well written, and totally worth the read.

The reason I enjoy Tom Jackson’s books is not only the gorgeous photographs, but the texts that accompany them. These give a lot of information about what you’re seeing, setting the images in context. This volume, devoted to the predators of the sea, includes not only the usual finned suspects but other species such as jellyfish, rays, octopods, lobsters and even mammals. As usual, the pictures are beautiful, with more color than one would expect from such a lightless world as the bottom of the ocean. The details are amazing, you can almost feel the texture of these wonderful creatures, and see details that are not easily on display, such as the mouths of rays or the spines in crabs’ faces. The blurbs add enough detail so that the reader can make sense of what’s in the photos. Another wonderful volume from the author. Five stars!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Amber Books!