Book Review: Savage Jungle by Hunter Shea

They are called the Orang Pendek, masters of the steamy Sumatran rain forest.

Henrik Kooper watched his father die at the brutal hands of the orange-haired ape men. Having barely survived helping twins Natalie and Austin McQueen discover and destroy the beasts lurking in Loch Ness, it’s now his turn for vengeance. Within the treacherous jungles of Sumatra lies the fabled lost city of Gadang Ur. Its secrets are guarded by a savage band of Orang Pendek who lord over the strange and deadly creatures of the hidden land. Utter madness is the lifeblood of Gadang Ur. Henrik’s journey into darkness will take them to the ragged edge of hell on Earth.

Some places were never meant to be discovered. 

My Review: 
This book and review should be read after Loch Ness Revenge as it features survivors from the first book. I admit that I was not looking forward to reading this book because I really didn't like Natalie the MC and to a lesser extent her brother. However I was quietly pleased to report that I did like the characters in this book and it was a good story to read.

Natalie, Austin and Henrik have survived the battle with the Loch Ness monsters and have been relaxing for six weeks at a quiet German spa to heal and recover from the ordeal. The peace is shattered one day when Henrik declares that he has arranged the trip to Indonesia. Now it is time for the twins to help Henrik with his own revenge mission, entering the jungles of Sumatra in search of the Orang Pendrik to search for the humanoid monkey creatures that murdered Henrik's father when he was a kid. Natalie is scared of flying and unsure of what they might find, but a promise is a promise, and they head off to meet up with the hired guides.

Oscar is the game hunter kind of guy who knows how to take care of himself. Surya is the local guide who has hired porters to carry the supplies into the jungle. With the hot humid weather and the eerie jungle noises, nerves are very much stretched. That is when they get their first look at how deadly the Orang Pendek are, and the other surprises the jungle has in store are going to test them all to the limits of their endurance...  

This was pretty high octane compated to Loch Ness Revenge. From the moment they get to the jungle, the characters are faced with a series of deadly monsters to deal with and things get interesting when they are all split up and facing their own problems, while trying to find each other again. This is one jungle where if you go down to the woods today, you're in for a big surprise! There is also the side plot of trying to find a lost city from legend which is thought to be guarded by the Orang Pendek and that was interesting too. I'm a great believer that you could find anything in these jungle places so I liked what we did meet!  

I really love the character of Henrik. He is smart and determined and is a prepper for every occasion. When things start to go wrong, he keeps his head and tries to think of a plan to get him out of the mess. He is always resourceful and I enjoyed the plot about revenge for the death of his father, and the trouble it gets him into. I could happily read a whole pile of books about his adventures hunting for cryptids. I liked all the characters this time round and enjoyed the book more than I expected to.

Overall there was plenty of mad monster action to get your teeth into which is the kind of book I like. There was a fast pace to the action, keeping you guessing what disaster was coming next. There was also a twist that I wasn't expecting and that certainly changed the plot towards the end! I like it when an author can surprise you! This was another entertaining adventure from Hunter Shea who is fast becoming a favourite author!

Read November 2017
4 stars