"Wrenching, dark, and powerful." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "In his latest, the critically acclaimed and wildly divergent Ness, never one for convention, takes the story of Moby-Dick, pares it down to its basic parts, and quite literally inverts it. Ness' writing--spare, thought provoking, and already dramatic--is utterly enhanced by Cai's breathtaking artwork." -- Booklist (starred review) "An excellent, stirring counterpoint to the original text, rife with questions about the inexorable nature of belief and violence." -- School Library Journal (starred review) "The whale epic, particularly Bathsheba's discussions with the human hostage, mounts an exploration of inherited prejudices, violence justified, and the far-reaching consequences of war." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Fans moved by the author's A Monster Calls will be especially gratified to see Ness revisit this type of mythic, philosophical storytelling artfully complemented by powerful illustrations." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) "Bathsheba's story has heft, even though Ness's book is significantly shorter than Melville's. Rovina Cai's illustrations are detailed and dream-like, her gray-scale with splashes of color depictions of the fathomless world an additional source of intensity in this already fierce tale.

" -- Shelf Awareness (starred review).