Nightmare Reef by Deborah Sheldon
Nightmare Reef is a deep-sea thriller by award-winning author Deborah Sheldon. Published on August 31, 2025 by Severed Press, the paperback weighs in at 197 pages.
Deborah Sheldon has done it again! Every time I think I have a favorite creature story that she’s written, she ups the ante and gives me another thrilling book! I sat down to start reading this book and ended up finishing it the same day. I was exhausted afterward from all of the adrenaline-inducing excitement!
Once you get introduced to the Wagners, prepare yourself for no-holds-barred suspense and terror as the family of five (and their dog!) embarks on a yearlong sailing excursion from Melbourne to San Francisco aboard the Nauti Buoy. You’ll experience the journey through the eyes of Marique, wife and mother of three. Though her self-confidence has been leeched out of her by her family since she was a young girl, and continues to be through her marriage, she finds a way to reconnect with herself and her inner strength on the trip.
There’s a lot of layering in this book. Of course, it’s no surprise if you look at the title and the cover, some monster madness that’s going to go down. Sheldon is clever with her braiding of POVs throughout the book, and I found the dueling storylines to be highly enjoyable and surprising.
Sheldon deftly adds in an emotional backbone to the story with themes of fatherhood, motherhood, and the double standards that can wreak havoc on relationships. This creates realistic characters and situations that readers can relate to in between the moments of heart-thumping terror. There is interesting commentary and food for thought about life and the changes that can happen to anyone, especially those relating to family dynamics and social etiquette in today’s world.
This story legitimately had me holding my breath and clenching my muscles. There is palpable danger and fear. I felt the fear of a parent desperate to protect my loved ones, the overwhelming and suffocating fear of drowning, and a claustrophobic fear gnawing at my gut as I imagined being below deck on a boat tossed around on the unforgiving open sea. The descriptions and well-placed (and plentiful) moments of suspense had me on edge the majority of the book. There is an intensity that brought the book to life for me, and it had my adrenaline flowing.
As long as she ignored the storm, it didn’t exist.
One of the things I enjoyed was experiencing so many “what now?!?!?” moments at every turn. Sheldon doesn’t let up, and it made me wonder what I would do if I were in Marique’s place. This book is intense, which is one of the reasons the story is so fantastic. Unlike any other sea creature story I’ve read to date, Nightmare Reef’s danger is relentless.
This book absolutely mesmerized me, causing my breath to hitch as I hungrily turned pages to learn what would happen in the end. It’s a book I wish I could read once more with the ability to experience it again for the first time.
So join me. Climb aboard the Nauti Buoy and explore the unknown—the cold, dark waters where monsters lurk above and beneath the surface. You might just learn a few things about yourself and what you’d be willing to do to survive.
Need more Deborah Sheldon? Here you go!
Check out my other reviews of Deborah Sheldon’s works:
From Deborah Sheldon’s Website:
I’M AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
I WRITE SHORT STORIES, NOVELLAS AND NOVELS ACROSS THE DARKER SPECTRUM OF HORROR, CRIME AND NOIR.
MY CREDITS ALSO INCLUDE TV SCRIPTS, STAGE PLAYS, MAGAZINE ARTICLES, AND AWARD-WINNING ANTHOLOGY EDITING AND MEDICAL WRITING.
Severed Press
Award-winning, independent publisher of science fiction, horror & creature features.
