I think I am settling on a 3-star rating for this book. As someone who loves octopuses but doesn't know a ton about them yet, a lot of the information provided in this book was new to me. They are incredible creatures, and the more I learn about them, the more fascinated I am! I definitely want to continue to learn more about them and marine life in general.

However, a good portion of this book was filled with the author's personal anecdotes, which didn't interest me as much as the octopus information. Although it was interesting to read about Montgomery's time in the aquarium and learning to dive in the ocean, I found myself only being able to read for a short time before my interest waned. I also fell into a big reading slump while reading this book (which is why it took me six months to finish), and I am unsure if the book put me into the slump or if the slump manifested for outside, life-related reasons, and it negatively affected my interest in the book. Regardless, it just didn't grip me as much as I wanted it to. 

I normally like the mix of memoir and scientific information, but in this case, I found myself wanting to get back to the octopuses when the book veered away from them for too long. Additionally, I do wish the author had discussed the ethics of keeping octopuses in aquariums more. As a person who loves aquariums and sees the benefits of these facilities in terms of research, education, and conservation, I think that there are many downsides as well, especially for animals as intelligent as the octopus. Considering the book highlights how incredibly intelligent octopuses are, I think it would have been a great conversation.