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fishgirl182's review
4.0
I am really not a fan of serialized stories. What's the point of making me wait? Argh one more week till Part 3 is released.
toastymaloney's review
4.0
I kind of like the whole serial series thing. Good stuff. I am waiting with bated breath for the next installment.
lynseyisreading's review
4.0
Part II
Tensions are high in this second part of The Kraken King serial after Zenobia overhears something not meant for her ears. All the tentative trust built between herself and Ariq is seemingly shattered. Can it be rebuilt? Well, perhaps if they could stay out of danger for more than a few minutes! Secondary characters feature more prominently in this second part, establishing several intriguing subplots. And as ever, Stempunk worldbuilding elements are top notch. Excellent!
Tensions are high in this second part of The Kraken King serial after Zenobia overhears something not meant for her ears. All the tentative trust built between herself and Ariq is seemingly shattered. Can it be rebuilt? Well, perhaps if they could stay out of danger for more than a few minutes! Secondary characters feature more prominently in this second part, establishing several intriguing subplots. And as ever, Stempunk worldbuilding elements are top notch. Excellent!
denizyildiz's review
4.0
So quite frankly reading this was not a good idea in the least....
I was one of the super lucky people who got this as an ARC. Part I and II were part of said ARC, and since Iread gobbled up both parts in one go, I wrote a review for both of them. I simply wouldn't be able the separate the two afterwards.
The good news for fans of the series. This is another fabulous addition to an already great series. The "bad"news this will be published as a serial. Which means a lot of waiting time.
Because after finishing this my first reaction.. running to amazon pre-ordering part III and then freaking out because it was weeeeeeeeeeeeeks away. So my first thought after reading, maybe I shouldn't have started. Because this left me wanting more- no wait that's not right. It left me needing more.
The world building, is superb. If you read any of the previous books let me reassure you your expectations will be met. It is set in the Iron Seas world, in Australia to be exact and Brook adds her brand of fabulous gadgets and monsters. The world is described in detail and her gadgets are imaginative and a delight to this geeky heart.
The novel is written from Ariq and Zenobia's POV. The character building is as in the previous books slowly built, layer after layer of more depths is added to all the characters. There are actually quite a few support characters, I love how one sees different angles to them when the POV changes from one MC to the other.
The plot is true to Iron Seas form a mix of fantastic action and heart-melting sexy romance. Right from the beginning one is thrown into a whirlwind of action.
The romance just taking off at the end of Part II - the dance between Ariq and Zenobia being in full-force pull and push mode. But one is also left with a great amount of questions, a bit of mystery and worry over several characters wellbeing.
The pace of this is actually pretty amazing! There are rather beautiful moments of stillness alternated with super-exciting super-fast moments of heart-stopping action. Brook has mastered the art of just giving enough time for those more reflective moments to give the novel beautiful depths and throwing in enough action to keep the readers on their toes.
Brook's writing style is descriptive, subtle yet direct, full of depth and simply beautiful. Which is what made her one of my favorite authors in the first place.
I think the fabulously of the Iron Seas novels all lie in the incredibly perfect balance between world building, plot and character building. The Kraken King is another example of Brook's superb knowledge of her craft and talent.
This is part of the Iron Seas series but can be read as a stand-alone as well. If you haven't read any of the previous books in the series following the serial is definitely a great way to start it!
If your a fan- you won't be disappointed.
And the verdict on reading it as a serial? There was never a real choice...
An absolute MUST for lovers of the genre!
I was one of the super lucky people who got this as an ARC. Part I and II were part of said ARC, and since I
The good news for fans of the series. This is another fabulous addition to an already great series. The "bad"news this will be published as a serial. Which means a lot of waiting time.
Because after finishing this my first reaction.. running to amazon pre-ordering part III and then freaking out because it was weeeeeeeeeeeeeks away. So my first thought after reading, maybe I shouldn't have started. Because this left me wanting more- no wait that's not right. It left me needing more.
The world building, is superb. If you read any of the previous books let me reassure you your expectations will be met. It is set in the Iron Seas world, in Australia to be exact and Brook adds her brand of fabulous gadgets and monsters. The world is described in detail and her gadgets are imaginative and a delight to this geeky heart.
The novel is written from Ariq and Zenobia's POV. The character building is as in the previous books slowly built, layer after layer of more depths is added to all the characters. There are actually quite a few support characters, I love how one sees different angles to them when the POV changes from one MC to the other.
The plot is true to Iron Seas form a mix of fantastic action and heart-melting sexy romance. Right from the beginning one is thrown into a whirlwind of action.
The romance just taking off at the end of Part II - the dance between Ariq and Zenobia being in full-force pull and push mode. But one is also left with a great amount of questions, a bit of mystery and worry over several characters wellbeing.
The pace of this is actually pretty amazing! There are rather beautiful moments of stillness alternated with super-exciting super-fast moments of heart-stopping action. Brook has mastered the art of just giving enough time for those more reflective moments to give the novel beautiful depths and throwing in enough action to keep the readers on their toes.
Brook's writing style is descriptive, subtle yet direct, full of depth and simply beautiful. Which is what made her one of my favorite authors in the first place.
I think the fabulously of the Iron Seas novels all lie in the incredibly perfect balance between world building, plot and character building. The Kraken King is another example of Brook's superb knowledge of her craft and talent.
This is part of the Iron Seas series but can be read as a stand-alone as well. If you haven't read any of the previous books in the series following the serial is definitely a great way to start it!
If your a fan- you won't be disappointed.
And the verdict on reading it as a serial? There was never a real choice...
An absolute MUST for lovers of the genre!
abookishtype's review
3.0
Kraken, balloon-borne marauders, and boilerworms! Oh my! Zenobia Fox has her work out cut out for her when she sets off from Denmark to accompany her friend, Helene, to the Red City of the Far East in The Kraken King, by Meljean Brook.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
amym84's review
5.0
4.5
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
When last we left our ‘scribbling spinster’ she was determined to get her friend Helene to the Red City on account of Helene’s, shall we say, delicate condition. The Kraken King Part 2: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm starts with Ariq deciding he needs to visit the smugglers’ den to see if he can get information about the marauders. After exhausting all other options Zenobia asks if she and her group can accompany Ariq and his to the smugglers’ den and from there get an airship to take them to Helene’s husband.
Zenobia just can’t get out of her head what Mara relayed about Ariq: He wants to learn her secrets. She was also put off by thinking Ariq may share the same sentiment as his brother; thinking Zenobia was ugly. Ariq, for his part, doesn’t know why Zenobia’s attitude towards him has suddenly changed, but just like his titular moniker, once he has something in his grasp he doesn’t let go. He figures this little journey will be the perfect opportunity to win himself back into Zenobia’s graces.
So our group is heading out on the spider-like walkers into the wilds of Australia to gain permission from the aboriginals to cross their land. Other than that the only thing they have to worry about are…. boilerworms! (My mind conjured up images of mechanical Tremors-type worms, or for those classic sci-fi fans Dune anyone?)
I liked that, in following the flow of the story, the action scenes were more toward the end of this ‘part’ with exposition at the beginning. It was a nice opposite from Part 1, which had them reversed. It was also nice to see Ariq and Zenobia not being able to stick to their guns in regards to keeping away from each other. Zenobia is still wary of The Kraken King but she can’t seem to stop looking at his mouth!
The ideas of fear and bravery were dealt with quite a bit in The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm. Helene cites Zenobia’s actions aboard the airship as though she was ‘having a picnic’, and goes further saying that Zenobia was going about the business of evacuating very calmly and when it came to jumping off the flyer she took the plunge with no hesitation. Zenobia thinks this is an incorrect assessment as she was terrified the whole time.
Likewise, in Part 2, Zenobia again doesn’t hesitate when it comes to helping out her friends when the Abominable Worm strikes, even though it could put herself at risk. In contrast, Ariq states that ‘fear has no place in battle’. Yet he expresses his fear at seeing Zenobia jump into the fight, but not of the boilerworm itself.
The ending of this week’s installment was much more intriguing than Part 1. I’ll admit, it is this moment right now that makes me wish this had been released in one volume.
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
When last we left our ‘scribbling spinster’ she was determined to get her friend Helene to the Red City on account of Helene’s, shall we say, delicate condition. The Kraken King Part 2: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm starts with Ariq deciding he needs to visit the smugglers’ den to see if he can get information about the marauders. After exhausting all other options Zenobia asks if she and her group can accompany Ariq and his to the smugglers’ den and from there get an airship to take them to Helene’s husband.
Zenobia just can’t get out of her head what Mara relayed about Ariq: He wants to learn her secrets. She was also put off by thinking Ariq may share the same sentiment as his brother; thinking Zenobia was ugly. Ariq, for his part, doesn’t know why Zenobia’s attitude towards him has suddenly changed, but just like his titular moniker, once he has something in his grasp he doesn’t let go. He figures this little journey will be the perfect opportunity to win himself back into Zenobia’s graces.
So our group is heading out on the spider-like walkers into the wilds of Australia to gain permission from the aboriginals to cross their land. Other than that the only thing they have to worry about are…. boilerworms! (My mind conjured up images of mechanical Tremors-type worms, or for those classic sci-fi fans Dune anyone?)
I liked that, in following the flow of the story, the action scenes were more toward the end of this ‘part’ with exposition at the beginning. It was a nice opposite from Part 1, which had them reversed. It was also nice to see Ariq and Zenobia not being able to stick to their guns in regards to keeping away from each other. Zenobia is still wary of The Kraken King but she can’t seem to stop looking at his mouth!
The ideas of fear and bravery were dealt with quite a bit in The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm. Helene cites Zenobia’s actions aboard the airship as though she was ‘having a picnic’, and goes further saying that Zenobia was going about the business of evacuating very calmly and when it came to jumping off the flyer she took the plunge with no hesitation. Zenobia thinks this is an incorrect assessment as she was terrified the whole time.
Likewise, in Part 2, Zenobia again doesn’t hesitate when it comes to helping out her friends when the Abominable Worm strikes, even though it could put herself at risk. In contrast, Ariq states that ‘fear has no place in battle’. Yet he expresses his fear at seeing Zenobia jump into the fight, but not of the boilerworm itself.
The ending of this week’s installment was much more intriguing than Part 1. I’ll admit, it is this moment right now that makes me wish this had been released in one volume.
mcummings's review
5.0
I really enjoyed the second installment, even better than the first. I am getting used to the serialization aspect, looking forward to each new installment on Tuesdays, and I am loving the additional world-building/history of the Horde, and the glimpses of Ariq and Zenobia. They are not stupid people, and that is refreshing!
isalavinia's review
5.0
This is what people in the old days must have felt while reading serials in the papers.
Mind you, this isn't the first serial I've followed, but it's doubtlessly the most exciting of them all to date!
Zenobia is still determined to get her friend Helene to her husband as soon as possible, so they must accompany Ariq, the Kraken King, in his search for marauders, which will bring them to a vehicle which can bear them to the Red City.
But, as we've come to expect, it's not an easygoing journey. Boilerworms, dreadful creatures reminiscent of the worms from the movie Tremors, are out to get them, which is every bit as exciting as Ariq's flirtatious conversations with Zenobia.
And, of course, this wouldn't be a Meljean Brook book without being peppered by amazing bits of brilliance:
"Refusing to take advantage of a woman should be a basic part of any man’s character, and lauding him for it would be like commending someone for having lungs to breathe with.
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