Part One: The Kraken King and the Scribbling Spinster – 4 stars
Part Two: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm – 4 stars
Part Three: The Kraken King and the Fox’s Den – 4.5 stars
Part Four: The Kraken King and the Inevitable Abduction – 4 stars
Because The Kraken King is being published in eight weekly instalments, I’m going to blog the first four as one book, and the final four as another, mainly because I don’t want to wait until I’ve read all the parts to share my feels so far. So to anyone reading – be aware that there is more to come.
Zenobia Fox is used to a quiet life in Fladstand (on the north-East coast of what we’d know as the US). The only bursts of any kind of excitement are when she occasionally gets abducted and held for ransom, because her brother is a tremendously wealthy adventurer and explorer, married to a ruthless and fierce airship captain (see Heart of Steel). Zenobia is the woman who chronicles their adventures, in stories everyone believes to be fiction. Her childhood friend Helene, however, knows nothing of her secret life as an author, and believes her to be a widow very conscientious about her correspondence. She asks Geraldine (Zenobia’s real name) to accompany her on a journey to Nippon (Japanese-controlled areas of what we’d know as Northern Australia.) and Zenobia eagerly accepts. It will give her a chance to see some of the parts of the world she’s only ever read about in her brother’s letters, and ideas for her new stories.
At first, everything seems to be going well, with Zenobia’s mercenary bodyguards posing as her maid and late husband’s valet. When the airship they are on is shot down by bandits, Zenobia gets to experience more adventure than she had hoped for. Full review.
I was iffy on the Iron Duke and haven’t fully embraced steampunk. But you might have convinced me to give Meljean Brook another go with this lovely review!
Really, The Iron Duke is my least favourite of all the books because Rhys is such an alpha douchebag hero. I love Mina, though. Archemedes is a MUCH better hero, with no problem that his love interest is faster, stronger and fiercer than him and the kickass captain of an awesome airship. Riveted is also good, with the heroine raised in a settlement of basically all lesbians in Iceland. Ariq is a much more alpha hero again, but unlike Rhys, he’s extremely patient and respectful of Zenobia’s boundaries. I should really tell everyone who wants to check out The Iron Seas to just skip the first book. All the books are stand-alone anyway, although The Kraken King is even more fun if you’ve read Heart of Steel.
So if I was going to give Meljean another go which book should I go with? I’m laughing out loud at the idea of this lesbian Icelandic commune but if you say that’s the launchpad of an epic story I’ll go with it!
Try Heart of Steel, my favourite. If you don’t like that one, you’re unlikely to like any of the later books in the series either. It’s a rollicking adventure story, as well as a very compelling romance.