The Kraken King

The Kraken King is the latest book in Meljean Brook's The Iron Seas series.

A former smuggler and thief, Ariq- better known as the Kraken King- doesn't know what to make of the clever, mysterious woman he rescues from an airship besieged by marauders.  Unsure if she's a spy or a pawn in someone's else game, Ariq isn't about to let her out of his sight until he finds out...

After escaping  her fourth kidnapping attempt in a year, Zenobia Fox learned to vigilantly guard her identity.  While her brother Archeimedes is notorious for his exploits, Zenobia has no adventure to call her own- besides the stories she writes.

But when she jumps at the chance to escape to the wilds of Australia and acquire research for her next story, Zenobia quickly discovers that the voyage will be far more adventurous than any fiction she could put to paper...

The Breakdown:
1. The Iron Seas is one of my favorite steampunk series.  I am was pretty excited to see that Zenobia was getting her own book.  Brook originally released this as a series of novella.  I am so glad I waited for them to be combined into the full length novel before reading because having to wait for the next release would have driven me crazy.

2. I loved that Brook introduced characters that grew up in the heart of the Horde, or Golden Empire.  Ariq was an amazing character.  I loved the way his mind worked, and how he direct with his words.  I enjoyed his background story, and learning his secrets as he learns  Zenobia's secrets.

3. I liked that Zenobia different from Brook's previous heroines in that she is not trained any sort of weaponry or fighting styles.  She is extremely smart and witty.  I thought the conversations between her and Ariq were so well written. I very much enjoyed all their interactions.

4. Not only was the romance between Zenobia and Ariq wonderful, but the story was fun and exciting. Their quest to discover the marauders and save Ariq's town from the Nipponese empire was full of interesting twist and turns.  Plus the fantastic settings of Krakentown and the Red City.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read