Review: I can't believe I haven't discovered Meljean Brook before now!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2014
Part I of the Kraken King crosses off every item I didn't know I had on my checklist for the Next Great Read.1. Adventure in the form of marauders attacking a diplomatic naval airship for no apparent but sure-to-be nefarious reasons, bailing off a flying glider as it spirals down into the ocean...oh and a colossal kraken washed up on a beach? Check.2. Out-of-this-worldbuilding that completely sucked me in and includes fantastical machinery, contrasting cultures and and what promises to be (my favorite thing ever) an erratic political climate? Absolutely.3. A heroine with a seriously kick-ass name that I may give to one of my maybe children someday? Present and accounted for (hopefully by the gruff but already delicious smuggler/thief/hero, Ariq).This serial begins with a letter from Zenobia to her brother Archimedes informing him that she's headed across the world to Australia with a friend - but not to worry! She'll be taking some trusted mercenary friends with her as protection against a proclivity for finding herself kidnapped. However, Zenobia is no TSTL heroine. She's actually a writer who prefers to experience adventure at a safe distance, but that doesn't stop her from keeping her cool in a bad situation.The Kraken King Part I was simply delightful, and I raced through it. This is the first of anything I've read by Meljean Brook, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I only paused to write this review and now I am off to devour The Kraken King Part II: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm.