Zenobia and Ariq must now move quickly and carefully. It’s
not just the Rebellion against the Horde that are manoeuvring to claim the
Skybreaker, but the Nipponese Empire as well. Both of them are powers that can
wipe out Ariq’s home of Krakentown and all the people who have come to respect
and rely on him.
They need to stop this conflict before it even begins –
because against such powers even if they win the fight, the cost will be impossibly
high to pay
This finally concludes the whole saga of the Kraken King.
On the whole I’ve loved it, but I think in future I will wait for all the
individual “episodes” to be released on one book – the short story format doesn’t
work well for me, though this series has done a very good job of resisting the
urge to recap excessively with each instalment and has assumed that we remember
the last book and didn’t need it regurgitating all over again.
The writing is also excellent. We’ve got the perfect
pacing without either the rush which leaves emotions flat and the world
unexplained, or the vast rambly lines of someone who loves their angst
monologues or who is desperate to give me a lecture on their world and how much
they love it. We have humour, we have action, we have plotting and thinking and
rich worlds and snark and good emotion – we have it all and I love it, yes yes
I do. And as an ending book in a mini-series this is the ending and it ends it
well – it’s satisfying, it’s triumphant, it leaves you feeling vindicated and
victorious and doesn’t leave any ends left loose – while still leaving
everything in place in case the author wants to come back.
The writing has always made me like this series. But what
has made me love this series throughout are the characters
Perhaps my greatest love has been how practical they are.
I read a lot of books and watch a lot of shows where people lose their ever
loving minds on a regular basis. They constantly do things that make little
sense – or which require them to act in a grossly excessive, self-absorbed or
emotionally extreme manner. Zenobia and Ariq are not those people. They are
sensible – when they’re hurt or upset or angry, they feel it, they feel it
deeply – but they also factor in common sense. They don’t leap off without
thinking (or are at least aware when they do), they maintain perspective and
they maintain their priorities. Zenobia in always keeping herself safe and not
letting love overwhelm caution and Ariq by always remembering his people who
rely on him and he has a duty to. Zenobia is no coward but fully recognises
what she can and cannot do and when her presence adds nothing. Ariq is
protective but fully recognises that this can be stifling and smothering. He’s
huge and dangerous and capable of massive violence both personally and with the
weapons at his command – and he doesn’t use them because he recognises the long
term consequences.
This has been maintained throughout the books and really
shines through in the ending. An ending where angry lashing out would work –
where rage and vengeance would not only be acceptable but something I would
cheer… and they don’t. They’re sensible, they’re restrained, they recognise
what is good in the long run for themselves but mainly for the people who they
owe respect to. They’re actually worthy of being leaders not because they’re
super strong or pretty or have special woo-woo, but because they take that duty
seriously. They’re certainly better people than me.
In turn this also worked really well with the romance, it
was passionate, it was stormy, they had falling outs and difficulties and rifts
but all were very natural to their characters, all came with understandable,
sensible even while emotional responses and none of them felt ridiculous. I
felt for them, I didn’t get frustrated by them. Perhaps this is as much because
neither of them stopped becoming people in order to become love interests which
I think a lot of romance I’ve read has had a problem with: the romance hits and
their world disappears – except for the romance and things that affect that
romance. Ariq and Zenobia end this book in love, their marriage affirmed and
all the stronger for the respect they have built for each other rather than the
ZING INSTA LOVE STRIKES!
I love this world – again something I’ve said before but
really continues in this book. We not just have the wonderful steampunk with
all it’s technology but it’s different history and different source of empire
creates a really fascinating world with a lot of really good differences from
our own – like native peoples, not a victim of colonialism, being a power to be
reckoned with. The Nipponese Empire may have fled to Australia to escape the
Horde, but while they are a massive power that Ariq respects, even they are
wary of angering the Wajarri. Equally, I like how Ariq respects them as
independent people who don’t owe him anything – and doesn’t expect them to be dragged
into his conflicts even if they do provide incidental help.
There’s also a lot of complexity that goes into the
overall story of the rebellion against the Horde. The fact that the rebels are
acting in exactly the way that once provoked the rebellion in the first place
touches a lot on the complexities of the world. I also really enjoyed Ariq’s
analysis of Temur Agha – who had committed atrocities he can never be forgiven
for; but who feels guilty because of them and therefore is more worthy of trust
than one who’s record is cleaner but is indifferent towards the carnage he may
cause. The subtlety and nuances of this world are really rich and worth
appreciating.
On top of that we have a large amount of racial diversity
in this book. Set in Australia with representatives of the Horde and Nipponese
empire, White characters are the exception, not the rule. In addition we have a
lot of conversations about cultural differences, customs, beliefs and a lot of
character in the POC without resorting to gross and simplistic stereotyping.
While Zenobia is an awesome woman there are other women
around her all with skills and talents – Helene was misjudged a lot but is
handled with relative sympathy and insight. Mara is capable and dangerous – and
more than just a weapon, even if we don’t see a lot of her she’s still painted
in detail. Of course we have Yasmeen dropping in from previous books and both
she and Zenobia are skilled, capable and don’t hate each other. Ariq’s mother
died but she is mentioned constantly with great respect nor is her death used
as a motive to drive his actions – just as Zenobia’s mother’s plight is
regarded with great sympathy without it being any more of a shaper of her
actions than her father’s abuse or even than the kidnapping that comes from her
brother’s wealth.
The Horde’s use of mechanical alterations on people –
often adopted by others as well – is often used as a way to examine disability
and class as well.
Sadly, throughout the whole serial there are no LGBT
people which is a real shame in this rich world.
Having finished this book I can only hope that this isn’t
the last we’ve heard of Zenobia – even if she’s only a guest in her brother’s
stories. Her story and her snark are far too precious not to bring out again
and again.
