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assassinslover's review against another edition
5.0
Moved my soul and had me grinning and close to tears. I love these guys.
nclcaitlin's review
4.0
The story kicks off with the crew of the Ketty Jay robbing an orphanage. Six men, one woman (kind of), a golem and a cat.
They’re then recruited to accompany an expedition to find a downed aircraft full of treasures rumoured to be of the Azryx - a lost civilisation with highly advanced technology.
Only thing is, it’s in a rainforest in Kurg - the vast island off Vardia's north-eastern coast. Impenetrable. Hostile. Populated by beasts so horrible that the mere mention of them made the local wildlife scatter.
There’s a lot of individual character growth as each person tries to overcome their inner fears. This sees them breaking away, withdrawing, and their presence being missed by the rest of the crew.
Even the cat has a perspective!
The crew of the Ketty Jay were a finely balanced group. Individually, each man and woman was a mess, but together, somehow, they'd found a way to work.
If that doesn’t scream idiots who slowly become a kinda functioning (that’s arguable), maniac found family, then I don’t what does!
Pinn whooped. ‘Watch out, boys! It's dyin' time!' he yelled.
Frey presumed he was addressing the enemy.
It’s whacky, it’s fun, it’s a joyride.
This was my favourite of the series!
If you want a steampunk book that gives you Indiana Jones vibes, read this!
They’re then recruited to accompany an expedition to find a downed aircraft full of treasures rumoured to be of the Azryx - a lost civilisation with highly advanced technology.
Only thing is, it’s in a rainforest in Kurg - the vast island off Vardia's north-eastern coast. Impenetrable. Hostile. Populated by beasts so horrible that the mere mention of them made the local wildlife scatter.
There’s a lot of individual character growth as each person tries to overcome their inner fears. This sees them breaking away, withdrawing, and their presence being missed by the rest of the crew.
Even the cat has a perspective!
The crew of the Ketty Jay were a finely balanced group. Individually, each man and woman was a mess, but together, somehow, they'd found a way to work.
If that doesn’t scream idiots who slowly become a kinda functioning (that’s arguable), maniac found family, then I don’t what does!
Pinn whooped. ‘Watch out, boys! It's dyin' time!' he yelled.
Frey presumed he was addressing the enemy.
It’s whacky, it’s fun, it’s a joyride.
This was my favourite of the series!
If you want a steampunk book that gives you Indiana Jones vibes, read this!
caverns_of_steel's review against another edition
4.0
Great book! Pure fun from start to finish, with not a single boring or filler chapter to complain about (this was something that bothered me a bit in the first book. I enjoyed it but there were some scenes that I had to force myself to read through).
Chris Wooding's work on character development in this one is absolutely great. He takes a pretty basic cast and in the span of 400 pages manages to make us fall in love with almost all of them (even the ones that are supposed to be the villains).
This is a solid 4 stars book, and if the series keeps improving at this rate, I might end up putting it on the same shelf as the Dresden Files: the kind of series that you force yourself to read slowly, one book a time, because you don't want to discover one night at 3 AM after turning the last page of the latest volume that you'll have to wait for the next one to be published before you can reunite with the characters that you grew fond of and became almost real in your mind(if that makes any sense).
Chris Wooding's work on character development in this one is absolutely great. He takes a pretty basic cast and in the span of 400 pages manages to make us fall in love with almost all of them (even the ones that are supposed to be the villains).
This is a solid 4 stars book, and if the series keeps improving at this rate, I might end up putting it on the same shelf as the Dresden Files: the kind of series that you force yourself to read slowly, one book a time, because you don't want to discover one night at 3 AM after turning the last page of the latest volume that you'll have to wait for the next one to be published before you can reunite with the characters that you grew fond of and became almost real in your mind(if that makes any sense).
samstrong's review against another edition
4.0
A welcome return from Darian Frey and the crew of the Ketty Jay. It meanders a bit in the middle, but still... Adventure, hilarity and character development! The whole thing was just really good fun.
nickyxxx's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot, cannot, stress enough how much I loved this.
Do you know the feeling of returning to your favorite series of all times, and then regretting having put off continuing with the sequels? yup that's me with this one. I was so much in love with the first book of the series that I was afraid of being disappointed by the second book. you know, second-book-syndrome is so, so real after all.....
But oh man this book exceeded all my expectations.
I’m most impressed by the cast. Near the end of Retribution Falls, they developed and showed their own traits and personalities. and I thought it couldn't get any better...... OH BOI was i wrong. In this second book, they were just like real people. They were fleshed out great, and their traits were so recognizable from the first book. Time had passed after Retribution Falls, so some characters had changed somewhat. But that didn’t confuse me at all – rather, it added a whole new layer to each character, and it made me like them even more. It was like I knew them personally, and that’s the best kind of characters.... right?? RÍGHTTT..??!! c'mon why can't more authors do this??
and actually i hated that a little tbh, because it made some parts of the story hurt even more. I’m not one quick to cry with books, but Wooding surely made me feel sad at times, and that’s an accomplishment in itself. HATS OFF.....
The story itself started off in the exact same way as Retribution Falls. Robbery gone wrong, and Frey & Co. have to haul balls and get the hell out of there, same old same old. And again, the story picked up only after the 30% mark, since the inciting event occurred relatively late. And I felt like halfway through the story, Wooding wasn’t quite sure where he wanted to go, since it dragged for a bit around the 60% mark, and i was like mehhh let's drop this, i'm not in the mood for something slow.
But I’m só glad I pushed through. Because after that, the story picked up the pace again, and it became harder and harder to put it down. Betrayal, double-crosses, double-double-crosses, gunfights, and even a small hint of romance; it’s all in there, but not in an over-the-top way.
Also, can I just say how much I loved Harkins in this one? omg y'all he's so adorable
If you’re looking for a ragtag group of misfits, airships and monsters, and that all combined in one of the best steampunk novels – look no further. I don't toss 5* ratings around as if it were candy at Halloween. Get your hands on a copy, and enjoy. Tissues not included…
Do you know the feeling of returning to your favorite series of all times, and then regretting having put off continuing with the sequels? yup that's me with this one. I was so much in love with the first book of the series that I was afraid of being disappointed by the second book. you know, second-book-syndrome is so, so real after all.....
But oh man this book exceeded all my expectations.
I’m most impressed by the cast. Near the end of Retribution Falls, they developed and showed their own traits and personalities. and I thought it couldn't get any better...... OH BOI was i wrong. In this second book, they were just like real people. They were fleshed out great, and their traits were so recognizable from the first book. Time had passed after Retribution Falls, so some characters had changed somewhat. But that didn’t confuse me at all – rather, it added a whole new layer to each character, and it made me like them even more. It was like I knew them personally, and that’s the best kind of characters.... right?? RÍGHTTT..??!! c'mon why can't more authors do this??
and actually i hated that a little tbh, because it made some parts of the story hurt even more. I’m not one quick to cry with books, but Wooding surely made me feel sad at times, and that’s an accomplishment in itself. HATS OFF.....
The story itself started off in the exact same way as Retribution Falls. Robbery gone wrong, and Frey & Co. have to haul balls and get the hell out of there, same old same old. And again, the story picked up only after the 30% mark, since the inciting event occurred relatively late. And I felt like halfway through the story, Wooding wasn’t quite sure where he wanted to go, since it dragged for a bit around the 60% mark, and i was like mehhh let's drop this, i'm not in the mood for something slow.
But I’m só glad I pushed through. Because after that, the story picked up the pace again, and it became harder and harder to put it down. Betrayal, double-crosses, double-double-crosses, gunfights, and even a small hint of romance; it’s all in there, but not in an over-the-top way.
Also, can I just say how much I loved Harkins in this one? omg y'all he's so adorable
If you’re looking for a ragtag group of misfits, airships and monsters, and that all combined in one of the best steampunk novels – look no further. I don't toss 5* ratings around as if it were candy at Halloween. Get your hands on a copy, and enjoy. Tissues not included…
bookish_seelie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ein's review against another edition
5.0
Шикарная развлекательно-юмористическая фантастика, разве что чуть вторичная после первой части. Один минус - небольшой перебор с мелодрамой и внутренними переживаниями. 4.5 звезды.
graff_fuller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
After reading the first book, Retribution Falls, I was ready to NOT like most of the characters in this story. Alas, I am growing fonder of a number of them.
Grist was NOT one that I liked. What a wretched individual. He got his just desserts.
Tricina is an enigma. Captain Frey is in love with her, but he is in love with the "memory of her", not the person that she currently is. I am flummoxed at the amount of times that he gives her...and she shoots him in the face (obviously not literally, but definitely metaphorically). Ah!
My favourite character is still Jez. She's the best. I was worried there for a moment (or two), but phew...got through that temptation.
I really like Silo, too. He has a hero moment, and makes the best of it.
The others, Malvery, Pinn, Harkins, Crake (along with Bess)...have their moments in the story...some for good and some for bad, but at the end of the day, we have the Ketty Jay and her crew.
Looking forward to picking up the next novel...but don't know when. Soon, hopefully.
Grist was NOT one that I liked. What a wretched individual. He got his just desserts.
Tricina is an enigma. Captain Frey is in love with her, but he is in love with the "memory of her", not the person that she currently is. I am flummoxed at the amount of times that he gives her...and she shoots him in the face (obviously not literally, but definitely metaphorically). Ah!
My favourite character is still Jez. She's the best. I was worried there for a moment (or two), but phew...got through that temptation.
I really like Silo, too. He has a hero moment, and makes the best of it.
The others, Malvery, Pinn, Harkins, Crake (along with Bess)...have their moments in the story...some for good and some for bad, but at the end of the day, we have the Ketty Jay and her crew.
Looking forward to picking up the next novel...but don't know when. Soon, hopefully.
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
This series just keeps getting better and better! There has been so much character growth for the crew of the Ketty Jay that has made them a force to be reckoned with & without losing the overall storyline. The pacing was excellent & flowed smoothly.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
3.0
*** SPOILERS contained ****
This one went downhill a little bit from the first novel - The good news is that each of the crew seemed to have grown a bit into more round characterizations of themselves, which is a good thing - the bad news is that there were a few too many "coincidental" happenings where the group and a person were separated, only to find each other "in the nick of time" - one time is monumental - two times is Deus Ex - three times is just too ridiculous - I also feel that even with the growth and change within the crew, the main Character without any real change was the Captain - he is still a fool trying to be a crook and failing (how does he survive if he NEVER wins) - his ex-fiancee is gone, replace by his ex-love (though she was in the previous book, she was not the 'love interest') - his addiction is completely gone (why show me something and take away his flaw) - the only thing that saved this book was the rest of the crew - it is sad when the hero is someone that I actually don't like or believe in but I continue to read - this story has the opposite problems from most other books, in that the Main Character is useless and the supporting cast are the winners - I will continue this series, and read the next book, but I am not going into it as energized as I entered this one. Things should have been left alone with the Retribution Falls - Also, as another note, how long does a dysfunctional ship last? Until the end of the book, when he gets it fixed with someone else's money (because, you see, he FAILS at making money again) - yeah, what a hero.
On a side note about the eBook version - I do not like the titles at the beginning of each chapter, as they can ruin any surprises, so I don't read those, but I do not like them being there at all - also, quite a few spelling errors in the eBook -
This one went downhill a little bit from the first novel - The good news is that each of the crew seemed to have grown a bit into more round characterizations of themselves, which is a good thing - the bad news is that there were a few too many "coincidental" happenings where the group and a person were separated, only to find each other "in the nick of time" - one time is monumental - two times is Deus Ex - three times is just too ridiculous - I also feel that even with the growth and change within the crew, the main Character without any real change was the Captain - he is still a fool trying to be a crook and failing (how does he survive if he NEVER wins) - his ex-fiancee is gone, replace by his ex-love (though she was in the previous book, she was not the 'love interest') - his addiction is completely gone (why show me something and take away his flaw) - the only thing that saved this book was the rest of the crew - it is sad when the hero is someone that I actually don't like or believe in but I continue to read - this story has the opposite problems from most other books, in that the Main Character is useless and the supporting cast are the winners - I will continue this series, and read the next book, but I am not going into it as energized as I entered this one. Things should have been left alone with the Retribution Falls - Also, as another note, how long does a dysfunctional ship last? Until the end of the book, when he gets it fixed with someone else's money (because, you see, he FAILS at making money again) - yeah, what a hero.
On a side note about the eBook version - I do not like the titles at the beginning of each chapter, as they can ruin any surprises, so I don't read those, but I do not like them being there at all - also, quite a few spelling errors in the eBook -