Reviews

Sadly this one was a bit of a disappointment. I do really appreciate the seafaring steampunk world that this book and its predecessor are set in, as well as the folklore elements and magic system woven in. McKenna is a strong writer and the language she uses is at times poetic, and really enriches the world she's created. However, I found that this book didn't live up to the first in the series, the plot didn't particularly grab my attention, and I wasn't that fond of either of the book's antagonists. That being said, I'll still pick up the last book in the trilogy when it is released to see how Arden and Jonah's story ends. I also want to praise whoever designed the book covers for this series, they're both truly beautiful.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

thewoollygeek's review against another edition

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5.0

Thoroughly obsessed, Deepwater king is an addictive page turner from the very first page. There’s a great romance, action, tension and a lot of suspense, whilst I loved this it didn’t quite make the same impression the first book did on me, that’s not a criticism I just adored the first so much I think it was hard to live up to in my head. Definitely still a favourite for me as it’s addictive enough to keep me reading ‘even though it’s darker thanMonstrous Heart. I think this book perfectly sets the reader and story ready for the last book and I’m looking forward to finding out what’s in store.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

anna_hepworth's review against another edition

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4.0

I wanted to love this, but I didn't. Complex, nuanced, fascinating. Amazing world building. Snarled and well woven plot. And yet I kept putting it down, because I had better things to do

plus: I found the romance aspect tedious. The brutish man forcing himself on the woman, etc.

sophiereads21's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I love the world but it had been a few months since I read the first one and honestly found it really ahrd to remember who was who. This picks up pretty much right off from the end of the first book and there's no re-explaining of any concepts

I found the plot illogical - everyone was running around without making plans or really thinking anything through.

allisonwonder_land's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

3.5

readingintherain's review against another edition

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I just didnt care what happened, the story was boring

samturnspages's review against another edition

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3.0

I flip-flopped a lot with Deepwater King. I came in hot off the heels of finishing Monstrous Heart and was hoping to find my feet right away. I didn't. Like Monstrous Heart, there's not enough world building/background for me to feel fully invested. There's a small excerpt at the beginning of the book with some history, admittedly, but it fails to fill in the blanks. We're then reliant on snippets of conversation between characters for information and explanation of terminology only used in this universe. Unfortunately as a result I still didn't feel fully immersed like I was hoping I would.

The concept behind the Monstrous Heart trilogy is unique to me and does hold a lot of potential. I would love to know more about Lyonne and it's history. McKenna's writing style is eloquent and consistent throughout. There's no denying she has a love of language.

I think the strongest part of the 2 instalments I've read so far are the characters. Chalice is arguably my favourite character; I would love to see her star in a novella of her own at some point - snippets of her life as a Lion perhaps. Her dialogue is brilliant and her friendship with Arden is complex and believable. Arden herself doesn't quite meet the mark for me this time around however; she is constantly finding herself in danger and being rescued at just the right moment by characters who just so happen to be around. I tended to favour the chapters where she was not the focus.

The mythology and lore surrounding the Deepwater Folk and their religion also intrigues me - we get to see more of this this time around and it did scratch an itch I had since reading Monstrous Heart, so that's a definite plus!

For me this is a 3 star read overall. I'm still curious to see how the series concludes but I'm wary all the same.

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