This is a hard review to write because I had such a fractured reading experience. I was never able to get into a rhythm with reading, and whatever narrative tension exists was undercut by constantly having to fight with the digital copy to get back to where I left off. NetGalley Shelf digital copies are pretty but not user friendly. I’m always going to be in favor of reading Kit Rocha. I love their brains (plural, Kit Rocha is a writing duo). Aside from the fact that they build worlds and characters I enjoy, they are working hard to protect our democracy through efforts like Romancing the Vote, which has raised over a million dollars for voting rights organizations.
What I did like: I love the care that Einar, Aleksi, and Naia show for each other, for the island of Rahvekya and it’s people, and for the world they live in. If there’s one thing a Kit Rocha book is going to do, it’s going to feature community care taking. Even the lone wolves in a Kit Rocha universe eventually get sucked into community, whether they like it or not. Einar has been a bit of an outlier – the sea captain who was changed by The Dream from a regular human to The Kraken because of the passion in his fight against Sorin’s Empire. Even as an outlier he has always had a community, his crew.
What I struggled with: As much as I like Aleksi, Einar, and Naia as characters and enjoyed the way they cared for each other, the romance lacked tension. I never believed that Aleksi was going to get left out of the throuple.
At some point in the future, I’ll reread the whole series and revisit my reviews. In the meantime, happy release day to Kit Rocha. I have a physical copy of Prince of Storms on it’s way to me, and the ebook and audiobook have hit my apps. Even the least of their books is worth reading.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Montlake and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.
