Review: Kraken Rider Z by David Estes and Dyrk Ashton

Blurb:

If there's one thing dragons fear, it's a kraken.

Even lowly hull-scrubber Zee Tarrow knows that. Like everyone on the island kingdom of Tosh, he grew up frightened by fables and horrible tales of the great beasts of the deep. It seems an odd thing to impress upon the children of the realm, because--luckily for the dragons and their riders--no one has seen a kraken in a thousand years.

Then again, Tosh's lifeblood is the sea. Royal Dragon Knights guard the king's ships from the constant threat of pirates, hostile empires, and the monstrous horrors that dwell beneath the waves. It makes sense that the people would fear krakens, even after generations of Knights graduate and take flight from the ramparts of Triumf's Citadel, the country's most elite--and therefore also exclusive--military academy. A school that Zee, who has barely ever had more than two copper pennies to rub together, should have no chance of getting into.

Thing is...Zee has a secret. He's not only seen a kraken...

He saved its life.

When that truth gets out, will Zee be hunted by the Dragon Knights he has always envied and admired, or will he become the first Kraken Rider in history?

From the minds of David Estes and Dyrk Ashton, authors of Fatemarked and The Paternus Trilogy, comes a series perfect for fans of Iron Prince, Mage Errant, and Ascendant. Kraken Rider Z is an action-packed fantasy series with lots of heart, and the kind of unbreakable bond between man and beast that hasn't existed for centuries. Start your adventure today!

Review:

Dragons? Ahahaha, well, yes but actually no. You must’ve misheard me. I meant Krakens. I got this book recommended to me by someone on the Michael R. Miller discord server, and I’m glad I picked this book up based on that recommendation. Didn’t think much of the book at first, having been tossed into the middle of a war zone again (Ratliff, I’m looking at you!). Which lasted until I got to the part where the story started picking up steam, which is pretty early on, which is to say near the beginning, a bit after the prologue. Then, I didn't think things would change when all of the sudden, that boat scene happened. Not the later boat scenes, the first real, up close running about on a ship scene Zee does when trying to save his friend. If you like sea-faring critters, merpeople, dragons and a bit of necromancy, I’d hand this book over to you since it has all these things in it. If you haven’t gone and picked up the book after the first sentence and want to see a bit more into the book before grabbing it, here’s my review of “Kraken Rider Z”. 

First of all, the cast of this book. Are they fishy? Some more than others, some more figuratively than literally and vice versa. The characters that didn’t need to be part of the central story just stayed on the side, not vying for extra attention, while those that are important, exist. They stay and feel real. They’ve got drive and motivation behind them. It’s as if I can go into the world and interact with the most important characters. Not to say that those not a part of the central thread that is the story are just there to fill the space. Even if they don’t change or barely do so, they have a role to play, small as it is. Each character ties the raft that is the plot together and keeps it going. This book's protagonist, Zee Tarrow, guides us through a few weeks of his childhood and then a year or two of his nearly adult life throughout the entirety of the book. His character develops and grows into a likeable soul who you can get behind. There are a few other perspectives of other side characters peppered throughout the book and all of them are just as likeable as Tarrow’s.

Then, the magic system. Reminiscent of the Songs of Chaos series, dragons have a core that riders can forge, and that’s usually it. Only one kind of core, orange in color, that each dragon rider has access to. But does it have to be just that color, or are there more? Also reminiscent of Songs of Chaos is the way the levelling system of magic works. Names are different for each level in comparison to SoC, and riders can crack and shatter their cores as well. That’s where similarities cease. There’s no gathering of motes to polish a specific type of core, and there’s no need to clean them. Did I mention core enhancement drugs yet? No? It basically enhances riders and dragons ability to rain out magic damage, with the usual drug risks involved. Overall, this magic system is unique in its own way and I’d like to learn more about it when the next book in the series comes out.

After that, we have the plot. From prolog to end, about 90 years have passed. We don’t know much about 80 of those years. Just what happened 80 years before Zee finds the Kraken egg, a bit of Zee’s life as a child and ten years after that. And we find everything out from Zee’s perspective and the other PoVs. All the while, something evil lurks in the dark. Something dangerous, deadly and devastating. That’s in the background. In the front of things is Zee trying to become a cadet at the Triumf academy. Shenanigans ensue and the book reaches the it’s end leaving you wanting more.

Lastly, it’s enjoyable for all ages. Especially if you’re into high fantasy, dragons and krakens. No matter if you’re 12 or late into adulthood, this book will keep you entertained throughout the whole read. It’s got comedy, light hearted jokes, and consequences for actions, varying on the stupidity or genius of what was done and if it was something good or bad. 

If I had to nitpick about issues in this book, I’d have to say the confusion within the last parts of the books that occurred with rapid paced PoV switches and the final part just happening out of the blue. Sure, a bit of foreshadowing was there, but I wasn’t expecting the turn it took and I’d have gladly taken a bit more foreshadowing within the next book if there’s a similar run of the plot. These are my own gripes with the book, but that doesn’t really affect the overall lay of the tale too much. 

All in all, if you enjoy a tale with a bit of whimsy, suspense and krakens alongside high stakes, rushing adventure, this is a book for you.

As always, if you’ve gotten to this part of the review, thank you for reading it and I hope I’ve helped you along finding your next read. If this review hasn’t helped much and you’re looking for something that’s more dark, we here at SFF Insiders have reviews of books like that for you. If not that, then there are also plenty of reviews here for Science-Fiction novels, if you’re more inclined in that direction. We’d be delighted if we’ve helped you find your next read using this site!

Wherever you are reading this, have a good morning, good afternoon, good evening or goodnight!