You'll need to read the first book in the series, 'Monstrous Heart' before reading 'Deepwater King' as it begins shortly after the first book ends. I enjoyed 'Monstrous Heart' and the developing relationship between Arden and Jonah up to the dramatic and disturbing climax of the opening story in this, I believe, trilogy. This was a huge part of the enjoyment of the first book and sadly, for me, it was missing from 'Deepwater King', however saying that, there was plenty of dark drama and action to hook you into the narrative.
There's great worldbuilding, like book one, and the setting is a huge part of the books enjoyment - I really enjoy Steampunk vibes and loved this element.
There's some great characters, both principal and minor - I did feel Arden lost the drive in this book - but after the ending I hope the Arden/Jonah will build up again to the level of 'Monstrous Heart'.
The story builds and builds to a dramatic, the tension started to shoot up high and the ending - well, I need the next book!
I enjoy this series and look forward to its conclusion.

I have been looking forward to this book for a while after really enjoying Monstrous Heart last year and I was excited to see where the story would go. I definitely found Deepwater King a lot quicker and easier to immerse myself in, I think that is because I got used to the author's style from the first book and because I was armed with a lot more knowledge of the world this time around.

I have to admit I was quite excited that this story started with a look at the history of some of the characters, I remember having a few questions in my head after reading Monstrous Heart that I was hoping would be answered and I was pleased that this was addressed so quickly. The change of scenery was also refreshing because there was a lot of talk of the Sainted Isles in the first book so it was great to get to experience them and to see the differences between the mainland and the islands and also to get a more in-depth knowledge of the Deepwater people.

I feel that Deepwater King is a lot darker than the first book and the characters are put through a lot of suffering, this did make for compelling reading and really upped the stakes in terms of the tension but I did feel that some of what had really caught my attention in the first story; e.g the budding relationship between Arden and Jonah, and the strong friendship between Arden and Chalice; wasn’t carried over so much in this book so there wasn’t quite the same attachment to the characters that I had previously had. However, as I got further into the story I found I was as intrigued by what was happening with the plot and was curious to know how it would all pull together.

Strangely I feel that in this book Arden lost a lot of her strength, she came across a lot weaker in this book, now she does have a lot thrown at her and I admire the fact that she makes it through all her challenges but sometimes I felt especially more in the first half of the book like she just becomes a woman that has to be rescued rather than a woman trying to find her way out of a bad situation which was what I was expecting. Having said that she does start to come back to that in the second half of the book and starts to really understand herself and her power which was fascinating to read about. I already can’t wait to see how this develops in the third book and what the next change of setting will throw in Arden’s path.

I have to say that I am already looking forward to the next book, the ending of Deepwater King sets up the third book in such a way that I feel like it is going to be a magnificent and possibly quite an explosive conclusion and I just can’t wait to read it.

I loved the first book, Monstrous Heart and couldn’t wait to read this next volume and now I look forward to the conclusion of the trilogy. Deepwater King picks up not long after the first book ends with Arden determined to perform the ritual to return Jonah’s spit to the court of his Deepwater King. After what happened in the first book it doesn’t take a genius to realise it’s not going to be as simple as that with so many forces aligned against Arden not least his wife Bellis, gone mad with power determined to bring the whole world to it’s knees before her or Jonah’s cousin, the only person Bellis fears. I loved the impressive world building in the book which carries on from the first book. I had a great time with this book.

I do have to admit, I was not a fan of Monstrous Heart so I was surprised to get widget for this, but, I found myself unable to resist. Monstrous Heart was an intriguing book and so different from any other I'd read that even though I found a lot at fault for me, I admired what McKenna was writing. This sequel is a vast improvement on the world-building from book one but there's still a lot we need to know to make it a smoother read. Since the focus was more on the characters, it was easier to ignore the gaps or confusion about the world.

I am definitely interested in reading the finale to this trilogy with that last chapter in Deepwater King, and I'd love see more of Jonah and Arden, especially given their current situation and location by the end of the book.

2.5/5 rounded up to 3. 3 stars for creativity and premise, and for the character development from book one! 2.5 due to the still lack of clarification in the world of Fiction.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I did not realize this was book 2 in the series. Normally I would then just purchase book 1 and read that before moving on to this book. Unfortunately I am just so swamped in arcs that this right now is not a possibility. I am very sorry.

I found it darker and more tense than Monstrous Heart but I thoroughly enjoyed.
The great characters and the world building are as good as they were in the first book, my only note is that some lighter scenes would have helped.
Claire McKenna is an excellent storyteller and this story is gripping and highly entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The rating is partly my doing, I realised a little way into the book that this was a sequel (I did read a summary at this point to understand the previous plot). However I did enjoy the writing style and will most likely follow the rest of the series.

I had to listen to the audiobook to read this book – I struggled to read it by myself. I do think that these books are better to listen than physically read. But that might because I have always struggled because of my dyslexia when reading older books and these books are written in an older style of writing.

For example; the dialogue feels a bit stilted. It took me a while to get used to the way that the dialogue is written. This world is pretty old fashioned, probably set in an alternative or parallel history of our Industrial Revolution or the Victorian Era. It’s just not how we talk nowadays and it makes it difficult to read. Which is a big part of why I preferred listening to the audiobook because I found it easier to listen to the dialogue.

I do think that these books are beautifully written but I also think that Claire McKenna takes pages to explain something that could be explained in one page or less. She waffles. A lot. Which can make this book kind of boring at times. It also makes the story very slow.

I was hoping that this book would be a bit quicker paced than first as most of the world building happened in that book, but sadly that was not the case. As there is more world building taking up a lot of Part 1. Probably because this book was in a different place with a different religion and way of life than in the first book. Which was fine. But I wish that she had expanded on the “magic” system a bit more. Because I felt like the surface was barely scratched in the first book and this book didn’t go further into the “magic” of this world. And it felt like the magic took a backseat in this book. Which was a shame and a missed opportunity.

I listened to this book on 2.5x and 3x speed so that I felt like the book was going somewhere a bit quicker. Usually I listen on 2x speed when listening to audiobooks but I felt that I needed to speed this one up a little bit more just so that I would stay focused on it. Although I did have to slow it down again for the more action filled chapters where there was a lot going on.

The book broken down…
Part 1
The book starts not long after the events at the end of the first book, Monstrous Heart. It’s maybe been a couple of days; Arden, David and Sean are on their way to the Isles for different reasons.

The people on the islands are introduced in this part. Them and their beliefs are introduced in the first book but the only person that practises the Deepwater ways is Jonah Riven. As this book is set on the islands it goes more in depth about their practices, beliefs and differences with the mainland folks. They are a complete contrast to the people that Arden meets and is surrounded by in the first book. I really liked that they were very different. Although they aren’t what I expected them to be like from what I can remember from the first book. Because in the first book people talk about them as if they are backwards, barbaric people with no humanity. They’re mainly just very stand-offish, dislike outsiders, and live a more rough life.

Arden, one of the main character, is doing a lot of reacting to the situations and events around her in this book for a good chunk of this book. This does makes sense as her life kind of got turned upside down at the end of the first book and her chance at freedom or escape was taken away from her. Plus she’s in mourning in this book so I didn’t expect her to be in the same headspace or to act the same. She lost someone very important to her and she’s still shaken from it in this book. The one thing that’s keeping her grounded and focused is the promise she made to that person to find someone that can do a specific rite for them. It’s Arden’s driving force in this book. It is her main goal as this person meant a lot to her and she wants to be able to complete their final request to her. As she’s trying to find someone to do this rite, that has the power to do it correctly, she meets new people and discovers more dangers and secrets.

"Behind Arden lay darkness. She had imagined grief a pain. It was only an absence. As if her chest had hollowed out. The aequor profundum in her blood bound her to no-one and nothing." (Chapter 11)

Chalice is my favourite character in this trilogy and I’m so glad that she was in this book. It did seem like she wasn’t going to be in this book but she’s very good at popping up in places that she’s least expected to be. Her and Arden’s friendship is so good too. Although I did kind of forget that you can’t trust her not to go back on her word. Chalice is very sneaky but it makes her very good at her job for the Lions.

A lot of this first part is Arden trying to find someone to do the Deepwater rite that she was asked to. She’s mainly just reacting to people and the situations she finds herself in, but she is just as headstrong and determined as ever. It isn’t until the end of this part that I felt like she was done reacting and she was ready to start acting and decided for herself what she is going to do next.

Part 2
This part is starts three days earlier, and is what’s happening with Bellis Harrow-Riven (the self proclaimed Queen of the Isles), Jonah Riven, and Ozymandis Absalom (a Lion spy). It shows what the other characters are up while Arden, Chalice, David and Sean are on their way to the Isles or when they get there. I’m not sure what the timeline is exactly just that the ends of both Part 1 and Part 2 line up.

I really liked seeing what was happening with Bellis and what had happened to Jonah. Because he’s fate was a bit ambiguous at the end of Monstrous Heart and I didn’t believe that Bellis would kill him, she seemed a bit too bitter for that and like she wanted to make him suffer for not staying with her and having a relationship with Arden.

I can’t really say too much about this or Part 3 because then I would be telling you some major spoilers. But I really liked seeing what had happened with these characters and what was happening separate to Arden.

This part was only five chapters long so it felt more fast paced and more to the point. Which I liked a lot. Because this book can waffle a long a bit at times.

Part 3
In this part the pace picked up even more. Things became more dangerous, higher staked and more intense.

I really enjoyed this part. Some of the things that happened in this part I did not expect. And the cliff-hanger at the end of this book makes me scared and excited for what’s going to happen in the next book.

Some of the characters that were introduced in Part 1 came back and some characters that I didn’t think we’d see again in this book also made appearances.

Like Chalice; who always manages to pop up when you least expect her too, Jonah; who was finally reunited with Arden but there was a cost (one that I think will be more detail in the next book because this happened towards the end), Stephen; Arden’s cousin who I honestly thought was dead, and Miah; Jonah’s cousin and who plays a very large role in Part 3.

“He took his own freedom. The Librans made off with Bellis and me. Your fellow called a hundred monsters to shore as a diverson. Just like he did the day he killed his family. Where he went from there, I don’t know. He did not come with us.” (Chapter 21)


Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The first part was a bit slow and a little dry but the pace increased bit by bit and just kept escalating. I thought that this book was a lot better than the first book, Monstrous Heart, and I saw a lot of improvement in the writing and pacing. You can tell that the author really loves language and she’s very good at utilising it. Although I did think at that it can waffle on a bit, especially when a lot of information is being given.

The characters are all really interesting. I liked that some characters that were in the first book were more fleshed out. And the new characters that were introduced were also fleshed out. This was something that was a bit of a problem in the first book, I felt like Arden was one of the few fleshed out characters in Monstrous Heart.

Also I felt like the romance between Arden and Jonah was way more believable in this book than in the first book.

The world building was expanded on in this book but sadly not the “magic” system. Which I think was a missed opportunity. Because the “magic” was never fully explained and words were thrown around as if you should know what they meant. This still happens in this book and there isn’t a full explanation about different types of powers that people have. There is a little more but not much to be honest and I think it would have been better if the author had explained them better.

I rated this book 4 stars because I felt like this book was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. But it wasn’t a 4 star read for me. Mainly because of how slow it was to begin with and how long it took for the story to really, I felt, to get going. I think it was 35%, 140 pages, into the book when I felt it began to pick up the pace and to really get going. Which isn’t bad for a fantasy book but I expected it to be a bit sooner as this book is a sequel. But it did have to introduce a new setting and new characters so I can let it slide a little.

I liked this book. I thought that it was a good Gothic fantasy. It was dark, horrifying, with plenty of sea monsters and a sprinkle of romance. I am looking forward to seeing what will happen to in the next book and to see what characters will do. Especially after that cliff-hanger!

I would recommend reading this book if you enjoy Classic Gothic literature like; Wuthering Heights, Northanger Abbey, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, The Woman in White and The Bloody Chamber. Or if you enjoy more modern fiction like The Winternight trilogy/The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black, and The Invisibile Life of Addie LaRue or The Near Witch by VE Schwab.

I’d forgotten how much I liked Monstrous Heart until the email for Deepwater King came in and I’m so glad it did.

Initially I was a bit confused by the flashback scenes but soon settled into the story and the origin of Sanguis Orientis and Sanguis Mandatum was brought to life. The other flashback is that of the Rivens and Bellis Harrow. This filled a nice little gap in our knowledge from the first book.

Finally we launch back into the story with Arden on her hunt to perform the Deepwater Rite for Jonah. Thinking that Jonah is dead, Arden is on the run from the Lions as well as suffering from the effects of the coins in her hands. They are slowly being rejected and soon she will end up gravely unwell like her uncle should she not get treatment.

** Spoilers Ahead**

Stuck on Jonah’s ship the Saudade, Arden tries her best with the help of David Modhi and Sean Ironcup to keep Saudade afloat. After a collision, the boat is rendered useless and Arden is forced to accept the help of passing pilgrims. Little does she know that one person among the pilgrims is none other than her very own Storm bride, Challice Quarry. Challice is determined to get Arden back to Clay city to the Lions.

They agree to head to Equus and its dangerous town of Burden to find information about an elusive figure called Miah Anguis. Miah is the one person whom Bellis fears and this is information that Arden needs. From here Arden gets more than she bargains for. She is forced to make some difficult decisions that will have disastrous consequences. She is such a stubborn character and analyses everything, while she is good in this regard, sometimes she can be a bit naive. I think after the first book Arden gets a big dose of courage and starts to fight everything she knows. Her meeting with Jonah has tipped her world on its head and she will now do anything to see the man she loves properly buried.

Miah Anguis is an interesting character, reminiscent of Jonah and a bit of an outcast has the ingredients of danger for Arden. Forced into a deal that may see her very self lost, Arden goes above and beyond in order to help Jonah. Little does she know that Jonah is very much alive in the hand of Bellis herself. Bellis is mad, that much is clear and she has a bit of a vendetta against Arden. It was good to see how her story started and how that has turned her into the person she is today.

Miah is Sanguis Mandatum and his closeness to Arden and her being a Evalescendi is further exacerbating Miah’s obsession with her. All Arden wants in Jonah and Miah will do anything to see Arden back to him.

There is no disguising the fact that the world Arden is in, is bleak. Lions take what they want and play games in which they don’t know the consequences for until its too late. I’m glad Arden has some reprieve from the bleakness in this book but that is sadly short-lived, poor Jonah. The Deepwater King’s costs are indeed high.

The ending promises a beautiful conclusion with the pairing of Bellis and Miah. They are going to reign hell on Clay City and Arden is in their crossfire. It’s going to be a hell of an ending, I can’t wait!

Deepwater King

Oh wowzers! Where to begin?! We pick up with Arden and co at sea and not long from where Monstrous Heart ended with her mission to return a soul to the Deepwater King.

This books is full of surprises. A few scenes that some may find triggering (attempted sexual assault/domestic abuse/forced marriage) there was no lack of action in this book.

Arden as a character remains strong willed but the lines of her strict personal conduct become blurred as she finds herself having to do things she has previously refused. She is a woman desperate to complete her task and there is absolutely nothing that she will not do to achieve it, while navigating the world and reeling from betrayals and those yet to come.

I wish the Sanguinity/abilities were explained better (this applies to both books) as the writing seems to assume the reader has a prior knowledge. The world building is strong and provides the reader a vivid image of the world we’re experiencing.

There are reunions, betrayals, friendships and unlikely allies book 2 was just as immersive as book one and thoroughly enjoyable. McKenna has a knack for building tension and drama all whilst maintaining a beautiful writing style.

This is the second book in the series, and sees Arden attempt to fulfill her promise to Jonah to return his spirit to the Deepwater King.

This however, isn’t as easy as it first seemed…

I found this second book extremely dark - the first one wasn’t exactly light, but this went further for me.

I did very much enjoy it, and I’m looking forward to the next book, surely things must get better for Arden?!!!

My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Fiction for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I was given this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

First of all I believe this book should have trigger warnings. This is an adult fantasy that is clear, but it is very dark there are themes and scenes that describe rape and body mutilations, cannibalism. Topics that could be triggering hence I think there should be a warning.

I noticed too late that this is a 2nd book in the series. I have not read the first time but I tried to read spoiler reviews of the book 1 on GR To catch up with the plot. It still took me 60% of the the book 2 to actually understand what is going on. Hence I will not focus on the plot of this book in my review.

The issue with this book was that the worldbuilding was overcomplicated. It seemed to me that most characters have two names and the author is switching between these names very often, even on one page. This was very chaotic and confusing. As far as I understood not much was explained in the first book and I was looking forward to learn more about the Lions that secret order... I finished the book and I still know nothing about them.

The magic system was intriguing. Magic that flows in blood which needs to be drawn to weird the powers. I love this concept however dark it is. But I would love to understand it better. It was never mentioned where is the magic coming from. Why or how some people have one type others different type. Why and how is it possible to combine these abilities.

There wasn't much character development in the story. The solution of the whole plot was done in one sentence which was a bit disappointing. The biggest difference in behavior was of the main villain and because it was related to some magic workings I never truly understood what have happened and why he suddenly became so evil.

The writing style was hard to get into. A lot of archaic old words that I had to look up. The sentences weren't flowing easily and I had to read some paragraphs twice or more to get what is going on. Point of view was jumping from one character to another without any warning or separation which was so confusing. The writing style was the main reason I didn't enjoy this book much. It was so hard to imagine people/scenes/things. Everything seemed blunt and a lot of details which would spark my imagination were missing.

I think the best part of the book was the setting. The Ocean and Darkling Sea and archipelago with scary monsters hiding in the depths that only Deepwater people can call up was something I loved. Unfortunately I was not able to understand if there are any countries or states. I wasn't able to grasp the boundaries and cities of different people. There was also a Queen, but not sure what or who she ruled.

The Deepwater folk were the most interesting of them all. But is it a tribe or a religion or both? The rituals of the people were described but I was not able to imagine them or comprehend how they work. How do they "call" the monsters. What does it mean that they "die" during the rite when they clear that they do not die...

Maybe all these issues could have been avoided if I did read the 1st book and if that is the case I am very sorry. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book much.

Thank you,
Katie







I am very sad because there were scenes in the book which could have been EPIC!

#reviewpillar #netgalley #deepwaterking

I am unsure where to start here, because boy, did that take a turn!

I really enjoyed A Monstrous Heart, but always felt a little like I was playing catch up as I read, feeling my way through a new world, with a seemingly complex 'magic' system. By the end I had it figured out and it left me wanting to know more.

The Deepwater King picks up almost immediately from the end of book one and doesn't let us.
Arden is duped and tricked more times than any person should have be, and by people who are meant to be friends - she discovers something huge (but totally spoiler-y), which alters her path, and to get what she wants she has to visit places and people she'd desperately rather not.

The story picks up again at about 80% in, and if you've not already been dragged down to the Deepwater Kings palace, you will be - and you will need the final instalment to bring you back to the surface and I would love to say more - but I really can't without spoiling it!

Just pick it up and read it!

This didn't quite hit the same mark as Monstrous Heart for me, I really wish more time had been spent fleshing out the worldbuilding of this one. However I loved the character arcs and I really love the way Claire McKenna writes, her tone really adds to the pacing and feel of the novel! A good solid fantasy series so far.

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.

This was an ok book for me, I didn’t connect that much to the plot. Not my choice of a read, but maybe someone else may like it.
So for my overall rating, this book would be a 2.5 stars. So I’m rounding it off to 3 stars.

This is the second book in this fantasy series and I absolutely loved it. I think I enjoyed this book more than the first and I loved seeing Arden's character develop. This book is filled with danger at every turn and Arden never knows who to trust as she searching for a way to return Jonah's spirit and have the deepwater rite carried out for him.

I absolutely love this author's way with words and the world she has built for this fantasy. All the characters are unique and Arden is strong and willing to sacrifice anything for the man who has her heart. I loved the backstory we get at the start of the book that brings this world more to life and Bellis Harrow's story too.

This is definitely a page-turner and I never knew what to expect. Arden managed to find herself in so much strife and danger throughout the story and yet she never faltered. I really can't wait to read book three in this trilogy and then read them all back to back to really take in all the details of this fantastic story. A definite five star read and perfect for anyone that appreciates the true beauty of words and how to use them to create a magnificent, compelling, read.