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Kraken Rider Z #2
Thunder Kraken
Zee Tarrow’s dreams are finally coming true.
While the road to acceptance into Triumf’s Citadel Academy has been filled with pain, suffering, and more joy and surprises than Zee could’ve possibly imagined, now is his time to shine. After all, he’s the first kraken rider in more than a thousand years! Who could possibly defeat him? Except now he must be separated from his best and most loyal friend, the kraken, Jessup, as they both must complete basic training individually in order to pass and become full-fledged cadets.
Easy, right?
Not so much. Rival flights will stop at nothing to defeat or even destroy them, but Zee and Jessup will face far graver danger from mysterious powers who despise them simply for existing. Assassination attempts, monsters of the deep, and the challenges of rising from the sea to live in a world that prefers dry land will thwart them at every turn.
All the while, an evil deadlier than the most powerful dragonrider to ever exist lurks in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to come forth and destroy…
If Zee and Jessup are to survive much less thrive, they must forge new friendships, overcome the odds stacked against them, and, above all else, continue to progress their power to levels that haven’t been witnessed in a millennium.
While the road to acceptance into Triumf’s Citadel Academy has been filled with pain, suffering, and more joy and surprises than Zee could’ve possibly imagined, now is his time to shine. After all, he’s the first kraken rider in more than a thousand years! Who could possibly defeat him? Except now he must be separated from his best and most loyal friend, the kraken, Jessup, as they both must complete basic training individually in order to pass and become full-fledged cadets.
Easy, right?
Not so much. Rival flights will stop at nothing to defeat or even destroy them, but Zee and Jessup will face far graver danger from mysterious powers who despise them simply for existing. Assassination attempts, monsters of the deep, and the challenges of rising from the sea to live in a world that prefers dry land will thwart them at every turn.
All the while, an evil deadlier than the most powerful dragonrider to ever exist lurks in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to come forth and destroy…
If Zee and Jessup are to survive much less thrive, they must forge new friendships, overcome the odds stacked against them, and, above all else, continue to progress their power to levels that haven’t been witnessed in a millennium.
- GenresFantasy
666 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2025
37 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
David Estes
80 books2,675 followersGet a FREE short story from David Estes' #1 Amazon bestselling epic fantasy series, Fatemarked, when you sign up for his mailing list: https://www.subscribepage.com/b2v6v3
David Estes has written more than 40 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his beautiful Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey and Luna, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.
Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Books by David Estes:
-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.
-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic
-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND
-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!
-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."
-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.
David Estes has written more than 40 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his beautiful Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey and Luna, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.
Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Books by David Estes:
-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.
-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic
-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND
-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!
-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."
-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 3, 2024
Thunder Kraken by Dyrk Ashton and David Estes is the second book in the series, and even better than the first!
Be warned, this is very much the typical progression fantasy, with all the tropes those come with, so if you don’t like them, this isn’t for you.
If you however enjoy a good bit of military training, plenty of found family and friendships, an amazing bond between a human and his best friend, who happens to be a kraken, competition between teams, and some good fight and action scenes, this is definitely for you!
I adore how the main character is nice, and while we get the typical bully storyline, it’s not going the way I expected, and doesn’t take center stage like in so many other stories. He’s just a good kid, happy to give others a chance, and kinda assembled a band of “left over” people.
The camaraderie and loyalty that grew between them is a main draw for me. The focus is definitely on being better together, and helping each other out, instead of the often found drama and jealousy. It was simply a joy to read, and I’d love to be part of their team!
As you can see from the quote above, there’s also quite a lot of banter and humour to round the story off.
Yes, he, and especially him and the kraken together are quite OP (over powered), sometimes to a ridiculous amount, but to be honest, I wasn’t bothered by it, despite noticing.
It’s an easy and quick paced read, despite there being quite some world building and technically “slow” bits. As I found those bits interesting, they didn’t feel slow to me. I rather enjoyed learning about the magic, the world and the bond.
My only niggle is the sheer amount of Easter eggs and name cameos from the bookish community. While it is super cool to find myself in the book, it was so many names, and sometimes a lot of them in one scene, it did throw me out of the world at times. I felt more like being in one of the Facebook groups than in a secondary world.
This is a tiny niggle though, outside of that it was simply a whole lot of fun, and I blew through the pages!
I was so surprised when I saw the page count at the end, as I just devoured it in no time at all.
Be warned, this is very much the typical progression fantasy, with all the tropes those come with, so if you don’t like them, this isn’t for you.
If you however enjoy a good bit of military training, plenty of found family and friendships, an amazing bond between a human and his best friend, who happens to be a kraken, competition between teams, and some good fight and action scenes, this is definitely for you!
I adore how the main character is nice, and while we get the typical bully storyline, it’s not going the way I expected, and doesn’t take center stage like in so many other stories. He’s just a good kid, happy to give others a chance, and kinda assembled a band of “left over” people.
The camaraderie and loyalty that grew between them is a main draw for me. The focus is definitely on being better together, and helping each other out, instead of the often found drama and jealousy. It was simply a joy to read, and I’d love to be part of their team!
As you can see from the quote above, there’s also quite a lot of banter and humour to round the story off.
Yes, he, and especially him and the kraken together are quite OP (over powered), sometimes to a ridiculous amount, but to be honest, I wasn’t bothered by it, despite noticing.
It’s an easy and quick paced read, despite there being quite some world building and technically “slow” bits. As I found those bits interesting, they didn’t feel slow to me. I rather enjoyed learning about the magic, the world and the bond.
My only niggle is the sheer amount of Easter eggs and name cameos from the bookish community. While it is super cool to find myself in the book, it was so many names, and sometimes a lot of them in one scene, it did throw me out of the world at times. I felt more like being in one of the Facebook groups than in a secondary world.
This is a tiny niggle though, outside of that it was simply a whole lot of fun, and I blew through the pages!
I was so surprised when I saw the page count at the end, as I just devoured it in no time at all.
July 21, 2025
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For more reviews, go to: https://wolfmantula.com/recent-posts/
————————————————————————————————
MY ⭐️ RATING: 3.5/5
FORMAT: Advanced Reader Copy
This tantalizing cover by Daniel Kamarudin and Shawn T. King, just oozes beauty and excitement, with that said, I really enjoyed book 1 of this trilogy and all it had to offer, but Thunder Kraken, unfortunately doesn’t live up to its predecessor, and I’m not happy to say this, but it was a bit underwhelming and suffers from middle book syndrome.
I still love that Dyrk and Estes combine for a lighthearted edginess that creates a such a good story, it’s fun and enjoyable for all ages, reminding me of Enders Game and Percy Jackson because of the cadet academy and some of the training that took place. I love the characters and the progression aspect of this story but because it’s only a trilogy, the progress moves at a pretty fast pace, which creates some missed opportunities, which is where I feel it fell flat the most and the reason my rating is so low.
Character building was much better this time around since it focused on the “right now”, without time jumps. Zee & Jessup are very fun to read and I love them both, I do have to say, I miss Midge. There were a host of new characters that were introduced as Zee and Jessup joined the Triumf Citadel Academy. The friends he makes along the way, are great, especially Sallison, she was a favorite early on, but I did like the others as well. Though one thing I noticed is that a character or two from Book 1 got a far smaller role, and I wish their parts were bigger since I started liking them so much in the first book. The character list is very long and could use a glossary of characters, dragon types, locations, and progression ranks to make it easier to understand everything. I had to rely on past notes to figure some of that out. The Wraith are such an interesting addition, but they were kinda relegated to just a guest appearance, and even their reasoning for showing up felt like much ado about nothing.
For the plot, I do wish there was a “story so far” section added, but they did a good job sprinkling in info to help remind you of things. The reason it fell flat for me is because this book was essentially one large training montage. The characters level up, and there are some good fight scenes, but they’re mostly simulations, so no real danger for a majority of the book. Then there’s a bit of intrigue with a mystery added in—I was really excited to see how Zee and the gang would handle their training and solve this mystery… but that didn’t happen. The mystery got solved off-screen and only brought up near the end when they confronted the person. Then there’s another mystery with the beasts that’s immediately solved, and the reasoning just didn’t make any sense to me. And there’s still another mystery that seemingly gets forgotten or maybe solved later, but it’s never brought back up. Also, there’s still no “Release the Kraken” Clash of the Titans reference! How do we have a book about a kraken and not use the most famous kraken line there is!?!? lol.
I thought the trials were fun and added a good mix of training and action, but like I said, most of the action was in simulations without real danger. However, near the end, there is a good battle that’s very dangerous and exciting. I will say that Dyrk and Estes did a great job with the dialogue between all the characters, it made up for the minimal action some, and had me giggling often. Seeing all the authors I know pop up, and even more added, is always enjoyable. I really really wanted to love this as much as I loved Book 1, but I just couldn’t find enough highs to match the lows I felt. Though I had many criticisms, this was still enjoyable for what it was, and I have my fingers crossed that Book 3 will be a lot better, because what they’ve been building up to might just be one incredibly epic finale.
Follow me on X: Twitter.com/wolfmantula
For more reviews, go to: https://wolfmantula.com/recent-posts/
————————————————————————————————
MY ⭐️ RATING: 3.5/5
FORMAT: Advanced Reader Copy
This tantalizing cover by Daniel Kamarudin and Shawn T. King, just oozes beauty and excitement, with that said, I really enjoyed book 1 of this trilogy and all it had to offer, but Thunder Kraken, unfortunately doesn’t live up to its predecessor, and I’m not happy to say this, but it was a bit underwhelming and suffers from middle book syndrome.
I still love that Dyrk and Estes combine for a lighthearted edginess that creates a such a good story, it’s fun and enjoyable for all ages, reminding me of Enders Game and Percy Jackson because of the cadet academy and some of the training that took place. I love the characters and the progression aspect of this story but because it’s only a trilogy, the progress moves at a pretty fast pace, which creates some missed opportunities, which is where I feel it fell flat the most and the reason my rating is so low.
Character building was much better this time around since it focused on the “right now”, without time jumps. Zee & Jessup are very fun to read and I love them both, I do have to say, I miss Midge. There were a host of new characters that were introduced as Zee and Jessup joined the Triumf Citadel Academy. The friends he makes along the way, are great, especially Sallison, she was a favorite early on, but I did like the others as well. Though one thing I noticed is that a character or two from Book 1 got a far smaller role, and I wish their parts were bigger since I started liking them so much in the first book. The character list is very long and could use a glossary of characters, dragon types, locations, and progression ranks to make it easier to understand everything. I had to rely on past notes to figure some of that out. The Wraith are such an interesting addition, but they were kinda relegated to just a guest appearance, and even their reasoning for showing up felt like much ado about nothing.
For the plot, I do wish there was a “story so far” section added, but they did a good job sprinkling in info to help remind you of things. The reason it fell flat for me is because this book was essentially one large training montage. The characters level up, and there are some good fight scenes, but they’re mostly simulations, so no real danger for a majority of the book. Then there’s a bit of intrigue with a mystery added in—I was really excited to see how Zee and the gang would handle their training and solve this mystery… but that didn’t happen. The mystery got solved off-screen and only brought up near the end when they confronted the person. Then there’s another mystery with the beasts that’s immediately solved, and the reasoning just didn’t make any sense to me. And there’s still another mystery that seemingly gets forgotten or maybe solved later, but it’s never brought back up. Also, there’s still no “Release the Kraken” Clash of the Titans reference! How do we have a book about a kraken and not use the most famous kraken line there is!?!? lol.
I thought the trials were fun and added a good mix of training and action, but like I said, most of the action was in simulations without real danger. However, near the end, there is a good battle that’s very dangerous and exciting. I will say that Dyrk and Estes did a great job with the dialogue between all the characters, it made up for the minimal action some, and had me giggling often. Seeing all the authors I know pop up, and even more added, is always enjoyable. I really really wanted to love this as much as I loved Book 1, but I just couldn’t find enough highs to match the lows I felt. Though I had many criticisms, this was still enjoyable for what it was, and I have my fingers crossed that Book 3 will be a lot better, because what they’ve been building up to might just be one incredibly epic finale.
January 7, 2025
An absolutely Kraken read and adventure...🐙
Holy church of Zepiter, what an absolutely fantastic follow-up to the first book. Dyrk Ashton and David Estes have surpassed themselves with this kraken read, a roller coaster ride from start to finish. This series is one of my favourite places to visit this year, and it has it all, from big ass dragons, dragons, riders, a big ass Kraken, and a little murman.
Thunder Kraken is the second book in the Kraken Rider Z series, co-written by the amazing Dyrk Ashton and David Estes, known for their brilliant series Dyrks Paternus trilogy and David's Fate Marked series. When these two good authors get together, you know you are in for something special. And damn they didn't disappoint.
It's a progression fantasy that gives you the feel-good factor. The camaraderie between the characters or cadets was a pleasure and joy to read. Thunder Kraken is full of twists and turns, and what I loved were the surprises and Easter eggs riddled throughout the book.
The worldbuilding and setting are brilliant, with lots of loveable characters, especially our main protagonist Murman Zee Tarrow and his sidekick Kraken Jessup. If you love dragons, monsters, Wraith riders, a magical dragon rider military academy, then you will absolutely love this series. Dyrk and David have created a brilliant world for us fantasy readers to live in, a place where authors really do write magical places for fantasy readers to get lost and away from reality for a little while.
After Zee and Jessup's run-in with the wraith riders and saving the Prince from their clutches. The king of Tosh has given Zee and Jessup the honour of joining Triumf's Citadel Academy. It's always been Zee's dream to be a dragon rider, but what's a dragon now when you're bonded to a monstrous, loveable Kraken.
But to make it through, Zee and Jessup must pass the trials and level up. Making friends has never been easy for Zee, but making enemies is easy when you're a murman. There's a war coming, and the king of the wraiths is even bigger and meaner and has eyes set the bonded pair. Can Zee and Jessup pass the trials and become what has destined to be, a Kraken Rider. Read it and find out. I promise you will love it.
If you love some good oul storytelling at its finest, then look no further than Kraken Rider Z series, and if you haven't read the Paternus trilogy and the Fate Marked series, I very highly recommend that you do...😁🐙🐉⚡️🔥
Holy church of Zepiter, what an absolutely fantastic follow-up to the first book. Dyrk Ashton and David Estes have surpassed themselves with this kraken read, a roller coaster ride from start to finish. This series is one of my favourite places to visit this year, and it has it all, from big ass dragons, dragons, riders, a big ass Kraken, and a little murman.
Thunder Kraken is the second book in the Kraken Rider Z series, co-written by the amazing Dyrk Ashton and David Estes, known for their brilliant series Dyrks Paternus trilogy and David's Fate Marked series. When these two good authors get together, you know you are in for something special. And damn they didn't disappoint.
It's a progression fantasy that gives you the feel-good factor. The camaraderie between the characters or cadets was a pleasure and joy to read. Thunder Kraken is full of twists and turns, and what I loved were the surprises and Easter eggs riddled throughout the book.
The worldbuilding and setting are brilliant, with lots of loveable characters, especially our main protagonist Murman Zee Tarrow and his sidekick Kraken Jessup. If you love dragons, monsters, Wraith riders, a magical dragon rider military academy, then you will absolutely love this series. Dyrk and David have created a brilliant world for us fantasy readers to live in, a place where authors really do write magical places for fantasy readers to get lost and away from reality for a little while.
After Zee and Jessup's run-in with the wraith riders and saving the Prince from their clutches. The king of Tosh has given Zee and Jessup the honour of joining Triumf's Citadel Academy. It's always been Zee's dream to be a dragon rider, but what's a dragon now when you're bonded to a monstrous, loveable Kraken.
But to make it through, Zee and Jessup must pass the trials and level up. Making friends has never been easy for Zee, but making enemies is easy when you're a murman. There's a war coming, and the king of the wraiths is even bigger and meaner and has eyes set the bonded pair. Can Zee and Jessup pass the trials and become what has destined to be, a Kraken Rider. Read it and find out. I promise you will love it.
If you love some good oul storytelling at its finest, then look no further than Kraken Rider Z series, and if you haven't read the Paternus trilogy and the Fate Marked series, I very highly recommend that you do...😁🐙🐉⚡️🔥
July 11, 2025
Another captivating tale from Estes and Ashton, just as fun and riveting as the first.
Jessup and Zee are going through basic training at the dragon riders academy. As far as they or anyone else knows they're the first Murman and Kraken team to do so, as no Kraken has been seen in a millennium.
Lots of fun as the duo and their teammates train to become part of their own bonded pairs.
Jessup and Zee are going through basic training at the dragon riders academy. As far as they or anyone else knows they're the first Murman and Kraken team to do so, as no Kraken has been seen in a millennium.
Lots of fun as the duo and their teammates train to become part of their own bonded pairs.
January 7, 2025
Eeeeee get some.
Great book Two.
Well worth reading.
It's great to catch up with these characters.
Look forward to reading the next four books.
Great book Two.
Well worth reading.
It's great to catch up with these characters.
Look forward to reading the next four books.
January 14, 2025
amazing!!!
I’m saddened that I’m done with this outstanding work of wonder. thank Dyrk Ashton and David Estes for this wonderful opportunity to join you on this amazing journey in which we as fans of this fledgling series embark upon.
But I can’t wait for the audible in I believe in November. The Narrator is Tim Gerard Reynolds, who brings this amazing story to life. Well done and thank you.
Fan for life.
I’m saddened that I’m done with this outstanding work of wonder. thank Dyrk Ashton and David Estes for this wonderful opportunity to join you on this amazing journey in which we as fans of this fledgling series embark upon.
But I can’t wait for the audible in I believe in November. The Narrator is Tim Gerard Reynolds, who brings this amazing story to life. Well done and thank you.
Fan for life.
January 9, 2025
I was very drawn into the story, and blasted through the whole thing in 2 days. I enjoyed it enough to give it 4 stars, but I definitely had some issues with it.
I will try to keep my review vague, but minor spoilers ahead.
The Good
-New characters. We briefly met Sallison and her friends in the previous book, but they really got to shine here. I got a good feeling for each of their personalities, and they had a very fun dynamic. Sometimes they got overly silly for my tastes, but that's the YA part of the series, so I can't really complain about it too much. Fennix is great too. The other dragons didn't get to shine nearly as much as the human characters, but I get the feeling they'll get their chance in the future.
-The Trials. The Trials were a pretty fun version of the 'test' you get a lot of in these 'magical school' types of stories. They had a number of unique twists and clever ways to show Zee shining.
-Worldbuilding. We got a lot more insight into the past conflicts that have led up to the current day, the past, and religious side of things. Also more insight into the big bad. They've done a good job building them up I think.
The Bad
-Editing. There were multiple misspellings and strange places where sentences were written clumsily. In the first 100 pages alone I think I noticed about 5+ times when 'nodded' was written as just 'ded' for some confusing reason. It's like somebody used Find + Replace on the word 'nod', but didn't double-check everywhere they deleted it from. Luckily the latter half of the book seemed much more solid, and I only noticed very minor errors. I wish there was a way to highlight these errors and tell the authors to fix them. But outside of platforms like royalroad and similar where you can directly interact with the author, I have no idea how you would do that.
-Story progression. The first book moved at a very fast pace. We got their introduction, their bonding, and then they moved quickly through progression and into a big final battle. The stakes steadily rose throughout, and the progression was both fast and noticeable.
This book though seemed to pump the brakes hard. We had like a hundred+ pages dedicated to just...running. More than half of the book was their group training for the Trials.
The Trials themselves were a lot of fun, I just wish they had happened a little quicker. At least for me, the main draw of these books is the bond and progression between Zee and Jessup...but they don't really even see each other until the final hundred or so pages of the book!
The story built up the Trials, yes, but also that there was a big tournament planned between all the nearby nations. I was hoping THAT was going to be the big finale to the book. But instead, that's saved for the next book. I'm just hoping the pace picks up moving forward, because otherwise I feel like it will be 2+ books per year of school. I mean...this book covered like 4 weeks of Basic training only and took the entire book.
Still a very fun book though, and I definitely recommend.
I will try to keep my review vague, but minor spoilers ahead.
The Good
-New characters. We briefly met Sallison and her friends in the previous book, but they really got to shine here. I got a good feeling for each of their personalities, and they had a very fun dynamic. Sometimes they got overly silly for my tastes, but that's the YA part of the series, so I can't really complain about it too much. Fennix is great too. The other dragons didn't get to shine nearly as much as the human characters, but I get the feeling they'll get their chance in the future.
-The Trials. The Trials were a pretty fun version of the 'test' you get a lot of in these 'magical school' types of stories. They had a number of unique twists and clever ways to show Zee shining.
-Worldbuilding. We got a lot more insight into the past conflicts that have led up to the current day, the past, and religious side of things. Also more insight into the big bad. They've done a good job building them up I think.
The Bad
-Editing. There were multiple misspellings and strange places where sentences were written clumsily. In the first 100 pages alone I think I noticed about 5+ times when 'nodded' was written as just 'ded' for some confusing reason. It's like somebody used Find + Replace on the word 'nod', but didn't double-check everywhere they deleted it from. Luckily the latter half of the book seemed much more solid, and I only noticed very minor errors. I wish there was a way to highlight these errors and tell the authors to fix them. But outside of platforms like royalroad and similar where you can directly interact with the author, I have no idea how you would do that.
-Story progression. The first book moved at a very fast pace. We got their introduction, their bonding, and then they moved quickly through progression and into a big final battle. The stakes steadily rose throughout, and the progression was both fast and noticeable.
This book though seemed to pump the brakes hard. We had like a hundred+ pages dedicated to just...running. More than half of the book was their group training for the Trials.
The Trials themselves were a lot of fun, I just wish they had happened a little quicker. At least for me, the main draw of these books is the bond and progression between Zee and Jessup...but they don't really even see each other until the final hundred or so pages of the book!
The story built up the Trials, yes, but also that there was a big tournament planned between all the nearby nations. I was hoping THAT was going to be the big finale to the book. But instead, that's saved for the next book. I'm just hoping the pace picks up moving forward, because otherwise I feel like it will be 2+ books per year of school. I mean...this book covered like 4 weeks of Basic training only and took the entire book.
Still a very fun book though, and I definitely recommend.
February 4, 2025
I love this series. I think Zee and Jessup are my favorite characters to root for in any books written. You can't help but love them. I think the worst part of the book was that they weren't together most of the book, but they still communicated all the time through their bond. The best part of the book was the pair getting to build new friendships at the academy. The friendships they build are with other characters that you want to root for. Finished the book last night and now I didn't know what to read next.
January 12, 2025
A kraken approved follow up!
So this book takes place over a much shorter time frame than book 1, so there’s a lot packed in! We get a surprising amount of progression for our MCs, make some new friends and thwart some dastardly plans! There are also some really interesting events that make me super curious for the next book, so can’t wait there! Then there’s the ongoing mystery of what’s up with the merpeople and krakens. Maybe next book! Keep up the good work!
So this book takes place over a much shorter time frame than book 1, so there’s a lot packed in! We get a surprising amount of progression for our MCs, make some new friends and thwart some dastardly plans! There are also some really interesting events that make me super curious for the next book, so can’t wait there! Then there’s the ongoing mystery of what’s up with the merpeople and krakens. Maybe next book! Keep up the good work!
January 9, 2025
Amazing book
I have not enjoyed a book this much in a very long time. I can't wait to see how this series continues. This book has great pacing and surprises that I truly didn't expect. I also love the characters and the humor. The best part of the writing is the focus on the friendships and character growth. Love this series and highly recommend reading. I couldn't put this book down.
I have not enjoyed a book this much in a very long time. I can't wait to see how this series continues. This book has great pacing and surprises that I truly didn't expect. I also love the characters and the humor. The best part of the writing is the focus on the friendships and character growth. Love this series and highly recommend reading. I couldn't put this book down.
October 6, 2025
I was patiently waiting for Thunder Kraken to release on audiobook. I listened to Kraken Rider Z and even though I have the kindle ebook, my brain kept telling me that I needed to continue the experience of Tim Gerard Reynolds in my head rather than reading this.
I’m so happy I waited! Tim was once again phenomenal!
In Thunder Kraken, Zee and Jessup are accepted into the dragon and riders war academy. How in the heck would a Kraken be trained alongside dragons? And how would Zee fare with those being trained to bond with dragons.
Zee and Jessup are split up, Zee with the riders and Jessup with the dragons. And I loved every single minute of the escapades that followed.
I’m going through a serious book/audiobook hangover right now and can’t get these characters and this story out of my head!
I just found out there’s another book coming. Eep! I need more Zee and Jessup and the rest of the gang!
I’m so happy I waited! Tim was once again phenomenal!
In Thunder Kraken, Zee and Jessup are accepted into the dragon and riders war academy. How in the heck would a Kraken be trained alongside dragons? And how would Zee fare with those being trained to bond with dragons.
Zee and Jessup are split up, Zee with the riders and Jessup with the dragons. And I loved every single minute of the escapades that followed.
I’m going through a serious book/audiobook hangover right now and can’t get these characters and this story out of my head!
I just found out there’s another book coming. Eep! I need more Zee and Jessup and the rest of the gang!
January 7, 2025
Thunder Kraken is a marvelously epic action/adventure/fantasy. Although, you must know it is the second book in this trilogy and you would regret not reading book 1, which is also epically wonderful! The characters are well-developed and the world is beautifully described. I truly regretted having to take time away from reading the amazing 744 pages but, sleep is very demanding, lol. I highly recommend this book and any of Dyrk Ashton’s work.
Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the author and this is my honest and freely given opinion.
Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the author and this is my honest and freely given opinion.
September 28, 2025
Kingdom of Slavery and Racists
I do think in reviews are so focused on the MC himself they are forgetting the actual setting and interactions. This is a kingdom that ENDORSES SLAVERY...This is not a good kingdom. This not a good king. This is not good people. The MC should be leaving this kingdom and joining another to conquer it and crush it. Not constantly plead for them to accept him.
There are good people? Are there? The vast majority are racists against merfolk. Those 'friends' of his only treat him nice because he has a bond and is special. Do you see his 'friends' and 'teachers' going out of their way to treat other enslaved merfolk good? To free the merfolk? The ones without anything to offer? No. They are treated as trash and slaves. If the MC didn't have a bond, he'd be worked to death on a ship and treated like a tool.
I tried to enjoy the book but each time other characters were racists and no one put them out for it. When the King and Princess didn't abolish slavery and still let it go on. It kept proving how evil the kingdom was. The fact the MC constantly wanted to be part of a kingdom of slavery and racists was just disgusting.
What fun is a story where the poor slave abandons his people and instead joins the slavers to try to gain their approval? Uncaring of his fellow slaves and second class not even citizens but refugees?
The novel tries to put a spin on it by focusing on all these people helping the MC and being friendly with making the racists the 'not good guys' but the vast majority of character and populace look down on him for being a merfolk. The 'friends' and helpful are only acting that way again..because he has a bond with a kraken... Having an entire race enslaved and treating the one 'ex slave' better because he is a useful tool does not make them good or nice.
In any other book, this kingdom would be the one that everyone calls evil and be rallying to destroy and free the beaten down merfolk. The fact that the MC doesn't constantly call the King the 'Slaver King' is already more then that king deserves.
At most I hoped this would be a, destroy them from the inside, seeing how the nobles are racist corrupt evil people none of them the vitreous knights they claim, instead of him constantly looking up to the racist slavers.
Some of the Knights are good? Really? Do you see any of the dragon knights finding ships of enslaved mermen and freeing them? Do you see them rebelling against the king and demanding he free and treat all people equally? Nope. Want to tell a story about shining Knights of Justice on dragons. DON'T HAVE THEM ENDORSING A KINGDOM OF SLAVERY.
Really wished the MC would come across the King and his 'friends' ignoring tons of merfolk starving to death and enslaved for fake 'crimes' and realize how evil they are. That he'd be shocked into either demanding freedom and equal rights or taking his Kraken to an enemy kingdom to wage war on them.
I do think in reviews are so focused on the MC himself they are forgetting the actual setting and interactions. This is a kingdom that ENDORSES SLAVERY...This is not a good kingdom. This not a good king. This is not good people. The MC should be leaving this kingdom and joining another to conquer it and crush it. Not constantly plead for them to accept him.
There are good people? Are there? The vast majority are racists against merfolk. Those 'friends' of his only treat him nice because he has a bond and is special. Do you see his 'friends' and 'teachers' going out of their way to treat other enslaved merfolk good? To free the merfolk? The ones without anything to offer? No. They are treated as trash and slaves. If the MC didn't have a bond, he'd be worked to death on a ship and treated like a tool.
I tried to enjoy the book but each time other characters were racists and no one put them out for it. When the King and Princess didn't abolish slavery and still let it go on. It kept proving how evil the kingdom was. The fact the MC constantly wanted to be part of a kingdom of slavery and racists was just disgusting.
What fun is a story where the poor slave abandons his people and instead joins the slavers to try to gain their approval? Uncaring of his fellow slaves and second class not even citizens but refugees?
The novel tries to put a spin on it by focusing on all these people helping the MC and being friendly with making the racists the 'not good guys' but the vast majority of character and populace look down on him for being a merfolk. The 'friends' and helpful are only acting that way again..because he has a bond with a kraken... Having an entire race enslaved and treating the one 'ex slave' better because he is a useful tool does not make them good or nice.
In any other book, this kingdom would be the one that everyone calls evil and be rallying to destroy and free the beaten down merfolk. The fact that the MC doesn't constantly call the King the 'Slaver King' is already more then that king deserves.
At most I hoped this would be a, destroy them from the inside, seeing how the nobles are racist corrupt evil people none of them the vitreous knights they claim, instead of him constantly looking up to the racist slavers.
Some of the Knights are good? Really? Do you see any of the dragon knights finding ships of enslaved mermen and freeing them? Do you see them rebelling against the king and demanding he free and treat all people equally? Nope. Want to tell a story about shining Knights of Justice on dragons. DON'T HAVE THEM ENDORSING A KINGDOM OF SLAVERY.
Really wished the MC would come across the King and his 'friends' ignoring tons of merfolk starving to death and enslaved for fake 'crimes' and realize how evil they are. That he'd be shocked into either demanding freedom and equal rights or taking his Kraken to an enemy kingdom to wage war on them.
January 13, 2025
Kraken Rider
I like books about students learning with special beast, like dragons, and in this case a kraken which is very different from other Academy stories. This is a great read main character you can root for.
I like books about students learning with special beast, like dragons, and in this case a kraken which is very different from other Academy stories. This is a great read main character you can root for.
January 24, 2025
Even better than the first
The sequel is an improvement on the first in nearly every way. The story progresses and character development is on another level. It's intriguing and hints at more to come. Well done
The sequel is an improvement on the first in nearly every way. The story progresses and character development is on another level. It's intriguing and hints at more to come. Well done
January 26, 2025
Great Fantasy
This is a well written novel by a talented author. It reso
nates with adventure, drama , action, and humor . The characters are fantastic and wonderful. Take the journey and enjoy as I have !
This is a well written novel by a talented author. It reso
nates with adventure, drama , action, and humor . The characters are fantastic and wonderful. Take the journey and enjoy as I have !
January 27, 2025
Great book, even better adventure.
This book continues the journey of Murman Zee and Kraken Jessup. Theirs is a tale of friendship with never ending valor, courage, fortitude and adventure.
This book continues the journey of Murman Zee and Kraken Jessup. Theirs is a tale of friendship with never ending valor, courage, fortitude and adventure.
January 28, 2025
One of my new favorite series
Wow, book one was pretty good but book 2 took everything to a whole new level. The writing, the dialogue, the fight scenes, and of course the kraken. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series. What a great read!
Wow, book one was pretty good but book 2 took everything to a whole new level. The writing, the dialogue, the fight scenes, and of course the kraken. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series. What a great read!
April 18, 2025
Sequel surpasses the original
This is truly an enjoyable story, with excellent writing, amazing world-building, very likeable characters, and plenty of growth and action. My only question is, where is the third book?
This is truly an enjoyable story, with excellent writing, amazing world-building, very likeable characters, and plenty of growth and action. My only question is, where is the third book?
January 12, 2025
Another great entry in this series. Can’t wait for book three!
January 14, 2025
Most Excellent
I love this premise!
Weak tostrong concept.
Unique protagonists.
Possible future romances.
Could use a bit more world building depth.
Overall 5 Stars!
I love this premise!
Weak tostrong concept.
Unique protagonists.
Possible future romances.
Could use a bit more world building depth.
Overall 5 Stars!
January 17, 2025
Si te gustó el primero este es más y mejor, además de expandir el mundo más y mejorar el cast principal
January 31, 2025
great sequel
Book 2 did not disappoint, and continued a great series! For fans of the genre, I’d highly recommend this series, and am eagerly looking forward to book 3.
Book 2 did not disappoint, and continued a great series! For fans of the genre, I’d highly recommend this series, and am eagerly looking forward to book 3.
February 27, 2025
Better pacing and more character developement than the first book. Some fun plot twists and more of great frindships between beasts and riders. Great fun casual read.
May 24, 2025
Fantastic story!
I haven't enjoyed a fantasy series like this in a very long time. The pace of story and character development is perfect. I can't wait for the third book!
I haven't enjoyed a fantasy series like this in a very long time. The pace of story and character development is perfect. I can't wait for the third book!
January 13, 2025
Another cracking adventure with Zee and Jessup. It makes such a good change to be reading about a kraken bond instead of yet more dragons (I mean, you have those too, but y'know...). This book is very much a school academy book, of Zee's learning and growth, that expands the world and sets up the foundations and springboard for what is going to be an explosive next book.
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