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Reckoning of Dragons #3
Sirensbane
The epic fantasy trilogy concludes. In a world fearfully waiting for the return of the dormant dragon god, a triumvirate of evil villains rises up to take advantage of the chaos. Reluctantly pitted against them is Kal Moonheart, an adventurer and gambler, marked for a life of danger at a young age. But Kal has friends to stand with her—honest thief Will Straightarrow, smuggler and pirate Lula Pearl, knight-errant Rafe Firehand, and wiley policitian Benedict Godsword. There will be blood. There will be a reckoning … In SIRENSBANE, Kal faces her greatest challenge yet. On a freezing winter night, Kal is dragged from her bed by a friend in need. Renowned pirate and smuggler Lula Pearl has been struck with a fearsome curse, and Kal must join her and set sail on a dangerous voyage. On the other side of the world, the Auspice Islands have been overrun by a horde of zombies, led by a man whose terrifying schemes threaten all life both under and above the waves—the almighty sorcerer known as Corus Sirensbane.
- GenresFantasy
305 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2015
36 people want to read
About the author
Rob May
10 books21 followersRob May studied English at Lancaster University and is the author of Reckoning of Dragons, a trilogy of fantasy thrillers featuring Kal Moonheart, adventurer, gambler and thief.
Rob lives in Warwickshire, England.
Rob lives in Warwickshire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 2, 2015
When a zombie curse hits an island, Kal Moonheart is off to solve the mystery and save the day.
I do love Kal Moonheart, I must admit. She is a fiery character who lives life on her own terms. She’s a rebel, but one with a sense of right and wrong, and she’s not afraid to exact justice against those she deems guilty. In this installment of the series, she gets into some seriously tough scrapes and proves how far she’s willing to go for someone she loves. This doesn’t come down to a romance, though. The slight romance angle is woven in amongst the action and never takes over. I certainly prefer it that way, and it’s nicely done.
When I first started reading and learned of the zombie curse, I’ll admit it gave me pause. I’m not a big fan of zombie stories, but this one is quite different. Yes, there are the walking undead who need their heads chopped off, but the cause of the curse and the cure are spectacular, and it leads Kal on a brand new chase that kept me glued to every page.
The action in this story is superbly done. When there isn’t a swashbuckling fight scene, there’s tense moments dealing with secret plots and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Yes, it involves pirates, and it had me thinking a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean, but on a very adult level. There is violence, gambling, and sex with harsh language, though not over the top, but still not for the kids.
There are some fantastic new characters including Lula, Kal’s love interest. I also enjoyed scenes with Che and his very interesting treasure map. The addition of Sea Dog, though brief, was also quite amusing (because I love dogs). Old characters from the series also make appearances such as Ben and Dogwood. It was nice to see them again as well and find out how the overall story is progressing.
I’ll admit I was able to figure out some of the plots before things were revealed, but the ultimate ending came as sort of a surprise. I wasn’t expecting who was truly behind everything, and I enjoyed it very much. I always love being wrong when I’m trying to figure out a mystery. I enjoyed every moment of this action packed adventure, and I look forward to Kal’s future adventures.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I do love Kal Moonheart, I must admit. She is a fiery character who lives life on her own terms. She’s a rebel, but one with a sense of right and wrong, and she’s not afraid to exact justice against those she deems guilty. In this installment of the series, she gets into some seriously tough scrapes and proves how far she’s willing to go for someone she loves. This doesn’t come down to a romance, though. The slight romance angle is woven in amongst the action and never takes over. I certainly prefer it that way, and it’s nicely done.
When I first started reading and learned of the zombie curse, I’ll admit it gave me pause. I’m not a big fan of zombie stories, but this one is quite different. Yes, there are the walking undead who need their heads chopped off, but the cause of the curse and the cure are spectacular, and it leads Kal on a brand new chase that kept me glued to every page.
The action in this story is superbly done. When there isn’t a swashbuckling fight scene, there’s tense moments dealing with secret plots and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Yes, it involves pirates, and it had me thinking a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean, but on a very adult level. There is violence, gambling, and sex with harsh language, though not over the top, but still not for the kids.
There are some fantastic new characters including Lula, Kal’s love interest. I also enjoyed scenes with Che and his very interesting treasure map. The addition of Sea Dog, though brief, was also quite amusing (because I love dogs). Old characters from the series also make appearances such as Ben and Dogwood. It was nice to see them again as well and find out how the overall story is progressing.
I’ll admit I was able to figure out some of the plots before things were revealed, but the ultimate ending came as sort of a surprise. I wasn’t expecting who was truly behind everything, and I enjoyed it very much. I always love being wrong when I’m trying to figure out a mystery. I enjoyed every moment of this action packed adventure, and I look forward to Kal’s future adventures.
I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2015
Unexpected twists, uncompromising heroics and Bond style villainry – the third of Rob May’s ‘Kal Moonheart’ series delivers on all counts.
This time, Kal finds herself on the high seas, accompanied by smuggler friend – and eventual lover – Lula Pearl. Lula’s fellow islanders have been transformed into zombies, apparently as the result of a dark magic or curse. But Kal soon discovers that all is not what it seems when she encounters the sinister ‘Magician’, and begins to unravel his evil plans.
What I love about these books is the way they take fantasy fiction and do something completely new with the genre. Where ‘Roll the Bones’ blended fantasy with political thriller, Sirensbane is packed with adventure, swashbuckling antics, and even a hint of sci-fi. There’s consistency in the way that this story links with the previous ones, ensuring that the reader feels they recognise Kal’s world immediately. At the same time, Sirensbane is packed with new characters and, through the use of flashbacks we learn more about both Kal and Lula’s past which sheds light on the two women and the reasons for their – sometimes – selfish behaviour.
I would strongly recommend Sirensbane to anyone who enjoys well-crafted fantasy or simply stories with a strong lead female role. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!
This time, Kal finds herself on the high seas, accompanied by smuggler friend – and eventual lover – Lula Pearl. Lula’s fellow islanders have been transformed into zombies, apparently as the result of a dark magic or curse. But Kal soon discovers that all is not what it seems when she encounters the sinister ‘Magician’, and begins to unravel his evil plans.
What I love about these books is the way they take fantasy fiction and do something completely new with the genre. Where ‘Roll the Bones’ blended fantasy with political thriller, Sirensbane is packed with adventure, swashbuckling antics, and even a hint of sci-fi. There’s consistency in the way that this story links with the previous ones, ensuring that the reader feels they recognise Kal’s world immediately. At the same time, Sirensbane is packed with new characters and, through the use of flashbacks we learn more about both Kal and Lula’s past which sheds light on the two women and the reasons for their – sometimes – selfish behaviour.
I would strongly recommend Sirensbane to anyone who enjoys well-crafted fantasy or simply stories with a strong lead female role. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!
April 13, 2015
‘Taking down dragons is no easy task, of course, but if you know their weaknesses and you have a good plan, it can be done!’ (Kindle Locations 3540-3541).
Sirensbane is the third installment in the Kal Moonheart series. In this book Kal gets caught up in another adventure, this time mostly at sea and the Auspice Islands. Her dear friend Lula is cursed and the island she used to call home is overrun with zombies, or so her superstitions tell her. It is up to Kal to break the curse and save the islands and their people from a cruel takeover by a man turned evil with power and corruption. Like most of the adventures Kalina jumps into, there is more going on below the surface.
I like how May creates a full and rich world to place his main character Kalina Moonheart ‘The Dragon Killer’ into. The world is full of its own history and its own mythology. There are multiple different land massess and cultures and different kinds of people. It’s a new world without confusion or too many intricacies to keep track of. May lays out the land over the course of each of his books so that the world is vibrant and full in the reader’s mind and comes alive bit by bit.
Sirensbane is full of superstition, magic, and curses… and Kal is in the thick of it. Kal is the most swashbuckling, romanticized pirate, fun character, butt-kicking, adventure seeking, young and full of life character that she’s ever been in the entire series. She comes into her own in Sirensbane and is the coolest character here. May has blossomed her throughout the series to come to her most exciting personality and role in this book. It may just be that May writes pirates dashingly well, but I thought this book was the best of the series (so far) and every plot point clicked into place effortlessly.
With Kal and the mysteries surrounding her adventures, there’s always more going on! At first they seem like subplots but eventually all of them merge up into the overarching plot and eventually to the climax of the story that has pulled Kal in. May gives the readers a full on fighting climax with guns blazing and swords drawn, and when the battle is over there is yet more action to come. The ending was masterfully handled.
As always, Rob May has a plethora of twists and turns and truths and lies that veil the plot in a thicket of mystery to intrigue the reader and keep up the fast pace of the story. He also reveals what you think is the plot almost at once to hook you: Lula wants Kal to help break the islander’s zombie curse. As usual, though, May has a lot more going on to keep your interest and the mystery alive.
This book had a very Pirates of the Caribbean feel. People were roguish, there was lots of fighting, and lies and greed ruled the people and towns.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the adventures and strength of Tarzan, the fun cockiness of Crocodile Dundee, or a novel with a young kick-butt female hero.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Sirensbane is the third installment in the Kal Moonheart series. In this book Kal gets caught up in another adventure, this time mostly at sea and the Auspice Islands. Her dear friend Lula is cursed and the island she used to call home is overrun with zombies, or so her superstitions tell her. It is up to Kal to break the curse and save the islands and their people from a cruel takeover by a man turned evil with power and corruption. Like most of the adventures Kalina jumps into, there is more going on below the surface.
I like how May creates a full and rich world to place his main character Kalina Moonheart ‘The Dragon Killer’ into. The world is full of its own history and its own mythology. There are multiple different land massess and cultures and different kinds of people. It’s a new world without confusion or too many intricacies to keep track of. May lays out the land over the course of each of his books so that the world is vibrant and full in the reader’s mind and comes alive bit by bit.
Sirensbane is full of superstition, magic, and curses… and Kal is in the thick of it. Kal is the most swashbuckling, romanticized pirate, fun character, butt-kicking, adventure seeking, young and full of life character that she’s ever been in the entire series. She comes into her own in Sirensbane and is the coolest character here. May has blossomed her throughout the series to come to her most exciting personality and role in this book. It may just be that May writes pirates dashingly well, but I thought this book was the best of the series (so far) and every plot point clicked into place effortlessly.
With Kal and the mysteries surrounding her adventures, there’s always more going on! At first they seem like subplots but eventually all of them merge up into the overarching plot and eventually to the climax of the story that has pulled Kal in. May gives the readers a full on fighting climax with guns blazing and swords drawn, and when the battle is over there is yet more action to come. The ending was masterfully handled.
As always, Rob May has a plethora of twists and turns and truths and lies that veil the plot in a thicket of mystery to intrigue the reader and keep up the fast pace of the story. He also reveals what you think is the plot almost at once to hook you: Lula wants Kal to help break the islander’s zombie curse. As usual, though, May has a lot more going on to keep your interest and the mystery alive.
This book had a very Pirates of the Caribbean feel. People were roguish, there was lots of fighting, and lies and greed ruled the people and towns.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys the adventures and strength of Tarzan, the fun cockiness of Crocodile Dundee, or a novel with a young kick-butt female hero.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
December 22, 2025
The last book is the trio! We follow the dragon slayer on her biggest adventure yet!
Kal teams up with her friend Lula and set off to save an island and it's villagers!
Rob May did a great job on this book. It is a wonderful YA book for kids who read any genre!
Kal teams up with her friend Lula and set off to save an island and it's villagers!
Rob May did a great job on this book. It is a wonderful YA book for kids who read any genre!
November 4, 2018
I actually finished this book on July 9th, then read the two short stories included in collection: the first from 9-12 July, the second from 12-15 July.
This third book in the trilogy was my least favourite of the three, and I must admit to struggling to keep at it in a couple of places. Overall it was fairly likeable, but there were some things I just didn't get on with in it.
Sirensbane starts with Kal's friend, Luna, turning up at her friend's home complaining that she has been cursed. Sure enough, there's a black spot on her palm, and Kal agrees to head off with Lula to try and save her friend. So it's all aboard the smuggler's ship, and off to the islands, where, as well as a number of cursed souls, there's also a zombie plague. The Governor has gone missing, and everything seems to be falling apart.
The author changed the themes again in this book, shifting from the previous adventure/quest and subsequent murder mystery/political thriller. This time it's zombies with a generous helping of piracy and a sideways move into 60s spy territory—but all still set in the fantasy world Kal inhabits. There's also a small dash of romance, and the horror of drug addiction.
And this was where it started to fall down for me. I'm not entirely sure the move into James Bond worked particularly well in this setting, and the whole drug addiction thing—I really have no idea how it helped the story, nor why it was there. I don't know if it was an "even heroes can have weaknesses" thing, or a "drugs are bad" thing, or something else, but it felt out of place and was one of the points I got stuck at.
The book was well written, and the connection of the disparate genres mostly worked, but while in previous books I wasn't sure whether I liked Kal as a lead character or not, in this book I definitely didn't. It left me feeling somewhat disappointed in her, and that dimmed my enthusiasm for reading to the end. The dashing pirate captain made up for it a bit, and the barbs he and Kal were trading were a lot of fun.
The two short stories were a nice way to round off the trilogy, one telling the fate of a character from an earlier book, the other relating a shorter chapter of Kal's life, and I'm glad I saved them until the end, since it meant I got to leave Kal feeling a bit more positive about her.
This third book in the trilogy was my least favourite of the three, and I must admit to struggling to keep at it in a couple of places. Overall it was fairly likeable, but there were some things I just didn't get on with in it.
Sirensbane starts with Kal's friend, Luna, turning up at her friend's home complaining that she has been cursed. Sure enough, there's a black spot on her palm, and Kal agrees to head off with Lula to try and save her friend. So it's all aboard the smuggler's ship, and off to the islands, where, as well as a number of cursed souls, there's also a zombie plague. The Governor has gone missing, and everything seems to be falling apart.
The author changed the themes again in this book, shifting from the previous adventure/quest and subsequent murder mystery/political thriller. This time it's zombies with a generous helping of piracy and a sideways move into 60s spy territory—but all still set in the fantasy world Kal inhabits. There's also a small dash of romance, and the horror of drug addiction.
And this was where it started to fall down for me. I'm not entirely sure the move into James Bond worked particularly well in this setting, and the whole drug addiction thing—I really have no idea how it helped the story, nor why it was there. I don't know if it was an "even heroes can have weaknesses" thing, or a "drugs are bad" thing, or something else, but it felt out of place and was one of the points I got stuck at.
The book was well written, and the connection of the disparate genres mostly worked, but while in previous books I wasn't sure whether I liked Kal as a lead character or not, in this book I definitely didn't. It left me feeling somewhat disappointed in her, and that dimmed my enthusiasm for reading to the end. The dashing pirate captain made up for it a bit, and the barbs he and Kal were trading were a lot of fun.
The two short stories were a nice way to round off the trilogy, one telling the fate of a character from an earlier book, the other relating a shorter chapter of Kal's life, and I'm glad I saved them until the end, since it meant I got to leave Kal feeling a bit more positive about her.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews