Riveted by Meljean Brook and The Iron Seas

msaggie · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 629

I just finished Riveted, the latest novel in Meljean Brook's The Iron Seas series, and need to tell people about it! Compared to The Iron Duke and Heart of Steel, there is a lot more focus on the romance between the hero and heroine in Riveted, and so I think it will appeal to romance readers more. I hope AAR will post a review of it soon - at the moment, there are A reviews of it at other sites (e.g. Dear Author and Rosario's blog).

What did I like about it? There are too many things to list...let's try...the heroine's from Iceland! (OK, it's an alternate history Iceland, but still) The hero is something like a bionic man. The worldbuilding is amazing. As I was reading it, the descriptions reminded me of scenes from the Hayao Miyazaki movie Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (I am trying not to give away spoilers). There are lots of jaw-dropping scenes (e.g. the whale, the volcano erupting). Quite apart from the cinemascopic feel, there was also an exploration of love and sexuality, both from the hero and heroine's viewpoints. It is a very sweet romance, with a focus on the importance of mothers in our protagonists' lives.

The tone of Riveted is quite different from the other two books, and the characters from the previous books are not part of this story, although it's set in the same universe, and there is some cultural reference to events in the previous books - Riveted is standalone, although having read the other books will give a better understanding of the world of The Iron Seas.

What did everyone think of this book? Will we get a review at AAR?

Niftybergin · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 1066

I liked The Iron Duke, although I found it laborious to read...and not at all re-readable for me. I tried the second book, but it was a DNF. I had had no intention of reading this one, but now you have me intrigued....

LinnieGayl · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 752

Just checked and according to Amazon the audio version won't be available until the 17th. I've listened to the last two so will wait for it in audio.
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LinnieGayl

Jill · Joined: 30 Dec 2010 Posts: 80

I agree with you msaggie, Riveted is the best so far in the Iron Seas series. Though I enjoyed the world and stories in the other books I wasn't captivated by the romances as I was in Riveted.
A thoroughly enjoyable story and romance and a well-deserved 4.5 star read for me.

msaggie · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 629

Minerva · Joined: 05 Jul 2007 Posts: 127

I enjoyed the Iron Duke and Heart of Steel, but not enough to want to reread them. I bought Riveted based on several reviews from other sites.

I think Riveted is by far my favorite of all the Irons Seas novels. The story is absolutely amazing. A really wonderful romance between two very well developed characters. Brooks's first 2 novels were very plot and action driven. This novel really relied on the development of Annika and David.

But did struggle with the book some. I couldn't remember any of the details of the world building. I had to go to Brooks's website to bone up on details. You don't need to remember anything about the plots of the first 2 books since none of those characters show up in this book. However, a glossary or a map at the beginning would have been a huge help.

msaggie · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 629

Thanks to Pat for the A review of Riveted. I thought that there was a bit of a spoiler in the review regarding why Annika did not want to reveal her homeland - as the reader is kept guessing why Annika would be so reticent. It's a wonderful story, and it is the most romantic of the Iron Seas books so far.