The Kraken's Sacrifice (A Deal with a Demon #2)
by Katee Robert
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: October 11, 2022
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self Published by Author)
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: October 11, 2022
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self Published by Author)
Being a big fan of Katee Robert’s Wicked Villains and Dark Olympus series, as well as the more recent releases of The Dragon’s Bride and The Demon’s Bargain, I had very high hopes going into The Kraken’s Sacrifice. Unfortunately, the short length and the unique dynamic between Thane and Catalina made it hard for the book to live up to expectations.
Unlike Lenora or Briar, Catalina’s deal with Azazel is made to escape her life in the mortal world than a specific person (like Lenora’s vindictive ex or Briar’s abusive husband). She’s been beaten down so many times in the past by her family and past lovers that she expects life to be like that, and as such the contract (with a major do not harm clause included) doesn’t trigger the multiple times Thane messes up at the beginning of the relationship since she expects stuff life to be like that. To make matters even more complicated, Thane is still dealing with the pain of losing the love of his life, Brant. They have a very awkward relationship to start, but it does progress once they learn to be vulnerable and start opening up to each other. Despite the progression, it was much harder for me to connect to their relationship when Thane spent a good chunk of the book essentially hiding from Catalina. Once he stops hiding from her, and they actually start spending time together, things felt rushed. I wanted more heart-to-hearts, more kinky tentacle scenes, and more exploration of Thane’s kingdom, but alas everything had to fit into the roughly 170 pages of the book we were given and there was not enough time for everything.
Katee Robert makes a point of writing inclusive romances, and I love it! The inclusivity featured in The Kraken’s Sacrifice was definitely a major highlight. Both Catalina and Thane have had past lovers across the gender spectrum. There’s also Thane’s sibling Embry, who uses the pronouns zir/ze. Given that this is my first exposure to those pronouns (I’m a bit more used to they/them), it was surprisingly easy to adjust. I also want to applaud Ms. Robert for how she handled the abortion scene in the book. It’s easy to highlight the happy moments in a relationship when you write a book, but it’s much harder to tastefully depict such a deep moment in any couple's life. It’s not graphic, but it does happen on the page and I was pleased to see that Thane was a very supportive partner to Catalina during the whole process.
For those of you who may be familiar with the other books in this universe, Ramanu once again makes an appearance, and they are basically my favorite character in the entire series. They are in charge of the check-ins for each of the mortal brides that were auctioned off and despite their behavior towards each of the territory leaders, it's obvious they care about the humans to some degree. Given that The Demon’s Bargain also takes place in this universe, it was nice to see where that fits into the timeline and get another glimpse into Lenora and Ramanu’s relationship (I really want to see them annoy the crap out of Azazel in a future book).
Overall, The Kraken’s Sacrifice was a largely enjoyable book, especially when you consider the larger ‘A Deal with a Demon’ series. If you want a quick monster romance read you can finish in an afternoon, this would be a great book for you. It’s an especially great choice for those who are looking for an LGBTQ+ inclusive read. However, if you’re looking for a longer monster romance, complete with extensive worldbuilding, large amounts of character development and the types of sex scenes Ms. Robert has present in her other books, you might be better served looking at another title on her backlist instead.
TRIGGER WARNINGS (Courtesy of the Author’s Website): Abuse/neglect (mental/emotional, parent to child, historical), spousal death (historical, non-graphic, off-page), explicit sex, vomit (non-graphic), pregnancy termination (non-graphic), incidental injuries for magical purposes, grief, body shaming (historical, referenced briefly), reference to age play and to DDlg, slight dollification, use of unconventional gag
About the Book
Catalina only made her deal with the demon because she had nowhere else to go. The world has kicked her every chance it got, so she’s all too happy to leave the realm she knows behind. What’s the worst that could happen?
She doesn’t anticipate being auctioned away to a kraken.
Thane is cold and distant…but he’s not unkind. Isolated as they are, Catalina finds herself seeking his company again and again. And when she finally agrees to uphold her portion of the bargain?
That’s when things get really interesting.
But she only gave the demon seven years, and when the time is up, she’ll have no choice but to leave behind the kraken who’s stolen her heart and return to the world that doesn’t want her.
About the Author
Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.
Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.
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