Reviewed by Elizabetta
TITLE: Kraken
AUTHOR: M. Caspian
PUBLISHER: self published
LENGTH: 193 pages
BLURB:
Kraken: A gothic erotic horror with tentacle non-con.
When boyfriend Parker gives him an ultimatum Will never dreams his heart is about to be ripped out: move to a remote off-shore island with him, or call it quits. But Will picks wrong, and now he’s heading into the unknown to fix his mistake. But why do the locals think they recognise him? And why can’t he seem to leave?
Reader advisory: This work of fiction contains explicit sexual activities between men that may offend some people. It also contains scenes of rape, extreme violence, tentacles, and reference to sexual abuse of children.
REVIEW:
Holy*freaking*sea creatures! Is it a kraken? Is it a toppy cephalopod? Oh happy day for a great bad-guy monster to sink your teeth into.
Finally, a baddie who is well-made, not cartoonish; seductive, luring and alluring. And with the best submerged creep. A nightmare of a monster.
Our good-guy, Will…well, he’s a bit of a mess isn’t he? He’s the typical gothic horror MC: enslaved by all those repressed emotions, not knowing quite what to do with them. So naive, a bit tight-laced, but so seducible, so malleable.
The author gives us all sorts of clues that Will had better watch his step. First off, a guy who is phobic about water… and he heads for an island? Okaaaay. And before he’s even caught the ferry he witnesses an incredibly disturbing act. Which should have told him, ‘hop in the car and head straight home, please’. Yeah, lots of creepy warning signs. Like the duhn-duhn-duhn-duhn of the ‘Jaws’ soundtrack thunking in the background.
It was a bit of work in Kraken’s early exposition; it takes a while to get my feet under all the world building. And Will’s not easy to cozy up to. I mean, he wanders that island like a rudderless boat, stupefied and wayward…
But, at the same time, it’s that persistent feeling of ‘something not quite right’ and ‘this boy is ripe for the plucking’ that keeps up the tension.
Unleash the kraken! Throw in some pulsing, throbbing tentacle action with lots of slimy, oozing effluence to lubricate the way. Say hello to happy, thrashy pornautica. When Will’s eyes are opened up to his peril, that’s when the plot starts to cook.
The last two-thirds of Kraken held me spell bound. I especially loved Will’s development. When I clicked on the last page I felt like I’d come up for a gasp of air. Yes, outside my window, the sun was still shining and the birds still singing their spring song. In Kindle-land, Kraken was back where he belonged and all’s well…
Such a great debut piece. I’m hoping to read much more from this author’s hand. And aren’t a couple strings left hanging at the end of Kraken? I could do with more island adventures.
RATING: 
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