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The Immortal Empire #1
God Save the Queen
Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist.
The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.
Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.
The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.
Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.
342 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2012
About the author
Kate Locke
6 books417 followersKate Locke has always enjoyed making things up — a trait that often got her into trouble as a child, but by which she enjoys making a living. Before writing fiction full time she worked as cook, a journalist and in a photo finishing lab where she saw enough pictures of naked people to rival Hugh Hefner. A guy once asked her out after giving her a roll of film that he expressly requested she develop and print. The entire roll was images of him stark naked in the woods. And no, that’s the kind of thing you just don’t make up.
In her late 20s Kate sold her first book and enjoyed a 10 year career writing under a different name. Her love of fantasy and the paranormal refused to leave her alone, and one day, while sitting on the couch thinking of making a very scary career move, she started jotting down notes for a book she wanted to write just for the pure enjoyment of it; a book just for herself. That book became God Save the Queen. Her agent thought they could sell it — Kate wasn’t certain. Then, the day after having her gall bladder removed (again, can’t make this stuff up), Kate got the call that Orbit books — her dream publisher for God Save the Queen — had made an offer. And it’s been more exciting than she ever imagined.
Like Xandra Vardan, the heroine in God Save the Queen, Kate values those she loves above all else, and has hair a color not typically found in nature. Unfortunately, Kate’s comes from a bottle. She’s married to a fabulous man who doesn’t seem to care what she does to her hair, puts up with her occasional* craziness, helps her plot, and treats her like she’s the best thing since lipgloss.
Kate Locke is pseudonym for Kathryn Smith aka Kate Cross/Kady Cross
In her late 20s Kate sold her first book and enjoyed a 10 year career writing under a different name. Her love of fantasy and the paranormal refused to leave her alone, and one day, while sitting on the couch thinking of making a very scary career move, she started jotting down notes for a book she wanted to write just for the pure enjoyment of it; a book just for herself. That book became God Save the Queen. Her agent thought they could sell it — Kate wasn’t certain. Then, the day after having her gall bladder removed (again, can’t make this stuff up), Kate got the call that Orbit books — her dream publisher for God Save the Queen — had made an offer. And it’s been more exciting than she ever imagined.
Like Xandra Vardan, the heroine in God Save the Queen, Kate values those she loves above all else, and has hair a color not typically found in nature. Unfortunately, Kate’s comes from a bottle. She’s married to a fabulous man who doesn’t seem to care what she does to her hair, puts up with her occasional* craziness, helps her plot, and treats her like she’s the best thing since lipgloss.
Kate Locke is pseudonym for Kathryn Smith aka Kate Cross/Kady Cross
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 773 reviews
May 4, 2018
Starting from a full five:
-1 star for Xandra the bodyguard wearing full Victorian dresses, high heels and corsets on the job.
-1 star for Xandra's boyfriend likening her to his son. Ew.
+1 star for "What have you brought us?" "Meat."
-1 star for nonsensical attempted explanations of the fantasy races and world building.
-1 star for every family member Xandra has slapped in the face.
+1 star for every person she beat up that actually deserved it.
Let's call it an even 2 stars.
-1 star for Xandra the bodyguard wearing full Victorian dresses, high heels and corsets on the job.
-1 star for Xandra's boyfriend likening her to his son. Ew.
+1 star for "What have you brought us?" "Meat."
-1 star for nonsensical attempted explanations of the fantasy races and world building.
-1 star for every family member Xandra has slapped in the face.
+1 star for every person she beat up that actually deserved it.
Let's call it an even 2 stars.
July 10, 2012
This book is fraught with problems which might not bother those readers who are big fans of the urban fantasy genre, but which bothered the more picky and demanding reader that I am. I also would use "urban fantasy" rather than "steampunk" here - even though the novel is marketed as the latter - because the book is far more a mish mash of your usual paranormals than it is a combination of past times + future technology. In fact, the author's note at the beginning contained almost more technology than the story itself.
I'm not going to be entirely negative, I can see why some will find this entertaining. I love the cover and I think the GR description is fantastic... an alternate Britain where Queen Victoria is immortal and still on the throne, where vampires and werewolves roam, where goblins terrorize... it's rare that you come across something that sounds so unique. Unfortunately, it just didn't live up to my expectations.
The writing felt very juvenile. I know for someone who reads mostly young adult this might seem an odd complaint, but I expected something darker, sexier and much more adult. I don't know how old Xandra was supposed to be, I'm fairly certain we weren't told, but whatever she was she read like a young teenager and this made the whole novel feel lighter and fluffier and the one night stand thing seem even weirder to me. As if the thing didn't feel unnatural enough as it was.
Also: too many creatures all at once. I understand why authors might want more than just one type of supernatural creature in their story, it's more exciting, caters to more people's interests, mixes things up a bit... and if we are to believe that vampires exist, why wouldn't werewolves also? And goblins? But Ms Locke tried to create a complex world in which all these creatures are major players all at the same time - it didn't work. She could (and should) have done something like Charlaine Harris did and allow the readers to come to terms with one species first, before introducing the others later on in the series.
Being British myself, one of the things that struck me immediately about the book is that it is so British it just wasn't. What I mean is - and I'm sorry to disappoint people who seem to love this - we really don't say shag and bloody hell and bollocks in every sentence. Or twat. Or sod off. We say it, yeah, but Locke went crazy with it. I suppose she was just trying really hard to be convincingly British but it felt fake. Or it did to me, anyway.
If you were really looking forward to this and you have a lot of good experiences with the urban fantasy genre, then you should definitely still check it out. Unfortunately, God Save the Queen just didn't work for me and I won't be returning for more.
September 11, 2012
I would LOVE to give this 3 1/2 stars but I can't here, so I'm giving it 3. As a first book I liked it, and will definitely try out the next one. This is steampunk alt-reality mixed with vampires, and I randomly picked it up not knowing what was going on at all, which was kind of fun.
I liked the world-building, but it was WAY too repetitive for the first third of the book especially. I think the author needed to trust her world was being set up well without having to remind the audience all the time, some editing could have def helped that part.
After that first half though, I really loved where the characters went with the FAMILY part, those relationships were really awesome and clear and I was invested in them. I guess my biggest problem with the book was that the love interest was kind of 2-dimensional, he was really perfect the whole time and I felt like there needed to be a bit of a twist there to make it more interesting/more conflict. I mean, he's the KING OF THE WEREWOLVES, and he was just kind of a Murray-Sue (Is that what they're called? haha). I think maybe a big twist will be in book two with them? I hope so! But I think this is good for fans of Gail Carriger's series for sure.
I liked the world-building, but it was WAY too repetitive for the first third of the book especially. I think the author needed to trust her world was being set up well without having to remind the audience all the time, some editing could have def helped that part.
After that first half though, I really loved where the characters went with the FAMILY part, those relationships were really awesome and clear and I was invested in them. I guess my biggest problem with the book was that the love interest was kind of 2-dimensional, he was really perfect the whole time and I felt like there needed to be a bit of a twist there to make it more interesting/more conflict. I mean, he's the KING OF THE WEREWOLVES, and he was just kind of a Murray-Sue (Is that what they're called? haha). I think maybe a big twist will be in book two with them? I hope so! But I think this is good for fans of Gail Carriger's series for sure.
September 3, 2019
What I Liked
- The concept of a virus creating werewolves and vampires was interesting. I think the whole setup of the book could be a cool TV show - like a steampunk gothic True Blood or something.
What I Disliked
- The book was trying really hard to be British. It was quite obvious that it was not written by someone British, but just someone who reeeeally likes British stuff.
- Tbh, the book felt like it was trying really hard in every aspect. The world building was overly complex and there was so much info dumping all the time.
- Xandra felt like a caricature of a "badass woman" and didn't have a lot of depth. The characters were kind of bleh in general.
- The concept of a virus creating werewolves and vampires was interesting. I think the whole setup of the book could be a cool TV show - like a steampunk gothic True Blood or something.
What I Disliked
- The book was trying really hard to be British. It was quite obvious that it was not written by someone British, but just someone who reeeeally likes British stuff.
- Tbh, the book felt like it was trying really hard in every aspect. The world building was overly complex and there was so much info dumping all the time.
- Xandra felt like a caricature of a "badass woman" and didn't have a lot of depth. The characters were kind of bleh in general.
January 23, 2013
Entertaining debut with interesting worldbuilding and a page-turning mystery.
Locke has created a likable, complex protagonist who excels at kicking ass. She's dedicated to her queen, as well as her job as a member of the elite Royal Guard, and is fiercely protective of her family. She's an admirable character who also shows vulnerability when it comes to seeking acceptance and approval from her father and the mentor who has guided her.
She's also stubborn and remains in denial for a large part of the story. While this could be an irritating quality in some characters, it felt believable and was easy to understand given Xandra's circumstances and how strongly she felt about her beliefs and the people she loved.
Xandra's devotion to her family is what sets into motion a series of events that leads to the unraveling of an intriguing mystery with a surprising twist. What is seemingly a story about Xandra's search for her missing sister turns into something far more complicated and conspiratorial, challenging her views of the Aristocracy and the role that she plays.
While there are some flaws, they were minor enough not to affect my interest in the story. Xandra's romantic relationship was a little less than satisfying. It wasn't quite insta-love, but felt somewhat similar. And the alpha werewolf wasn't quite alpha enough for my taste, but that's more of a personal preference as opposed to being a reflection of the author's writing.
Overall, I found God Save the Queen to be a fantastic start to a new must-follow series. I wouldn't necessarily say this story is ideal for steampunk fans because those elements are very light compared to others that I've read. But I imagine fans of urban fantasy will happily devour this debut.
Locke has created a likable, complex protagonist who excels at kicking ass. She's dedicated to her queen, as well as her job as a member of the elite Royal Guard, and is fiercely protective of her family. She's an admirable character who also shows vulnerability when it comes to seeking acceptance and approval from her father and the mentor who has guided her.
She's also stubborn and remains in denial for a large part of the story. While this could be an irritating quality in some characters, it felt believable and was easy to understand given Xandra's circumstances and how strongly she felt about her beliefs and the people she loved.
Xandra's devotion to her family is what sets into motion a series of events that leads to the unraveling of an intriguing mystery with a surprising twist. What is seemingly a story about Xandra's search for her missing sister turns into something far more complicated and conspiratorial, challenging her views of the Aristocracy and the role that she plays.
While there are some flaws, they were minor enough not to affect my interest in the story. Xandra's romantic relationship was a little less than satisfying. It wasn't quite insta-love, but felt somewhat similar. And the alpha werewolf wasn't quite alpha enough for my taste, but that's more of a personal preference as opposed to being a reflection of the author's writing.
Overall, I found God Save the Queen to be a fantastic start to a new must-follow series. I wouldn't necessarily say this story is ideal for steampunk fans because those elements are very light compared to others that I've read. But I imagine fans of urban fantasy will happily devour this debut.
September 13, 2017
Entertaining & mysterious.
October 24, 2016
would just like to say about this book, that it does give an interesting perspective to an alternate time, about the plague and Victorian era, and what would happened if the plague happened differently to our bodies and the adaptations of it all.
Queen Victoria still reigns, the plague has turned the people that it affected into camps, also known as aristocrats, the top of the food chain, it also affected them by changing into werewolves, but it's very hard to get a full blooded aristo, from 2 vamps getting it on, the same towards weres, so they then had halvie's who are either half were/human or half vamp/human, but if a full werewolf and a full vamp do the dirty they get a goblin, (I know weird ain't it).
I have to say that this is a brilliantly written book with a super story line, written in a different alternate timeframe from the Victorian era, but in a way it still lacked a little something for me, I will carry on reading the others as I am interested in seeing where everyone ends up, (hopefully Vexation McLaughlin in my bed!!).
I have to say that I do feel for Alexandra Varden as going through life with one dream only to having to question everything and having your dream shattered, but at least she can run into the arms of Vex, (who wouldn't).
as with another of my reviews, that probably doesn't make sense, (unless you've read the book), then somewhat sense, thx for reading this.
Happy reading!! xx
Queen Victoria still reigns, the plague has turned the people that it affected into camps, also known as aristocrats, the top of the food chain, it also affected them by changing into werewolves, but it's very hard to get a full blooded aristo, from 2 vamps getting it on, the same towards weres, so they then had halvie's who are either half were/human or half vamp/human, but if a full werewolf and a full vamp do the dirty they get a goblin, (I know weird ain't it).
I have to say that this is a brilliantly written book with a super story line, written in a different alternate timeframe from the Victorian era, but in a way it still lacked a little something for me, I will carry on reading the others as I am interested in seeing where everyone ends up, (hopefully Vexation McLaughlin in my bed!!).
I have to say that I do feel for Alexandra Varden as going through life with one dream only to having to question everything and having your dream shattered, but at least she can run into the arms of Vex, (who wouldn't).
as with another of my reviews, that probably doesn't make sense, (unless you've read the book), then somewhat sense, thx for reading this.
Happy reading!! xx
April 10, 2014
Everyone should read this, one of the best uf/steampunk vamp/were books out there.
beautiful written and very enjoyable reading.
humour mystery ans action its got it all.
a very strong female lead.
beautiful written and very enjoyable reading.
humour mystery ans action its got it all.
a very strong female lead.
May 31, 2013
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Review to come.
Corsets and handguns...
That's the time-zone we are in.
In a mixture of eras, Kate Locke beautifully creates an environment that has elements of steam punk and urban fantasy.
This is 21st Century ruled by an undead Queen Victoria. The nobility are made up of vampires and werewolves, the underground is filled with fearful creates called goblins, half-breeds (vampire-human, werewolf-human) are used to safeguard the nobility and finally there are humans, creatures fearful of the unknown but whose numbers make for a fearful opposition.
Then there is Xandra Vardan, a half-breed, whose sister disappears. As she trails her sister's whereabouts, she starts to uncover a conspiracy that threatens the world around her.
The best things about this book was the setting. If I haven't gushed about it enough, the next sentence ought to do it: This book was ingenuous and mind boggling!
Next, can you imagine a bloodthirsty Queen Victoria :O
Finally, the characters. Xandra is a strong and intelligent heroine. Trained to be one of the best half-breed fighters, she is a treasured guard who has much to lose from the secrets and betrayals she uncovers. Even then, she is determined to see this through to the end, where others may have choosen to remain oblivious.
Then there is the werewolf Vexation MacLoughlin. An alpha over all the werewolves, one of the things I loved about him was how he didn't feel the need to demonstrate his power over others. That is something which Xandra also comments on. Especially when it came Xandra, he followed her lead and trusted her even when they were uncertain about one another.
So whether you are a steampunk reader, an urban fantasy reader or just a reader who won't mind dabbling in fantasy, I recommend that you immerse yourself in Kate Locke's world!
Review to come.
Corsets and handguns...
That's the time-zone we are in.
In a mixture of eras, Kate Locke beautifully creates an environment that has elements of steam punk and urban fantasy.
This is 21st Century ruled by an undead Queen Victoria. The nobility are made up of vampires and werewolves, the underground is filled with fearful creates called goblins, half-breeds (vampire-human, werewolf-human) are used to safeguard the nobility and finally there are humans, creatures fearful of the unknown but whose numbers make for a fearful opposition.
Then there is Xandra Vardan, a half-breed, whose sister disappears. As she trails her sister's whereabouts, she starts to uncover a conspiracy that threatens the world around her.
The best things about this book was the setting. If I haven't gushed about it enough, the next sentence ought to do it: This book was ingenuous and mind boggling!
Next, can you imagine a bloodthirsty Queen Victoria :O
Finally, the characters. Xandra is a strong and intelligent heroine. Trained to be one of the best half-breed fighters, she is a treasured guard who has much to lose from the secrets and betrayals she uncovers. Even then, she is determined to see this through to the end, where others may have choosen to remain oblivious.
Then there is the werewolf Vexation MacLoughlin. An alpha over all the werewolves, one of the things I loved about him was how he didn't feel the need to demonstrate his power over others. That is something which Xandra also comments on. Especially when it came Xandra, he followed her lead and trusted her even when they were uncertain about one another.
So whether you are a steampunk reader, an urban fantasy reader or just a reader who won't mind dabbling in fantasy, I recommend that you immerse yourself in Kate Locke's world!
August 2, 2012
This is a review of the AUDIO version. The book gets 5*. The audio gets a well-deserved slap and 'null point' - it's worse than eurovision.
Please don't spend a penny on the audio until you've sampled it extensively.
WORST reading I've heard since 2006 (when I was unfortunate enough to listen to that chap with the Boston accent who speed-read the Dolphins of Pern. I was so disgusted I demanded my money back from Audible and I notice they've since replaced that version with a new one)
The narrator is one Courtney Patterson - there is very little info available about her - it may be the first book she has done - in which case I'm sorry, but audio narration is not the career for you dear. As best I can work out she is an American doing the strangest upper-class (not) British accent I've heard in a long time - but it really doesn't stop there. Oh no - this woman can read an action scene with death and destruction as though it were a long soothing bath, calm, unmoving voice. Imagine one of those slow dreamy chocolate commercials ... with the soothing voice-over ... while bodies fall all around and our heroine saves two lives - it was surreal. I actually wondered if she was on drugs!
The book, written by an American is set in London and kudos to the author - other than a couple of tiny little weird things
"She tossed me a Cadbury?" A Cadbury what? Bar? Flake? Cream Egg? Twirl?
Call me weird but "She tossed me a Cadbury made me picture an actual Cadbury, perhaps Lord Cadbury flying across the room - now he's a nice chap but ....
probably not what the author had in mind when she wrote it.
And fried dough at breakfast - no, just trust me - no. Fried bread yes. However otherwise she does an awesome job and I wouldn't have known she wasn't a Brit.
It was a great book and I would have given it 4* except that I think the narrator spoiled it for me so much that I'm erring on the authors side and working on the basis that if I thought it deserved 4* after the narration clusterfuck that is Ms Patterson - it must deserve 5*. I mean I listened until the end and it was painful.
The story is great as I said - fascinating world however ... the love interest is Scottish and that's where Ms Patterson moves from bloody awful to truly freaking world-destroyingly bad. First she makes no attempt to find out how the Scottish pronounce words so we actually have the love interest, aristo werewolf Vex McLaughlin who can't say his own name!!!!
Perhaps at this point I should make it clear that I'm a Brit - I live in Scotland - I know what all the people around me sound like - there are many different Scottish accents. Ms Patterson missed ALL of them. Vex's accent moved from Yorkshire to Russian to Irish and eventually settled on a sort of comedy version of Sean Connery in Highlander. It made it very hard to take his courtship of Zandra seriously.
Her other accents were possibly worse - her cockney wasn't even as good as Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. She didn't even attempt the Welsh accent of one character for which I am eternally thankful. And she keeps pronouncing Coffee as Kaaaaaawfie - which is just weird and confusing
And finally a key point, the halvies - half were or half-vampire children. They are a vital point of the plot. Unfortunately the incompetent narrator actually cannot say the word Halvie. She calls them Havvies (like the opposite of Have-nots) through the whole book - I was completely baffled until I read some reviews on here and realised she was trying to pronounce the word Halvie.
It was appalling. Do. Not. Buy. It. Get the book instead
----
Original review 2012 - this note added 2013
Just in case anyone is put off buying book 2 or 3 in audio - don't be. Moira Quirk does a wonderful job. I obviously was not the only listener that felt that audio narration wasn't the career for Ms Patterson. But Ms Quirk is a pleasure to listen to.
---
Please don't spend a penny on the audio until you've sampled it extensively.
WORST reading I've heard since 2006 (when I was unfortunate enough to listen to that chap with the Boston accent who speed-read the Dolphins of Pern. I was so disgusted I demanded my money back from Audible and I notice they've since replaced that version with a new one)
The narrator is one Courtney Patterson - there is very little info available about her - it may be the first book she has done - in which case I'm sorry, but audio narration is not the career for you dear. As best I can work out she is an American doing the strangest upper-class (not) British accent I've heard in a long time - but it really doesn't stop there. Oh no - this woman can read an action scene with death and destruction as though it were a long soothing bath, calm, unmoving voice. Imagine one of those slow dreamy chocolate commercials ... with the soothing voice-over ... while bodies fall all around and our heroine saves two lives - it was surreal. I actually wondered if she was on drugs!
The book, written by an American is set in London and kudos to the author - other than a couple of tiny little weird things
"She tossed me a Cadbury?" A Cadbury what? Bar? Flake? Cream Egg? Twirl?
Call me weird but "She tossed me a Cadbury made me picture an actual Cadbury, perhaps Lord Cadbury flying across the room - now he's a nice chap but ....
probably not what the author had in mind when she wrote it.
And fried dough at breakfast - no, just trust me - no. Fried bread yes. However otherwise she does an awesome job and I wouldn't have known she wasn't a Brit.
It was a great book and I would have given it 4* except that I think the narrator spoiled it for me so much that I'm erring on the authors side and working on the basis that if I thought it deserved 4* after the narration clusterfuck that is Ms Patterson - it must deserve 5*. I mean I listened until the end and it was painful.
The story is great as I said - fascinating world however ... the love interest is Scottish and that's where Ms Patterson moves from bloody awful to truly freaking world-destroyingly bad. First she makes no attempt to find out how the Scottish pronounce words so we actually have the love interest, aristo werewolf Vex McLaughlin who can't say his own name!!!!
Perhaps at this point I should make it clear that I'm a Brit - I live in Scotland - I know what all the people around me sound like - there are many different Scottish accents. Ms Patterson missed ALL of them. Vex's accent moved from Yorkshire to Russian to Irish and eventually settled on a sort of comedy version of Sean Connery in Highlander. It made it very hard to take his courtship of Zandra seriously.
Her other accents were possibly worse - her cockney wasn't even as good as Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. She didn't even attempt the Welsh accent of one character for which I am eternally thankful. And she keeps pronouncing Coffee as Kaaaaaawfie - which is just weird and confusing
And finally a key point, the halvies - half were or half-vampire children. They are a vital point of the plot. Unfortunately the incompetent narrator actually cannot say the word Halvie. She calls them Havvies (like the opposite of Have-nots) through the whole book - I was completely baffled until I read some reviews on here and realised she was trying to pronounce the word Halvie.
It was appalling. Do. Not. Buy. It. Get the book instead
----
Original review 2012 - this note added 2013
Just in case anyone is put off buying book 2 or 3 in audio - don't be. Moira Quirk does a wonderful job. I obviously was not the only listener that felt that audio narration wasn't the career for Ms Patterson. But Ms Quirk is a pleasure to listen to.
---
July 2, 2017
Hang on for something special as Kate Locke takes us into her supernatural steampunk world where London is ruled by a vampire queen, the aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires and magic and technology work hand in hand. Not enough diversity for you? Goblins live underground, pariahs in a world filled with power, magic and danger.
Xandra is a halfie, part human, part supernatural and all attitude, heart and snark. When her sister goes missing, presumed dead, Xandra will go through the fires of Hell to find her. On the way, she finds romance with the alpha werewolf of the United Kingdom, betrayal from a vampire she thought of as a mentor and father-figure and a new view of the prince of goblins, a creature of power who bows to no one, well, almost no one.
Will Xandra find her missing sister? If she does, then what? Meanwhile, the heat index is rising as Vex, the werewolf alpha breaks every assumption she had about the aristocracy as he melts her resistance to his charms. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN is crazy fast, deadly furious and fabulously fun fantasy reading! From start to finish, there isn’t a dull moment to be found in this shining gem of a read. Kate Locke has brought together some of the finest characters, a cleverly twisted plot and all the atmosphere my imagination could handle! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, indeed!
Series: The Immortal Empire - Book 1
Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (July 3, 2012)
Publication Date: July 3, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 369 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Xandra is a halfie, part human, part supernatural and all attitude, heart and snark. When her sister goes missing, presumed dead, Xandra will go through the fires of Hell to find her. On the way, she finds romance with the alpha werewolf of the United Kingdom, betrayal from a vampire she thought of as a mentor and father-figure and a new view of the prince of goblins, a creature of power who bows to no one, well, almost no one.
Will Xandra find her missing sister? If she does, then what? Meanwhile, the heat index is rising as Vex, the werewolf alpha breaks every assumption she had about the aristocracy as he melts her resistance to his charms. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN is crazy fast, deadly furious and fabulously fun fantasy reading! From start to finish, there isn’t a dull moment to be found in this shining gem of a read. Kate Locke has brought together some of the finest characters, a cleverly twisted plot and all the atmosphere my imagination could handle! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, indeed!
Series: The Immortal Empire - Book 1
Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (July 3, 2012)
Publication Date: July 3, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 369 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
July 29, 2012
Intriguing and extremely detailed world - 3.5 stars
Steampunk! Vampires! Werewolves! All of my favorites in one place. Does it work? Yes and no. God Save the Queen has extensive and extremely detailed world building. A lot of thought and creativity went into this world. At first, it really feels like a big, giant info dump. At one point I had noted that the world was fascinating but the story seemed secondary. If you can get through this part, you will be rewarded with a fun and exciting story.
God Save the Queen is set in modern day England, however, the world is very different and the author takes a lot of time to explain the alternate history. This is a world that did not suffer through World War I and II, no Blitzkrieg, no Beatles, and sadly, no Dr. Who. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols croons Frank Sinatra songs. This world has undergone some genetic mutations resulting in vampires, werewolves, halvies (half-vampire or half-werewolf), humans, and goblins. The author assures the reader that these vampires definitely do not sparkle. The technology of this world is stuck in Victorian times because Queen Victoria is still the queen and she’s a vampire. In fact, the aristocracy is all either vampires or werewolves. The vampires tend to live in warmer climates while the werewolves are from Scotland and colder climates.
Our heroine is a feisty gal, Xandra Vardan. Xandra is half-vampire and is part of the Royal Guard. Xandra is a great fighter, smart, and extremely likable. The story begins as Xandra is searching for her missing sister Dede. She enlists the help of the goblins, usually a suicide mission as these goblins enjoy their meat, especially if it comes right up to them. The goblins function as an underground spy network and the goblin prince is able to tell her where her sister is.
While searching for her sister, Xandra learns about her own origins and why she is so special. She is surprised to learn that her mentor Churchill (Church) may be behind a few nefarious plots, including one to kill Queen Victoria.
Xandra’s love interest Vex MacLaughlin was the perfect man errr werewolf. Kind, caring, sexy, and he could cook – this Alpha wolf was everything a gal could want.
I think that what grabbed me about this book were the clever language and chapter headings. You have to chuckle when you see “London, 175 years into the reign of Her Ensanguinated Queen Victoria.” The specific language used was entertaining, although I felt that “Fang Me” was a little overused.
The contraptions were interesting; especially the rotaries which were essentially cell phones with a rotary instead of a keypad. The characters received digigrams, a kind of text message. There were musical cylinders to listen to music, motor carriages, and even logic engines.
The end of the book has several glossaries and author’s notes explaining the aristocracy, a glossary of terms, and a fascinating description of the author’s take on genetics.
God Save the Queen is the first book in The Immortal Empire Series. While this book may not be for everyone, those that enjoy the mix of steampunk, alternate history, and the paranormal are in for a treat.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
Steampunk! Vampires! Werewolves! All of my favorites in one place. Does it work? Yes and no. God Save the Queen has extensive and extremely detailed world building. A lot of thought and creativity went into this world. At first, it really feels like a big, giant info dump. At one point I had noted that the world was fascinating but the story seemed secondary. If you can get through this part, you will be rewarded with a fun and exciting story.
God Save the Queen is set in modern day England, however, the world is very different and the author takes a lot of time to explain the alternate history. This is a world that did not suffer through World War I and II, no Blitzkrieg, no Beatles, and sadly, no Dr. Who. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols croons Frank Sinatra songs. This world has undergone some genetic mutations resulting in vampires, werewolves, halvies (half-vampire or half-werewolf), humans, and goblins. The author assures the reader that these vampires definitely do not sparkle. The technology of this world is stuck in Victorian times because Queen Victoria is still the queen and she’s a vampire. In fact, the aristocracy is all either vampires or werewolves. The vampires tend to live in warmer climates while the werewolves are from Scotland and colder climates.
Our heroine is a feisty gal, Xandra Vardan. Xandra is half-vampire and is part of the Royal Guard. Xandra is a great fighter, smart, and extremely likable. The story begins as Xandra is searching for her missing sister Dede. She enlists the help of the goblins, usually a suicide mission as these goblins enjoy their meat, especially if it comes right up to them. The goblins function as an underground spy network and the goblin prince is able to tell her where her sister is.
While searching for her sister, Xandra learns about her own origins and why she is so special. She is surprised to learn that her mentor Churchill (Church) may be behind a few nefarious plots, including one to kill Queen Victoria.
Xandra’s love interest Vex MacLaughlin was the perfect man errr werewolf. Kind, caring, sexy, and he could cook – this Alpha wolf was everything a gal could want.
I think that what grabbed me about this book were the clever language and chapter headings. You have to chuckle when you see “London, 175 years into the reign of Her Ensanguinated Queen Victoria.” The specific language used was entertaining, although I felt that “Fang Me” was a little overused.
The contraptions were interesting; especially the rotaries which were essentially cell phones with a rotary instead of a keypad. The characters received digigrams, a kind of text message. There were musical cylinders to listen to music, motor carriages, and even logic engines.
The end of the book has several glossaries and author’s notes explaining the aristocracy, a glossary of terms, and a fascinating description of the author’s take on genetics.
God Save the Queen is the first book in The Immortal Empire Series. While this book may not be for everyone, those that enjoy the mix of steampunk, alternate history, and the paranormal are in for a treat.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.
Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
November 22, 2013
In a Britain which is ruled by vampires, where an undead Queen Victoria still sits on the throne served by her attack dog Winston Churchill, rebellion is fomenting. When Xandra's favorite older sister disappears, she starts searching, a search which leads her to the lunatic asylum Bedlam and a burnt beyond recognition corpse.
As she keeps digging she discovers a plot which leads all the way to the throne, and she's right in the middle of it. Powerful people are keeping secrets from her and what she learns could destroy the rule of Queen Victoria and her cronies.
I kind of want to call this book Steam Punk. Maybe it doesn't fit a strict definition of the category but it certainly feels like steam punk. It's as much fun spotting the different characters re-imagined as vampires and werewolves as it is an entertaining story. It's not perfect. It felt quite dense and there was quite a bit of info-dumping but overall it was a satisfying book.
Xandra is a kick-ass heroine who doesn't need to be saved by anyone.
As she keeps digging she discovers a plot which leads all the way to the throne, and she's right in the middle of it. Powerful people are keeping secrets from her and what she learns could destroy the rule of Queen Victoria and her cronies.
I kind of want to call this book Steam Punk. Maybe it doesn't fit a strict definition of the category but it certainly feels like steam punk. It's as much fun spotting the different characters re-imagined as vampires and werewolves as it is an entertaining story. It's not perfect. It felt quite dense and there was quite a bit of info-dumping but overall it was a satisfying book.
Xandra is a kick-ass heroine who doesn't need to be saved by anyone.
June 7, 2021
Revised star rating after December 2015 reread:
5 stars - outstanding/amazing!
First review after first read, March 21-22, 2013:
4.5 stars - great
I loved this story! Xandra Vardan, while young (only 22), is an incredibly likable character. The questions she learned to ask about who she is were fascinating and their answers were even more so! The ending at Queen V's 175th really surprised me: I wasn't expecting ! Vex MacLaughlin seems to me like an almost too-good-to-be-true male counterpart to Xandra...I kept expecting him to . Xandra's family is/was incredibly interesting, as are/were the extraneous characters in Xandra's life. I can't wait to read The Queen Is Dead to find out what happens next!
My only complaints about God Save the Queen were the few spelling/grammar mistakes in the text and the lack of explanations about certain things. This latter complaint was mitigated by the fact that the end of the book contains a glossary, which explained some of the very things I had questions about! I just wish Kate Locke had mentioned the glossary in her Author's Note at the beginning of the text. It would have saved a lot of confusion!
EDIT/UPDATE after second reading in December 2015:
5 stars - outstanding/amazing!
While the mistakes I mentioned above are still in the text - and still annoying - I didn't let that negatively impact my love for this story. I also found that, this second time through, nothing struck me as needing an explanation. Perhaps this is because this was a reread for me? In any event, I fell in love with this book all over again. Being sort of familiar with the story from having read it before really enhanced this second read-through of it. So I've decided to up my rating to a full five stars. :-)
Review after third reading of this book on June 1-3, 2021!
I really love this book! Was this my first or second reading of the copy I own? I can't remember, but I really love it! [It was the first time time! I can't believe it took me five and half years to reread this book!
Xandra Vardan is an exceptionally likable character, and the things she went through in this book... Ooof! From learning I loved all of it!
I don't think I laughed or cried at any lines, but it's still a five-star read for me!
Reviewed after first reading, March 21-22, 2013.
Second reading December 22-24, 2015.
Third reading: June 1-3, 2021.
5 stars - outstanding/amazing!
First review after first read, March 21-22, 2013:
4.5 stars - great
I loved this story! Xandra Vardan, while young (only 22), is an incredibly likable character. The questions she learned to ask about who she is were fascinating and their answers were even more so! The ending at Queen V's 175th really surprised me: I wasn't expecting ! Vex MacLaughlin seems to me like an almost too-good-to-be-true male counterpart to Xandra...I kept expecting him to . Xandra's family is/was incredibly interesting, as are/were the extraneous characters in Xandra's life. I can't wait to read The Queen Is Dead to find out what happens next!
My only complaints about God Save the Queen were the few spelling/grammar mistakes in the text and the lack of explanations about certain things. This latter complaint was mitigated by the fact that the end of the book contains a glossary, which explained some of the very things I had questions about! I just wish Kate Locke had mentioned the glossary in her Author's Note at the beginning of the text. It would have saved a lot of confusion!
EDIT/UPDATE after second reading in December 2015:
5 stars - outstanding/amazing!
While the mistakes I mentioned above are still in the text - and still annoying - I didn't let that negatively impact my love for this story. I also found that, this second time through, nothing struck me as needing an explanation. Perhaps this is because this was a reread for me? In any event, I fell in love with this book all over again. Being sort of familiar with the story from having read it before really enhanced this second read-through of it. So I've decided to up my rating to a full five stars. :-)
Review after third reading of this book on June 1-3, 2021!
I really love this book! Was this my first or second reading of the copy I own? I can't remember, but I really love it! [It was the first time time! I can't believe it took me five and half years to reread this book!
Xandra Vardan is an exceptionally likable character, and the things she went through in this book... Ooof! From learning I loved all of it!
I don't think I laughed or cried at any lines, but it's still a five-star read for me!
Reviewed after first reading, March 21-22, 2013.
Second reading December 22-24, 2015.
Third reading: June 1-3, 2021.
November 15, 2015
Thank you to Orbit for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Expected publication: July 3rd 2012 by Orbit
This is one of those hodgepodge of genres that is usually a catastrophic mess in my opinion. This wasn't exactly catastrophic but it wasn't anything excellent. In 'God Save the Queen' we've got vampires, werewolves, goblins, 'halvies', with steampunk and Victorian elements (think Gail Carriger's 'Parasol Protectorate series'...also worth note is a group of individuals contracted as guards for the aristocrats entitled the Peerage Protectorate. Hmm.)
I've grown to dread starting a brand new series because of the probability of huge info-dumps that occur when explaining a brand new world. When not done well it can really hurt the overall story. The massive info-dumps occurred in the beginning but were clumsily mixed with the actual storyline of main character Xandra so while you're trying to figure out who she is, where she's going, and why... you're also trying to sort through the strange world and the society and the Prometheus protein aka 'the plague' and... it could have been done better in my opinion.
The writing in general left something to be desired; with the story set in Britain it was inconsistently 'British' with only the occasional British word thrown in for good measure, it wasn't a true Steampunk in my opinion as there were just simply references to some gadgets and nothing more, and it had the feel of a YA novel except for a few dirty scenes. I wasn't surprised to find out that the author 'Kate Locke' is also YA author 'Kady Cross'.
The class system was a bit distasteful how the aristocrats were the supreme beings, then next were the halvies which basically were born to be protectors, and then the humans. It reminded me a bit of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series how the dhampirs were born to protect the Moroi's but I don't remember straight disliking the class system; I don't think that it was made as blatant that they were beneath the Moroi's. The halvies treated the aristos with a sense of awe that was a bit awkward.
The inevitable relationship with the two main characters was done all sorts of wrong. Sure, you ended up loving the two together but the whole introductory period was completely missing. If you're going to have a character in a book have a one-night stand then treat it as such. It's completely unrealistic and downright ridiculous that after sleeping together that you end up a couple without even having a discussion about it and he's making you breakfast and meeting your family and... I had whiplash. And a headache from all the eye-rolling.
The one saving grace for me was that I felt a semblance of originality finally bloom before the book ended. I was left intrigued and I will say that it was an overall enjoyable story, but didn't bring enough of anything 'new' to garner a higher rating. I will be interested to see how this series continues to develop in the second installment The Queen Is Dead.
Expected publication: July 3rd 2012 by Orbit
This is one of those hodgepodge of genres that is usually a catastrophic mess in my opinion. This wasn't exactly catastrophic but it wasn't anything excellent. In 'God Save the Queen' we've got vampires, werewolves, goblins, 'halvies', with steampunk and Victorian elements (think Gail Carriger's 'Parasol Protectorate series'...also worth note is a group of individuals contracted as guards for the aristocrats entitled the Peerage Protectorate. Hmm.)
I've grown to dread starting a brand new series because of the probability of huge info-dumps that occur when explaining a brand new world. When not done well it can really hurt the overall story. The massive info-dumps occurred in the beginning but were clumsily mixed with the actual storyline of main character Xandra so while you're trying to figure out who she is, where she's going, and why... you're also trying to sort through the strange world and the society and the Prometheus protein aka 'the plague' and... it could have been done better in my opinion.
The writing in general left something to be desired; with the story set in Britain it was inconsistently 'British' with only the occasional British word thrown in for good measure, it wasn't a true Steampunk in my opinion as there were just simply references to some gadgets and nothing more, and it had the feel of a YA novel except for a few dirty scenes. I wasn't surprised to find out that the author 'Kate Locke' is also YA author 'Kady Cross'.
The class system was a bit distasteful how the aristocrats were the supreme beings, then next were the halvies which basically were born to be protectors, and then the humans. It reminded me a bit of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series how the dhampirs were born to protect the Moroi's but I don't remember straight disliking the class system; I don't think that it was made as blatant that they were beneath the Moroi's. The halvies treated the aristos with a sense of awe that was a bit awkward.
The inevitable relationship with the two main characters was done all sorts of wrong. Sure, you ended up loving the two together but the whole introductory period was completely missing. If you're going to have a character in a book have a one-night stand then treat it as such. It's completely unrealistic and downright ridiculous that after sleeping together that you end up a couple without even having a discussion about it and he's making you breakfast and meeting your family and... I had whiplash. And a headache from all the eye-rolling.
The one saving grace for me was that I felt a semblance of originality finally bloom before the book ended. I was left intrigued and I will say that it was an overall enjoyable story, but didn't bring enough of anything 'new' to garner a higher rating. I will be interested to see how this series continues to develop in the second installment The Queen Is Dead.
June 28, 2012
Full review at Talk Supe
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN is an arresting first book to Kate Locke's incredible and unconventional new Steampunk series. From the world building to the Gothic-chic fashion down to the mysteries unlocked, KLocke is relentless and aims to keep you in your seat until you're done with the story. Here she's created a world where vampires and werewolves are the heads of state, Queen Victoria herself is on the 175th year of her reign, but far from sterile these immortal aristocrats have taken procreation down to a science. Goblins too join in the mix, living side by side their plagued relatives, they are the abominable result of mutation carrying both vampire and werewolf genes. These Goblins are predators, feral and terrifying to behold and feared by everyone. They are society's outcasts but though outranked and outclassed, they have a Royal Prince to rule over them and keep them in check. The humans are both prey and protected but powerless over their supernatural counterparts.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN is an arresting first book to Kate Locke's incredible and unconventional new Steampunk series. From the world building to the Gothic-chic fashion down to the mysteries unlocked, KLocke is relentless and aims to keep you in your seat until you're done with the story. Here she's created a world where vampires and werewolves are the heads of state, Queen Victoria herself is on the 175th year of her reign, but far from sterile these immortal aristocrats have taken procreation down to a science. Goblins too join in the mix, living side by side their plagued relatives, they are the abominable result of mutation carrying both vampire and werewolf genes. These Goblins are predators, feral and terrifying to behold and feared by everyone. They are society's outcasts but though outranked and outclassed, they have a Royal Prince to rule over them and keep them in check. The humans are both prey and protected but powerless over their supernatural counterparts.
February 14, 2013
I realize that this book will most likely be categorized as Steampunk, but it is one of the only I've read from the genre that does very little to play up the differences in tech. Rather, they are simply part of the world. And might I say, it is a world unlike most anything else to be found within UF or Steampunk today. The divergent history is well grounded, well articulated, and highly imaginative. Only, after reading it, I cannot imagine why someone hasn't picked up on this concept before?!
But more than all of that, I sincerely enjoyed the characters. I liked that Xandra was fiercely loyal, I appreciated how well the author portrayed her relationship with her family, and most importantly, I felt that her character grew immensely throughout the book.
I'll be starting the sequel as soon as I can squeeze it onto my bedside table. Great read!
But more than all of that, I sincerely enjoyed the characters. I liked that Xandra was fiercely loyal, I appreciated how well the author portrayed her relationship with her family, and most importantly, I felt that her character grew immensely throughout the book.
I'll be starting the sequel as soon as I can squeeze it onto my bedside table. Great read!
February 25, 2023
This has been on my TBR for a decade, so I didn't really have high hopes that I would like it now. The acknowledgements even mention Emilie Autumn, given the cover model's outfit, I am definitely not surprised that was an inspiration. I expected this to be YA, but given some of the themes, I'd say it's more NA. It has Gail Carriger vibes, just edgier, I guess. It wasn't too bad! I would have liked more worldbuilding or explaining of the lore, as this toes the line between urban fantasy and paranormal. There are some extra bits in the back that does explain a bit, but it didn't really help when I didn't see that until after I finished. Those should have been in the front or woven into the story. The characters are pretty stereotypical too, and the plot wasn't groundbreaking either. I could also tell the author isn't British, by how she tried to make this very British, haha. I also found out she also wrote The Girl in the Steel Corset under another pen name, and I wasn't impressed with that one either. This was better though, but not that great. A very easy read.
July 9, 2012
"God Save the Queen" has all the right elements for a novel I would really enjoy: alternative history set in a supernatural London and a strong female main character, an interesting premise, and Queen Victoria. Unfortunately, an interesting idea fails in solid execution and I couldn't even push through the last five chapters of the book.
In this novel by Kate Locke, a virus commonly called "the Promethean Plague" or just "the plague" afflicted a large portion of the human race. Aristocrats and royalty in particular started displaying mutations, transforming them into vampires or werewolves, with the most extreme and bestial gene expressions throwing goblins. The British Empire flies strong under a vampiric Victoria in her 175th year of rule, while the Americas have broken away and technology and society function along disturbing parallels.
The book badly needed an editor armed with a red pen to stop Stephenie Meyer-esque asides surrounded by hyphens. I found the constant asiding intrusive and detracting from the flow of what was going on. Much of the setting information is dumped scattershot through the first several chapters without rhyme or reason, often mid-narrative. World building's a bit like decorating a cake; sometimes you let the flavours come through on their own, and others you add more elaborate pieces on their own. Locke doesn't have a light hand or a good sense of timing for doling out theme details in the way that two masters of the genre, Kim Harrison (in particular) and Gail Carriger (for steampunk/paranormal or urban fantasy), achieve. Patricia Briggs and the Ilona Andrews duo also excel in developing their urban fantastic worlds, and none of these authors break a thought stream or a conversation for two paragraphs of random information. That's really my largest beef with the book and the reason I had such trouble reading it: I didn't like wresting the storyline from its foundation, chipping away at all the constant interruptions, interjections, and asides to keep track of what was going on.
Clearly Locke's setting has a lot going for it. Many elements of London remain and others are gone, like the history of the Nazis and the Blitz. Racial segregation and the results of a failed uprising 70 years prior to the story leave lasting effects which the main character is forced to deal with and grapple with if she's to find her sister and solve other issues along the way. But it can't sparkle the way it should, which is a damned shame. Critical details about this steampunkish, supernatural modern version of London are plunked down as we try to follow the protagonist, the daughter of a duke and a half-vampire with the expected suite of unexpected powers and strengths, through her various adventures in the divided capital.
Some sloppy writing habits had me grinding my teeth--the use of hyphens--as I tried to keep track of everything--hard to do, I tell you, when the damned book kept hopping around--when there were multiple interjections. I don't have a problem with the use of hyphens as asides, but overliberal use becomes more than a distraction. Subplots shouldn't happen between a stream of hyphens. Too often setting bits were thrown out this way, and the worst part is how higgledy-piggledy the approach was. If the author set out some key information in a few paragraphs at the beginning, great. Instead, the reader is led on a tedious scavenger hunt to piece together an idea of the setting without a general framework or key details, and that isn't fun. I want to focus on the story as much as the world it takes place in, and trying to perform both simultaneously isn't easy when they keep tripping over one another.
I finally gave up over the Mary Sue qualities of the main character. Of course, she's appealing but too many stereotypical boxes are ticked off: a screaming redhead, highly attractive and charismatic, butt kicking, independent, soft spot for family, well-regarded by most everyone, racy and capable in a corset or leather boots, motorbike riding, hard drinking high aristocrat's daughter. Where are the flaws? Where's the character growth? By the time I stopped, I felt that we really hadn't seen a great deal of growth from someone with a silver spoon in her mouth and all the advantages laid out. "Half" supernatural or not, she really didn't grow. Contrast her to Rachel from the "Hollows" series by Kim Harrison or October Daye from Seanan McGuire's superlative "October Daye" series, and Xandra rings pretty flat and false. I like an independent, sassy female but what I don't like is someone who never grows and whose challenges are met with a deadly arsenal from the get go. That's not quite so fun.
Locke has an excellent imagination and her diversions into explaining various forms of technology showcase a great grip on her world. I found the intersections between modern gadgets we have, like a cellular phone, and her interpretations (a cylinder version, complete with message box) to be intelligent and a bit tongue in cheek. She uses a strong dose of wit and humour to pull the story along. I just wish she'd cleaned up how she wrote to stop the constant asides and to explain critical events/details in a few lines.
In this novel by Kate Locke, a virus commonly called "the Promethean Plague" or just "the plague" afflicted a large portion of the human race. Aristocrats and royalty in particular started displaying mutations, transforming them into vampires or werewolves, with the most extreme and bestial gene expressions throwing goblins. The British Empire flies strong under a vampiric Victoria in her 175th year of rule, while the Americas have broken away and technology and society function along disturbing parallels.
The book badly needed an editor armed with a red pen to stop Stephenie Meyer-esque asides surrounded by hyphens. I found the constant asiding intrusive and detracting from the flow of what was going on. Much of the setting information is dumped scattershot through the first several chapters without rhyme or reason, often mid-narrative. World building's a bit like decorating a cake; sometimes you let the flavours come through on their own, and others you add more elaborate pieces on their own. Locke doesn't have a light hand or a good sense of timing for doling out theme details in the way that two masters of the genre, Kim Harrison (in particular) and Gail Carriger (for steampunk/paranormal or urban fantasy), achieve. Patricia Briggs and the Ilona Andrews duo also excel in developing their urban fantastic worlds, and none of these authors break a thought stream or a conversation for two paragraphs of random information. That's really my largest beef with the book and the reason I had such trouble reading it: I didn't like wresting the storyline from its foundation, chipping away at all the constant interruptions, interjections, and asides to keep track of what was going on.
Clearly Locke's setting has a lot going for it. Many elements of London remain and others are gone, like the history of the Nazis and the Blitz. Racial segregation and the results of a failed uprising 70 years prior to the story leave lasting effects which the main character is forced to deal with and grapple with if she's to find her sister and solve other issues along the way. But it can't sparkle the way it should, which is a damned shame. Critical details about this steampunkish, supernatural modern version of London are plunked down as we try to follow the protagonist, the daughter of a duke and a half-vampire with the expected suite of unexpected powers and strengths, through her various adventures in the divided capital.
Some sloppy writing habits had me grinding my teeth--the use of hyphens--as I tried to keep track of everything--hard to do, I tell you, when the damned book kept hopping around--when there were multiple interjections. I don't have a problem with the use of hyphens as asides, but overliberal use becomes more than a distraction. Subplots shouldn't happen between a stream of hyphens. Too often setting bits were thrown out this way, and the worst part is how higgledy-piggledy the approach was. If the author set out some key information in a few paragraphs at the beginning, great. Instead, the reader is led on a tedious scavenger hunt to piece together an idea of the setting without a general framework or key details, and that isn't fun. I want to focus on the story as much as the world it takes place in, and trying to perform both simultaneously isn't easy when they keep tripping over one another.
I finally gave up over the Mary Sue qualities of the main character. Of course, she's appealing but too many stereotypical boxes are ticked off: a screaming redhead, highly attractive and charismatic, butt kicking, independent, soft spot for family, well-regarded by most everyone, racy and capable in a corset or leather boots, motorbike riding, hard drinking high aristocrat's daughter. Where are the flaws? Where's the character growth? By the time I stopped, I felt that we really hadn't seen a great deal of growth from someone with a silver spoon in her mouth and all the advantages laid out. "Half" supernatural or not, she really didn't grow. Contrast her to Rachel from the "Hollows" series by Kim Harrison or October Daye from Seanan McGuire's superlative "October Daye" series, and Xandra rings pretty flat and false. I like an independent, sassy female but what I don't like is someone who never grows and whose challenges are met with a deadly arsenal from the get go. That's not quite so fun.
Locke has an excellent imagination and her diversions into explaining various forms of technology showcase a great grip on her world. I found the intersections between modern gadgets we have, like a cellular phone, and her interpretations (a cylinder version, complete with message box) to be intelligent and a bit tongue in cheek. She uses a strong dose of wit and humour to pull the story along. I just wish she'd cleaned up how she wrote to stop the constant asides and to explain critical events/details in a few lines.
March 15, 2016
I’m not quite sure where to start with this review, therefore I apologise in advance if it is disjointed. I may also repeat myself, somewhat, and possibly miss stuff… but we’ll see how it goes.
We all love those friends who share their books with us. Such friends instantly earn themselves all kinds of favours. We love them when they hand over books we have wanted to read. We love them when they hand over books you never considered reading and end up loving. We love it when they offer up their favourites, to see what we think of them. For me, I was looking forward to God Save the Queen, as it is one of my friend’s most loved books. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that our friendship would be terminated if I did not enjoy this one. Thus, I was happy to jump in – after all, it seemed all kinds of interesting.
I’ll admit, I haven’t really read all that many steampunk books. In fact, all of my steampunk reads to date have come through the person who let me borrow this book. Oh, I plan to read more. I have wanted to lose myself in the steampunk genre for so long. Yet my to-read list is so long. I have so many overflowing bookshelves. I need to work through what I have before I add more to my collection. Not that it stops me borrowing books, especially the likes of this. Despite this lack of steampunk knowledge, I feel as though this book falls more into the urban fantasy genre than into the steampunk genre. To me, this feels like an alternative history made up of what a steampunk lover would like the world to be like. I’ll be the first to admit that, as a lover of steampunk, I would gladly change the world to make steampunk ways the norm. Such is what this book felt like. It’s not a steampunk novel: it’s today shifted to have a more steampunk feel. The fans have taken over, altering the ways of the world. Corsets are the norm. Everyday objects have strange names. You get the general idea without me ranting on. In short, I was disappointed by the lack of a steampunk feel to this one. It’s a decent urban fantasy; I just feel cheated by the label it was given.
Back to whether or not my friendship will survive.
At first, I feared as though my friendship was doomed. I could not get into this book for the longest of times. It had everything to pull me in – mystery, supernatural creatures, and a main character with a great voice – yet I felt as though we were wading through the mud. We were going somewhere, but at a very slow pace with the destination being a long way off. I feared a three star rating, possibly a two (although, the voice of the main character was liable to prevent this from happening). Then – and I really cannot tell you at what point it happened – things changed. Suddenly I was pulled in. Things started to happen. Answers were given. The world came to light. It became a story I could not put down.
In short, don’t give up. It is worth it once you get into it.
Whilst the story is slow to start, once it gets going it is wonderful. There are so many layers to the story, and whilst there are some predictable aspects it is – as a whole – great. There are more things going on than you’re lead to believe, with information being thrown at you to leave you second guessing all that you have been told. Don’t get me wrong we have quite a few of the young adult clichés. Namely the romance. Unfortunately, you cannot read a young adult book without some kind of romantic undertone nowadays. Fortunately, this one isn’t as sickly sweet as most of them out there.
What I loved the most – as I have referenced many times already – is the voice of our main character. I can truly related to her. She is a true Brit. The sarcasm. The dry wit. The vulgar comments. It’s like being inside of my own head… except much more tame. Honestly, she’s good – but she’s not that good. Note: that is not an egotistical comment, merely an observation that it is not possible to go to the full extreme in such a book. So yeah, you can easily say I enjoyed the voice of the main character.
All in all, the book ended up being more than I expected. My friendship is safe. I will be going on to read the next two books in the trilogy. Whilst not my favourite book of all time, there is enough to leave me with the hope that number two will have much more to offer.
We all love those friends who share their books with us. Such friends instantly earn themselves all kinds of favours. We love them when they hand over books we have wanted to read. We love them when they hand over books you never considered reading and end up loving. We love it when they offer up their favourites, to see what we think of them. For me, I was looking forward to God Save the Queen, as it is one of my friend’s most loved books. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that our friendship would be terminated if I did not enjoy this one. Thus, I was happy to jump in – after all, it seemed all kinds of interesting.
I’ll admit, I haven’t really read all that many steampunk books. In fact, all of my steampunk reads to date have come through the person who let me borrow this book. Oh, I plan to read more. I have wanted to lose myself in the steampunk genre for so long. Yet my to-read list is so long. I have so many overflowing bookshelves. I need to work through what I have before I add more to my collection. Not that it stops me borrowing books, especially the likes of this. Despite this lack of steampunk knowledge, I feel as though this book falls more into the urban fantasy genre than into the steampunk genre. To me, this feels like an alternative history made up of what a steampunk lover would like the world to be like. I’ll be the first to admit that, as a lover of steampunk, I would gladly change the world to make steampunk ways the norm. Such is what this book felt like. It’s not a steampunk novel: it’s today shifted to have a more steampunk feel. The fans have taken over, altering the ways of the world. Corsets are the norm. Everyday objects have strange names. You get the general idea without me ranting on. In short, I was disappointed by the lack of a steampunk feel to this one. It’s a decent urban fantasy; I just feel cheated by the label it was given.
Back to whether or not my friendship will survive.
At first, I feared as though my friendship was doomed. I could not get into this book for the longest of times. It had everything to pull me in – mystery, supernatural creatures, and a main character with a great voice – yet I felt as though we were wading through the mud. We were going somewhere, but at a very slow pace with the destination being a long way off. I feared a three star rating, possibly a two (although, the voice of the main character was liable to prevent this from happening). Then – and I really cannot tell you at what point it happened – things changed. Suddenly I was pulled in. Things started to happen. Answers were given. The world came to light. It became a story I could not put down.
In short, don’t give up. It is worth it once you get into it.
Whilst the story is slow to start, once it gets going it is wonderful. There are so many layers to the story, and whilst there are some predictable aspects it is – as a whole – great. There are more things going on than you’re lead to believe, with information being thrown at you to leave you second guessing all that you have been told. Don’t get me wrong we have quite a few of the young adult clichés. Namely the romance. Unfortunately, you cannot read a young adult book without some kind of romantic undertone nowadays. Fortunately, this one isn’t as sickly sweet as most of them out there.
What I loved the most – as I have referenced many times already – is the voice of our main character. I can truly related to her. She is a true Brit. The sarcasm. The dry wit. The vulgar comments. It’s like being inside of my own head… except much more tame. Honestly, she’s good – but she’s not that good. Note: that is not an egotistical comment, merely an observation that it is not possible to go to the full extreme in such a book. So yeah, you can easily say I enjoyed the voice of the main character.
All in all, the book ended up being more than I expected. My friendship is safe. I will be going on to read the next two books in the trilogy. Whilst not my favourite book of all time, there is enough to leave me with the hope that number two will have much more to offer.
August 27, 2012
As soon as I saw the cover I knew I wanted to read God Save the Queen - it was the combination of the steampunk style outfit with modern London buildings in the background that raised my curiosity. You've got to love a heroine with bright red hair too! Reading the blurb and discovering Kate Locke has created an alternate history where Queen Victoria didn't die - she was actually infected with the plague and became a vampire - just sealed the deal and moved this onto my 'must read' pile of books. Imagine a world where Queen Victoria is celebrating her 175 year on the throne, a world where the British Aristocracy were all infected with a plague that turned them into vampires. The same plague that turned the Scottish Aristocracy into werewolves but didn't really have any effect on the main population. You have a world full of steampunk technology, where women wear corsets and where your heritage dictates your place in society. You also have a story that is a mixture of urban fantasy, alternate history and steampunk - in other words a story that is full of awesome.
Our heroine is Xandra, a 22 year old halvie who was born of a vampire father and a human courtesan and who now works for the Royal Guard protecting the Aristocracy. When her sister Dede goes missing and is presumed dead Xandra is the only one who doesn't believe what she is told, she is convinced that her sister is still out there somewhere and is determined to find out what happened to her. Even Xandra's brother Val and her other sister Avery believe that Dede is dead so she is on her own when it comes to the investigation. The more Xandra starts digging into Dede's disappearance the more she starts to uncover about her own past and the secrets those she is closest to have been keeping from her.
Xandra is the kind of character I find it easy to care for, she is strong and independent but she is also caring and she knows when to accept the help that is offered to her. She has been kept in the dark for her whole life and everything she thinks she knows is completely turned upside down throughout the story. I can't say much more without giving spoilers so I'm just going to say I was impressed with the way she coped with the revelations that were thrown at her. I really found myself liking her family unit, particularly the relationships she has with her siblings but some of the characters I'm most interested in finding out more about are Vex (the Alpha of the British werewolves) and the Goblin Prince. I have a feeling there are a lot more secrets still to uncover and I'll be interested to see how the story develops in the next book.
Considering God Save the Queen was written by an American author it had an authentic British feel to it that I really enjoyed. Add in a great cast of characters, a mystery that kept me guessing and some fabulous world building and this is a book you won't want to miss out on. I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment and will definitely be adding Kate Locke to my list of authors to watch out for.
Our heroine is Xandra, a 22 year old halvie who was born of a vampire father and a human courtesan and who now works for the Royal Guard protecting the Aristocracy. When her sister Dede goes missing and is presumed dead Xandra is the only one who doesn't believe what she is told, she is convinced that her sister is still out there somewhere and is determined to find out what happened to her. Even Xandra's brother Val and her other sister Avery believe that Dede is dead so she is on her own when it comes to the investigation. The more Xandra starts digging into Dede's disappearance the more she starts to uncover about her own past and the secrets those she is closest to have been keeping from her.
Xandra is the kind of character I find it easy to care for, she is strong and independent but she is also caring and she knows when to accept the help that is offered to her. She has been kept in the dark for her whole life and everything she thinks she knows is completely turned upside down throughout the story. I can't say much more without giving spoilers so I'm just going to say I was impressed with the way she coped with the revelations that were thrown at her. I really found myself liking her family unit, particularly the relationships she has with her siblings but some of the characters I'm most interested in finding out more about are Vex (the Alpha of the British werewolves) and the Goblin Prince. I have a feeling there are a lot more secrets still to uncover and I'll be interested to see how the story develops in the next book.
Considering God Save the Queen was written by an American author it had an authentic British feel to it that I really enjoyed. Add in a great cast of characters, a mystery that kept me guessing and some fabulous world building and this is a book you won't want to miss out on. I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment and will definitely be adding Kate Locke to my list of authors to watch out for.
June 5, 2017
First of all ***THERE IS A GLOSSARY IN THE BACK!!***
Yep. Ok now that we've got that out of the way I am happy to report that I did enjoy this book. See historical anything is, in general, difficult for me to get into. I usually get flustered by all the history, history I stored in my short term memory bank for school and have thus dumped it from there, so I don't remember/recall/or have learned about some of the histories that can often be mentioned in books. I also don't like to read long drawn out stories like that all the time either (I'm looking at you Ilona Andrews lol) erm anyways for a time being the story was a bit difficult to get into their slang and world are completely different from today's world so it took a bit of getting used to. Much like it took a bit of getting used to "Downside talk" from Downside Ghosts. So I allowed for a bit of acclimating.
The story starts with Royal Guard Alexandra Varden, Xandy or Xandra for nickname, looking for her sister who she believes is missing much to her siblings saying to the contrary. When a body does turn up she's convinced it is not her missing sister, but someone went to the trouble of making it seem like she was dead. Why? Who? Why was her sister hiding? These are all questions that make Xandy do some investigative work. This investigation changes her life more than she could ever know. I won't go into much more detail than that. So much happens in this book. BUT there is a love interest straight away and at first I was unsure whether or not to trust him, but Xandy eventually does. He's hot, and he's the alpha of the were pack. YAY! He seems to like Xandra for who she is, which is great because as a person born into society she still has to present a united front in public even though she would rather be doing something else, so she feels that people aren't or don't see her for her true self. But Vex does. it's interesting story and definitely good.
Yep. Ok now that we've got that out of the way I am happy to report that I did enjoy this book. See historical anything is, in general, difficult for me to get into. I usually get flustered by all the history, history I stored in my short term memory bank for school and have thus dumped it from there, so I don't remember/recall/or have learned about some of the histories that can often be mentioned in books. I also don't like to read long drawn out stories like that all the time either (I'm looking at you Ilona Andrews lol) erm anyways for a time being the story was a bit difficult to get into their slang and world are completely different from today's world so it took a bit of getting used to. Much like it took a bit of getting used to "Downside talk" from Downside Ghosts. So I allowed for a bit of acclimating.
The story starts with Royal Guard Alexandra Varden, Xandy or Xandra for nickname, looking for her sister who she believes is missing much to her siblings saying to the contrary. When a body does turn up she's convinced it is not her missing sister, but someone went to the trouble of making it seem like she was dead. Why? Who? Why was her sister hiding? These are all questions that make Xandy do some investigative work. This investigation changes her life more than she could ever know. I won't go into much more detail than that. So much happens in this book. BUT there is a love interest straight away and at first I was unsure whether or not to trust him, but Xandy eventually does. He's hot, and he's the alpha of the were pack. YAY! He seems to like Xandra for who she is, which is great because as a person born into society she still has to present a united front in public even though she would rather be doing something else, so she feels that people aren't or don't see her for her true self. But Vex does. it's interesting story and definitely good.
April 22, 2020
This book brought me out of a semi-book hangover. Or maybe a book exhaustion. I am a strict TBR reader and I absolutely need to finish the TBR I set for myself, but this week I really haven't been feeling it since finishing Honor Lost. It was just so good!!
But God Save the Queen was such a fun read! In this Historical Fantasy, the British nobility have been infected with plague that has turned them into Vampires, Werewolves and Goblins oh my! Queen Victoria is alive and well, still ruling the throne to this day. Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite guard, made up of halves--part aristocrat/supernatural creature and part human, her duty is to serve and protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister supposedly turns up dead Xandra is determined to find out why someone has faked Didi's death.
This was such an interesting world. Parts old English, part sci-fi, and part fantasy, it has a little bit of everything I enjoy in a story. The mystery/revolution aspect related to Xandra's sister was probably my favorite. I always love a good uprising.
I really liked Xandra, she's determined to get answers and she's not afraid to get dirty to do it. All of the various figures in this made it such a cool experience since they're now in the present time. However, this world was a bit behind on technology. I enjoyed Xandra's relationships with her family, as convoluted and strained as they were. I loved how her relationship with Vex, the werewolf alpha, he is delicious.
I'm excited to see where this series will go after everything that happened/was revealed in the end. Very interesting conclusion!
But God Save the Queen was such a fun read! In this Historical Fantasy, the British nobility have been infected with plague that has turned them into Vampires, Werewolves and Goblins oh my! Queen Victoria is alive and well, still ruling the throne to this day. Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite guard, made up of halves--part aristocrat/supernatural creature and part human, her duty is to serve and protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister supposedly turns up dead Xandra is determined to find out why someone has faked Didi's death.
This was such an interesting world. Parts old English, part sci-fi, and part fantasy, it has a little bit of everything I enjoy in a story. The mystery/revolution aspect related to Xandra's sister was probably my favorite. I always love a good uprising.
I really liked Xandra, she's determined to get answers and she's not afraid to get dirty to do it. All of the various figures in this made it such a cool experience since they're now in the present time. However, this world was a bit behind on technology. I enjoyed Xandra's relationships with her family, as convoluted and strained as they were. I loved how her relationship with Vex, the werewolf alpha, he is delicious.
I'm excited to see where this series will go after everything that happened/was revealed in the end. Very interesting conclusion!
July 14, 2017
Trigger warnings: violence, blood, death of a sibling.
3.75 stars.
If you like the Parasol Protectorate series or the Kate Daniels series, definitely give this one a go! Basically? The plague bacterium causes aristocrats to become vampires (in England) and werewolves (in Scotland). Queen Victoria has now been on the throne for 175 years, so it's a society with Victorian ideals but modern(ish) technology. It's kind of a cross between steampunk and urban fantasy. And therefore, it was pretty much my jam.
There were times when it was a little predictable or where the pacing was slightly off. But on the whole, this was thoroughly enjoyable and silly and pretty stinking fun.
3.75 stars.
If you like the Parasol Protectorate series or the Kate Daniels series, definitely give this one a go! Basically? The plague bacterium causes aristocrats to become vampires (in England) and werewolves (in Scotland). Queen Victoria has now been on the throne for 175 years, so it's a society with Victorian ideals but modern(ish) technology. It's kind of a cross between steampunk and urban fantasy. And therefore, it was pretty much my jam.
There were times when it was a little predictable or where the pacing was slightly off. But on the whole, this was thoroughly enjoyable and silly and pretty stinking fun.
February 29, 2016
Xandra Vardan is an Urban Fantasy heroine in a London that aesthetically never left the steam age. She believes that the reports of her sister's death are greatly exaggerated, and her investigations lead to new and troubling discoveries about herself and about the vampire aristocracy who currently rules England.
The aesthetic of this novel is a mishmash of the modern and the 19th century. You have steam trains and gaslights alongside computers and cell phones; a 21st-century attitude toward sexuality among people for whom bustles and corsets are still fashionable; anime-colored hair and royal rule by divine right. It's fun, but not very convincing. If your tech is at a level that home PCs and plastic bags exist, why on earth would there still be steam trains? Supposedly Queen Victoria, who became immortal in her 20s, mandates this. But I don't know... if I were an immortal queen, I wouldn't be hung up on keeping my country in the fashion aesthetic of the early '90s. Perish the thought.
The society of werewolves, goblins and vampires as aristocracy over human subjects is fairly interesting and tries to use science to explain itself (while not a science person, I suspect this wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny any more than the tech does). The immortals were created with a plague virus that manifests itself in the genes. Main character Xandra is half vampire, half human--at least that is all she knows of herself at the beginning of the book--and has a bit of an aggression problem. She comes out, fists flying, at any sign of a conversation not going her way. She constantly worries if she's "hatters" since her mother vanished into Bedlam when she was a child. The aggression is explained by the end of the book, which I thought was well done.
No reader of UF will be surprised to learn that Xandra's far more than she seems, and despite being about three different kinds of mutant is both physically powerful and sexually attractive. I really had wondered how this girl functioned in society. But now she kind of doesn't have to.
Xandra rather abruptly leaps into being the lover of the alpha werewolf, Vexation, after meeting him at a club, and next thing you know they're having afternoon-long heartfelt conversations and Vex is making breakfast for Xandra's whole family. What attracted him to her? And for a fierce thing who's flying off the handle constantly and who jumps straight into sex with somebody she barely knows, Xandra settles down awfully fast.
In general I thought the characterization was pretty weak. I didn't feel any of the affection for her family that Xandra so frequently mentions, and the two men that have a fancy for Xandra aren't all that fascinating, either.
The mystery also isn't great--I knew who the main villain was well before Xandra did--and the motive was easy to guess as well. As with Xandra's attraction to Vex, and her affection for her family, I didn't quite relate to Xandra's connection to the villain, either. The final confrontation with, and the inevitable demise of, Xandra's real enemy was met with a shrug rather than a pang.
One more thing I can bring up is the language. Now, I'm not uptight that Xandra has a potty mouth, but she really does overdo it with the British-isms. Bollocks and hatters and whatnot on every single page? It reads like an American trying too hard to seem super-British. And "fang me" as an expletive is cute, I guess, but overused like the rest of it.
As often happens with these mid-grade things, I'm having trouble complimenting this book or coming up with much interesting to say about it. Would I continue with the series? Well, it does have the advantage of being only a trilogy and therefore is unlikely to dwindle off into repetition that goes nowhere. I'm interested in seeing where Xandra goes from here. And there are plenty of things about the society in London that remain tantalizingly not filled in. So, sure, why not? Though I'm not in a great hurry to do so.
The aesthetic of this novel is a mishmash of the modern and the 19th century. You have steam trains and gaslights alongside computers and cell phones; a 21st-century attitude toward sexuality among people for whom bustles and corsets are still fashionable; anime-colored hair and royal rule by divine right. It's fun, but not very convincing. If your tech is at a level that home PCs and plastic bags exist, why on earth would there still be steam trains? Supposedly Queen Victoria, who became immortal in her 20s, mandates this. But I don't know... if I were an immortal queen, I wouldn't be hung up on keeping my country in the fashion aesthetic of the early '90s. Perish the thought.
The society of werewolves, goblins and vampires as aristocracy over human subjects is fairly interesting and tries to use science to explain itself (while not a science person, I suspect this wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny any more than the tech does). The immortals were created with a plague virus that manifests itself in the genes. Main character Xandra is half vampire, half human--at least that is all she knows of herself at the beginning of the book--and has a bit of an aggression problem. She comes out, fists flying, at any sign of a conversation not going her way. She constantly worries if she's "hatters" since her mother vanished into Bedlam when she was a child. The aggression is explained by the end of the book, which I thought was well done.
No reader of UF will be surprised to learn that Xandra's far more than she seems, and despite being about three different kinds of mutant is both physically powerful and sexually attractive. I really had wondered how this girl functioned in society. But now she kind of doesn't have to.
Xandra rather abruptly leaps into being the lover of the alpha werewolf, Vexation, after meeting him at a club, and next thing you know they're having afternoon-long heartfelt conversations and Vex is making breakfast for Xandra's whole family. What attracted him to her? And for a fierce thing who's flying off the handle constantly and who jumps straight into sex with somebody she barely knows, Xandra settles down awfully fast.
In general I thought the characterization was pretty weak. I didn't feel any of the affection for her family that Xandra so frequently mentions, and the two men that have a fancy for Xandra aren't all that fascinating, either.
The mystery also isn't great--I knew who the main villain was well before Xandra did--and the motive was easy to guess as well. As with Xandra's attraction to Vex, and her affection for her family, I didn't quite relate to Xandra's connection to the villain, either. The final confrontation with, and the inevitable demise of, Xandra's real enemy was met with a shrug rather than a pang.
One more thing I can bring up is the language. Now, I'm not uptight that Xandra has a potty mouth, but she really does overdo it with the British-isms. Bollocks and hatters and whatnot on every single page? It reads like an American trying too hard to seem super-British. And "fang me" as an expletive is cute, I guess, but overused like the rest of it.
As often happens with these mid-grade things, I'm having trouble complimenting this book or coming up with much interesting to say about it. Would I continue with the series? Well, it does have the advantage of being only a trilogy and therefore is unlikely to dwindle off into repetition that goes nowhere. I'm interested in seeing where Xandra goes from here. And there are plenty of things about the society in London that remain tantalizingly not filled in. So, sure, why not? Though I'm not in a great hurry to do so.
April 25, 2014
A very interesting world-building and a total page-turner!
“For a moment I hoped I was in heaven--or wherever it is my kind go when death calls...Instead I opened my eyes and discovered that I was in hospital. The flimsy little gown they'd put me in had tiny pink piggies on it. My first thought was that I had to have been in bad shape to be admitted. My second, I'm ashamed to admit, was whether or not they'd let me take the nightie home with me.”
God Save the Queen is set in an alternate steampunk universe. The story follows Xandra, a half-human, half-vampire who's sole purpose is to protect the Aristocracy- the vampires and werewolf purebreds. She's also stubborn and remains in denial for a large part of the story. Xandra's devotion to her family is what sets into motion a series of events that leads to the unraveling of an intriguing mystery with a surprising twist. The best things about this book was the setting. This book was ingenuous and mind boggling!
Xandra’s love interest Vex MacLaughlin was the perfect man errr werewolf. Kind, caring, sexy, and he could cook – this Alpha wolf was everything a gal could want.
I really found myself liking her family unit, particularly the relationships she has with her siblings but some of the characters I'm most interested in finding out more about are Vex (the Alpha of the British werewolves) and the Goblin Prince. I have a feeling there are a lot more secrets still to uncover and I'll be interested to see how the story develops in the next book.
God Save the Queen has a lot of worldbuilding. While fantastic and entertaining as the book goes on, it is a little overwhelming at first. It took me a little bit to understand the Aristocracy/Halvie/Plague, but once I got it all sussed out in my head the rest of the book was a breeze. There were unexpected plot developments throughout, and I loved how the book ended, as the necessary loose ends were tied up so as not to make the book too much of a cliff-hanger. Needless to say I’m excited for book two!
I met his gaze evenly. He looked genuinely concerned and I felt like a cad for lying to him. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. “They were, thank you. Sir, I . . .” I heard something that drew my attention, smelled something that brought my fangs out fast and hard – fear.
I whirled around. The orchestra still played, the dancers continued to dance. Conversation buzzed around us, but my attention went immediately to the one thing that didn’t belong.
Up on the balcony. A human with a rifle – pointed at the Queen.
“Gun!” I yelled, my voice seeming to reverberate around me. As I leapt forward, I was aware of several things at once: the music screeching to a halt, the discharge of the rifle, screams, and how sweet that human bastard smelled.
How the bloody hell could I smell him from where I was?
I moved faster than I ever had before – or at least I seemed to. One moment I was beside Church; the next I crashed to the floor, my shoulder exploding with pain as I took the Queen with me.
I sucked in air, forced myself to reach for the Bulldog hidden in my bustle. Hot blood ran down my left arm. I’d been shot. Damnation, it hurt. Felt like my shoulder was on fire. My head and stomach churned in opposite rotations.
Tetracycline. Fang me, there was tetracycline in the bullet. And the bullet was silver. It had gone straight through – luckily for me. It still hurt like hell.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?” I demanded, positioning myself so I wouldn’t drip blood on her. Plague me, even my eyes burned.
“Quite,” she replied, looking both shocked and relieved. “Young lady, you are most extraordinary.”
“For a moment I hoped I was in heaven--or wherever it is my kind go when death calls...Instead I opened my eyes and discovered that I was in hospital. The flimsy little gown they'd put me in had tiny pink piggies on it. My first thought was that I had to have been in bad shape to be admitted. My second, I'm ashamed to admit, was whether or not they'd let me take the nightie home with me.”
God Save the Queen is set in an alternate steampunk universe. The story follows Xandra, a half-human, half-vampire who's sole purpose is to protect the Aristocracy- the vampires and werewolf purebreds. She's also stubborn and remains in denial for a large part of the story. Xandra's devotion to her family is what sets into motion a series of events that leads to the unraveling of an intriguing mystery with a surprising twist. The best things about this book was the setting. This book was ingenuous and mind boggling!
Xandra’s love interest Vex MacLaughlin was the perfect man errr werewolf. Kind, caring, sexy, and he could cook – this Alpha wolf was everything a gal could want.
I really found myself liking her family unit, particularly the relationships she has with her siblings but some of the characters I'm most interested in finding out more about are Vex (the Alpha of the British werewolves) and the Goblin Prince. I have a feeling there are a lot more secrets still to uncover and I'll be interested to see how the story develops in the next book.
God Save the Queen has a lot of worldbuilding. While fantastic and entertaining as the book goes on, it is a little overwhelming at first. It took me a little bit to understand the Aristocracy/Halvie/Plague, but once I got it all sussed out in my head the rest of the book was a breeze. There were unexpected plot developments throughout, and I loved how the book ended, as the necessary loose ends were tied up so as not to make the book too much of a cliff-hanger. Needless to say I’m excited for book two!
I met his gaze evenly. He looked genuinely concerned and I felt like a cad for lying to him. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. “They were, thank you. Sir, I . . .” I heard something that drew my attention, smelled something that brought my fangs out fast and hard – fear.
I whirled around. The orchestra still played, the dancers continued to dance. Conversation buzzed around us, but my attention went immediately to the one thing that didn’t belong.
Up on the balcony. A human with a rifle – pointed at the Queen.
“Gun!” I yelled, my voice seeming to reverberate around me. As I leapt forward, I was aware of several things at once: the music screeching to a halt, the discharge of the rifle, screams, and how sweet that human bastard smelled.
How the bloody hell could I smell him from where I was?
I moved faster than I ever had before – or at least I seemed to. One moment I was beside Church; the next I crashed to the floor, my shoulder exploding with pain as I took the Queen with me.
I sucked in air, forced myself to reach for the Bulldog hidden in my bustle. Hot blood ran down my left arm. I’d been shot. Damnation, it hurt. Felt like my shoulder was on fire. My head and stomach churned in opposite rotations.
Tetracycline. Fang me, there was tetracycline in the bullet. And the bullet was silver. It had gone straight through – luckily for me. It still hurt like hell.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?” I demanded, positioning myself so I wouldn’t drip blood on her. Plague me, even my eyes burned.
“Quite,” she replied, looking both shocked and relieved. “Young lady, you are most extraordinary.”
April 20, 2018
This was a blast to read! The setting and the characters were absolutely wonderful. This is the perfect read for anyone interested in the fantasy/paranormal genre. Literally the only criticism I have is that it was kind of difficult to understand all the genetic explanations of how the virus effected some people and not others. Other than that I thought the book couldn't be any better and am excited to get my hands on the next one.
May 15, 2013
Great original story. It gets off with a weird start due to the info dump. The characters were awesome and I really enjoyed the world with all of its adventure, mystery, and backstabbing. Very interesting to see the old world England in modern times with vampires werewolves and goblins running the show.
May 19, 2017
Queen Victoria has been on the British throne for 175 years, she is a vampire and so are all the aristocracy. It's all down to the Bubonic Plague that transformed some people instead of killing them.
As well as Vampires we have Werewolves, mostly in Scotland, and Goblins, who are pretty vicious and live underground and they eat people who they call meat, or mice.
What we also have are halvies, half werewolves are claimed by the Pack, but half vamps are looked down on but are also used by the Vamps as bodyguards & servants.
Xandra Vardan is a halvie, 22 yr old Royal Guard. Her father is a Duke, her mother was a courtesan who went mad, and was sent to Bedlam, where she died. Xandra has a couple of sisters & a brother who all live together. None of them have much contact with the Duke and all have different mothers. That's what the aristocracy do - they try and breed with humans with plague genes under contract.
It is a very intriguing set-up and the world building is extremely good. The mystery of Dede (one of Xandra's sisters) was interesting and Vex the Werewolf Alpha was hot. The Prince of Goblins was creepy and the politics surrounding the Vamps & QueenV was complex. Glad the villain got his just desserts.
Looking forward to the next one.
As well as Vampires we have Werewolves, mostly in Scotland, and Goblins, who are pretty vicious and live underground and they eat people who they call meat, or mice.
What we also have are halvies, half werewolves are claimed by the Pack, but half vamps are looked down on but are also used by the Vamps as bodyguards & servants.
Xandra Vardan is a halvie, 22 yr old Royal Guard. Her father is a Duke, her mother was a courtesan who went mad, and was sent to Bedlam, where she died. Xandra has a couple of sisters & a brother who all live together. None of them have much contact with the Duke and all have different mothers. That's what the aristocracy do - they try and breed with humans with plague genes under contract.
It is a very intriguing set-up and the world building is extremely good. The mystery of Dede (one of Xandra's sisters) was interesting and Vex the Werewolf Alpha was hot. The Prince of Goblins was creepy and the politics surrounding the Vamps & QueenV was complex. Glad the villain got his just desserts.
Looking forward to the next one.
August 28, 2020
God Save the Queen is a bit of a mishmash of different genres. It’s part alternate history where during the reign of Queen Victoria, she and other aristocrats are plagued with some taking the form of vampires, others werewolves, and others goblins. It’s part fantasy with some shades of romance, although that’s a small part of the novel, with a bit of a steampunk feel to it. Queen Victoria is still alive, and there are divisions between the aristocrats and the humans with half-bloods (half human and half other) somewhere in between.
The protagonist, Xandra Vardan, is part of the Royal Guard, an elite fighting squad of half-bloods whose job it is to defend the aristocrats from humans who might wish them harm. The plot thickens when Xandra’s sister goes missing and is declared to be dead, although she’s not dead, causing Xandra to investigate. In the process, she discovers a conspiracy that she’s at the center of.
By and large, I liked this novel. I like the writing style. Although I generally liked the characterization, if you’ve read any modern urban fantasy, there is a lot of cliché to Xandra and Vex, her alpha werewolf love interest. The biggest shortcoming of this novel is that these two characters, the bad ass female protagonist, and her bad boy non-human lover, have been done to death and there is no new ground here. The plot was sound, and I enjoyed the steampunkish feel to it where there is some technology in this world but not to our levels of technology. Overall, I would give this novel a thumbs up and will be reading the second novel in the series.
Carl Alves - author of Beyond the Shadow
The protagonist, Xandra Vardan, is part of the Royal Guard, an elite fighting squad of half-bloods whose job it is to defend the aristocrats from humans who might wish them harm. The plot thickens when Xandra’s sister goes missing and is declared to be dead, although she’s not dead, causing Xandra to investigate. In the process, she discovers a conspiracy that she’s at the center of.
By and large, I liked this novel. I like the writing style. Although I generally liked the characterization, if you’ve read any modern urban fantasy, there is a lot of cliché to Xandra and Vex, her alpha werewolf love interest. The biggest shortcoming of this novel is that these two characters, the bad ass female protagonist, and her bad boy non-human lover, have been done to death and there is no new ground here. The plot was sound, and I enjoyed the steampunkish feel to it where there is some technology in this world but not to our levels of technology. Overall, I would give this novel a thumbs up and will be reading the second novel in the series.
Carl Alves - author of Beyond the Shadow
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