Review: God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire #1) by Kate Locke

Title: God Save the Queen
Author: Kate Locke
Publisher: Orbit
Publishing Date: July 3rd 2012
Pages: 354
Genre: Paranormal, Steampunk
Series: The Immortal Empire
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review:
I wanted this book from the moment I saw it. The cover, the title, the synopsis, I had to have it. I was finally able to devour this book, and I did devour it. I loved this book. It was awesome from the first page to the very last past. The story is original for me, even in the paranormal world, the characters rocked my world, the book contained romance, action, and mystery.

Short and Sweet of It:

The story is set in the year 2012 however things are different than they are in our world. The setting is in England, Queen Victoria is still in rule, yes 175 years later, she is a vampire. In fact all the aristocrats are vampires are werewolves or goblins. This did not come about in the normal way vamps, weres, goblins (oh my) are created. There was a plague that lived in the bloodstream of the royals and it morphed them into vampires and weres. If a full blood vamp or were mate with another full blood a goblin is created. So, in order to keep the plague in the royal blood they breed with humans that carry the plague but never morphed creating half-bloods. Xandra is a half-blood, vamp/human, and she works for the Royal Guard. Her life is good, predictable, just the way she likes it… until her sister is found dead, claimed suicide. Xandra does not believe her sister would kill herself and doesn’t believe the body is her sister. She begins her own investigation and undercover a conspiracy that leads to secrets that changes her life dramatically. Oh and along the way she just happens to get involved with a very hot, sexy, awesome werewolf.

My Thoughts:

Okay so that is they gist of it, such an awesome story. I love the way that the vamps and the weres and even goblins were strung together to all come from a single plague. The world that was created was just amazing. Steampunk all the way except the year is 2012. There are still carriages but also gadgets like updated cellphones and mp3 players. The dress is mixed Victorian era with a futuristic edge. Courtesans existed, high tech clubs existed, and royal balls existed. I felt I was inside the world as I read through the book. It was very creative, loud, and colorful.

I loved the characters. I loved the main character Xandra; she is strong, independent, sarcastic, fun, and she kicks-butt. She doesn’t quit or give up and she is very loyal to her family and her country, which causes a real dilemma when she is in the middle of the two. She was a very strong and likable heroine. The best in show for characters goes out to….. Vex he werewolf aristo. He stole my heart from the moment he entered onto the page. Hot, arrogant in the sexy way, very manly and chivalrous, he had it all for me. The relationship between these two felt very real to me and I loved how playful and yet devoted it was.

The pacing of this story was pretty good. It was a bit slow in the beginning but once it picked up it didn’t slow down. The writing jargon as also a bit confusing in times and even though there is a glossary in the back, not everything was included. There was a bunch to take in on how the aristos, the half breeds, and the goblins worked but eventually it all smoothed out for me and became easy happy sailing. There was a very healthy mixture of romance, mystery, and action for me and that healthy mixer is what made it a real page turner for me. I was very pleased with this book and can’t wait for the next installment that comes out in February. So far away.

In the end: I LOVED THIS BOOK!

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