ARC BOOK REVIEW - GOD SAVE THE QUEEN by KATE LOCKE - 4.5 STARS!

By: Kate Locke

Published By : Orbit

Released : 3rd July 2012

Details : ARC Paperback , 342 Pages

RATING : 4.5 SMEXI VEX STARS!!

Book Blurb : Taken From Goodreads

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.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle :

This was a whole lot of urban fantasy/steampunk/action packed fun,  with Alexandra Vardan, aka Xandra, Vexation MacLaughlin, aka Vex the smexi 200 yr old Alpha of the UK Wolves, Churchill ,aka Church the vampire mentor, a Goblin Prince, Xandra’s family of halvies, Ophelia a were halvie , Queen V, The Duke of Vardan, and not forgetting Penny.

We meet Xandra as she is meeting the Goblin Prince and paying her respects to him to gain knowledge of her sister Drusilla aka Dede ,who has gone missing.

“Honourable monsters”, Church had called them. 

From there on, this book takes off with a lot of kickass action. And a lot of different coloured hair do’s. Xandra refuses to believe her sister is dead and pulls a steampunk style Nancy Drew and starts to uncover more than she wants to believe to be true.

Xandra is a Royal Guard and has been trained by Church the guy she has a lot of respect and love for. Half-Bloods/halvies are trained at Wellington Academy by Church. Xandra was top of the class.

Things quickly do a flip for Xandra and she is left wondering who she can trust, and questioning all she has been taught. I love Xandra’s character she is very tough and intelligent. Her evening fashion will not stop her getting into a good ol’ , politely said, girl fight. She rides a Butler motorrad, sports red hair, and will dive in when somebody needs saving. I did enjoy her fights with Ophelia.

Now, Ophelia and Xandra’s relationship is very much an up and down, ‘maybe like her vs hate her thing’, they have going on. It makes for much amusement. I really like Ophelia’s character, she is brave, intelligent and stands up ram rod straight for what she believes in.

The Goblin Prince, although not an attractive fellow, as I have learned from Stacia Kane’s , ‘Downside Ghost’ series, it’s not always in the looks. I want to read more about this beastly meat loving character. I found myself growing very fond of him.

Vex, Vex, Vex.....hmmmm he is all manly, wolfy ,alpha, and a hunk of a man, but I think I had a little trouble with Kate not working up to the relationship. Before you can fry an egg they are courting and doing the wolfy horizontal tango. I would have liked a bit of a build up. He has a bit of mystery about him which unfolds. I can’t help thinking the way this book finished there may be a wee bit of competition for Xandra’s affections in book two, ‘The Queen is Dead’.

'He was over six feet of solid predatory muscle and heat - and grin. I couldn’t forget the grin.' 

Penny is a hoot, I love...errr....her. She has wonderful dialogue and is a fun character.

Visually I saw this book play out in my mind in a very colourful manner with it's fair share of blood spilled and mystery.

Kate Locke aka Kady Cross, has also written, amongst other works, the YA genre, ‘The Girl In The Steel Corset’ and ‘The Girl In The Clockwork Collar ‘, which I really enjoyed. The difference between these books is ,’The Steampunk Chronicles’ are YA genre and ‘God Saved The Queen’, I would assume is Adult as it has THAT four letter word in it and I don’t mean the f-bomb. Although there are lots of bombs. It also goes a lot darker and more political . The characters are older, and also there are goblins.

If you like Gail Carriger's,  'Parasol Protectorate' series, you enjoy urban fantasy and kick ass heroines,  with a slathering of steampunk, then this is the book for you.

The back of my ARC had 'Understanding The Aristocracy' and a Glossary. I found it worth a read.

I thought this was quite a ‘cool’ book and I still think I would slide in quite nicely into a Steampunk world, they have the most awesome clothes and gadgets, not to mention I think a nice purple hair do for myself would be quite fetching.

I am really looking forward to book 2, the way this book finished , there is a whole new thing coming into play and I can’t wait to read about it.

Oh , and trust me, the Queen is not amused........

FAVE QUOTE:

“Forgive me,” he said. And then his mouth was on mine and he tasted even better than he smelled.



There are more..hehe!! But I can’t write them here, well I could but they are a bit sweary or a bit smexi so I will save them for my other blogging friends to play with. You know who you are:)

Pop over to Kate's Page - Extra's she has her soundtrack songs picked out and I listened to some on Itunes and it gives you the vibe of the book. Here's a couple :

 BULLETPROOF HEART by MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE 

FLY by CALL ME ALICE

Michelle