URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Immortal Empire 1: God Save the Queen - Kate Locke

Release Date: 05/07/12

SYNOPSIS:

The Year is 2012 - and Queen Victoria still rules with an immortal fist.

She's 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 technology lives side by side with magic, where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath) and Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it's her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But things get complicated when her sister goes missing. Xandra will not only realise she's the prize in a dangerous power struggle - but she'll also uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire itself.



REVIEW:

OK I love a solid Urban Fantasy but when you blend in some Steampunk, vamps and of course Were’s, then you know its going to be something special. This book, the first of the Immortal Empire series introduces the reader to heroine Alexandra Vardan, Royal Guard to her Majesty Queen Victoria who is celebrating 175 years on the throne.

Alexandra is dark, is a serious ass kicking heroine and when you add to the mix emotional entanglement with the Alpha of the Were’s of the UK, you know it’s going to hit the fan fast, especially when she’s brought into the underground movement that seeks to bring the experiment on Halvies (those with blood of one of the ruling elite without being fully changed) into the cold light of day. It’s a complex plot line, has some wonderful twists and when it all goes down with the conspiracies coming out, you know damn well that it’s going to hell in a hand basket pretty quickly. It’s only a matter of time and for some, its running out faster than others.

All in I had a lot of fun with this book, I loved the characters (both supporting and main), the author brought this new vision of London to life and when backed up with a cracking pace as a reader you know that it’s just what you want. I can’t wait for the next instalment.