publisher: Orbit
date of publication: July 3, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 354
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
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.
Having been a fan of other works by Kate Locke (in the persona of Kady Cross), I was very much looking forward to God Save the Queen in spite of my continuing disinterest in vampire stories (the burn out continues). In many ways, God Save the Queen was as I expected. In the areas of world building and plot, this book was right up my alley. There were, however, things that just didn't work for me. Both sides of the coin will be covered in this review and I will tell you all about why I was left on the fence about continuing with this series.
Xandra Vardan as a main character left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, she's spunky, determined, and capable of much butt-kicking. What's not to love, you may ask? For me, the dislike comes in due to Xandra's voice. I get that the story takes place in London, thus there is bound to be some English slang used. However, for much of the book it just felt like overkill. When it gets to the point that one feels intense exasperation every time the main character speaks, that says something. So far as the remaining cast of characters goes, however, I very much enjoyed the variety (vampires, werewolves, goblins, and humans) and the wide array of personalities. It definitely helped make up for a not-so-appealing MC.
The world building is probably the most well-done aspect of this book. While I hesitate to dub God Save the Queen full-on steampunk, it definitely had lovely flourishes of steampunk goodness. Instead, it has a distinctly urban fantasy feel that worked great with the high level of action and the background for how this world came to be. I especially enjoyed the sublevels of London where the goblins hold court. Overall, this is a gritty, dangerous world where you can never quite guess what will happen next.
While I didn't hate God Save the Queen, I also failed to completely win me over. After following this first installment of Xandra's story, I am unsure as to whether or not I can bring myself to pick up the second book. While I liked where the story was headed at the very end, I just can't tell if it will continue along the same vein. I will continue to keep an ear out for others' opinions and decide as I hear more about where things are headed and whether or not the copious use of slang subsides.
Buy God Save the Queen at the Following Locations:
Obligatory legal
statement: This advance review copy was provided to me free of charge by the
publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for
this fair and unbiased review.
I really loved this book. I do agree with the setting, it was more urban fantasy with just a tad steampunk. i also agree at times the slang was overkill. I absolutely loved the romance though. great review.
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