Saturday, December 21, 2013

Review: Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke

Title: Long Live the Queen
Author: Kate Locke
Genre: Paranormal, Steampunk
Series: The Immortal Empire #3

Hardcover, 311 pages
Publication: November 12, 2013 by Orbit  

Source: I received a  review copy from the publicist in exchange for a honest review.


Xandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone -- vampires, werewolves and humans -- wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins -- wins.

Queen Victoria wants her head, Alpha wolf Vex wants her heart, and she still doesn't know the identity of the person who wanted her blood. What she does know is that a project from one of the 'secret' aristocrat labs has gotten free and she's the only one who can stop the perfect killing machine -- a sixteen year-old girl. With human zealots intent on ridding the world of anyone with plagued blood and supernatural politics taking Britain to the verge of civil war, Xandra's finding out that being queen isn't all it's cracked up to be, and if she doesn't do something fast, hers will be the shortest reign in history.

Long Live the Queen is the third and final installment in Locke’s outrageously fun Immortal Empire series. 

Xandra is the newly crowned goblin queen but unlike most full blooded goblins, Xandra is able to walk in sunlight and is fur and snout less.  Xandra is still having a hard time adjusting to her new role and to makes matters worst the British Empire is in a tizzy.  All supernatural sects and the human league are in a state of unrest because an experiment from the secret aristocrat labs is let loose on the streets on London…and the said experiment looks exactly like Xandra except a little younger. It turns out that the people who abducted Xandra before used her DNA to create this monster that is attacking aristos, half bloods and humans alike. With the help of her friends and family Xandra hunts down her doppelganger because if she fails; the empire will have another Insurrection war on their hand. 

Long Live the Queen was another solid fun read.  Xandra has grown a great deal since the first book, but still suffered a little bit on needing to be the center of attention. She believed she was strong and invincible and tried to bite off more than she can chew. At times it got annoying but thankfully she realized her mate Vex, the plague and her siblings are all capable of taking care of themselves/ or can fight alongside her.  We see and learn a lot more about Queen Victoria, Prince William, Juliet (Xandra mother) and other secondary characters this time around. I especially enjoyed seeing more of Queen Victoria; she turned out not to be as cold-hearted as everyone thought she was. The bickering-banter between Queen Victoria and Xandra is probably the highlight of the story for me…every time these women encounter each other you can expect to be laughing out loud. 

The Immortal Empire series was a great ride while it lasted and I’m a little sad now that it ended. While the story wrapped up and everything was answered; I can’t help but feel that the characters/world still has so much to offer. Like previous books in the series you can expect nonstop action, snarky dialogue and a fun mystery with twists and turns that will have you captivated till the very end. I highly recommend this book/series to anyone who enjoys a deliciously dark (but not too dark lol) Victorian steampunk full of vampires, werewolves and goblins! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Locke’s future books. 


No comments:

Post a Comment