God Save the Queen: The Immortal Empire, Book 1

For some reason, its rare to find the combintion of paranormal and historical romance. The once out there are mostly not very well done. That is what makes this a rare treasure.
It is really well written, with a perfect balance between the lore and the romance.
Good Job!

Fascinating creation of a Streampunk world set in a fantastically alternated modern London, where Queen Victoria still reigns as a Vampire. The novel also includes a really well done mystery plot and a nicely written romance. I highly recommend.

Interesting new series which is probably more Urban Fantasy meets Historical Romance than Steampunk. I would also put this as a crossover from Young adult to adult. Small amount of sex, a lot of English swearing and violence.

I could not help but find similarities to Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate but it is not any where near as amusing and is far more gritty and most of the humour comes from anachronistic paraphernalia and altered history lines. There were no World Wars, Hitler was a failed artist, tampons, rotaries, bloomers and corsets are every day regalia and Sid Vicious and Queen Victoria Co-exist. The humour is more wry. Queen Victoria, a Vampire is not deceased and still rules with a Fang of Iron. This is a new world that we have not been privy too before.

The author is Canadian from the East Coast and is a big anglophile. Although a lot of the terms and speech in the book is truly English you can tell in places it has been adopted for the NA market, this does not detract from the mainly authentic feeling of a modern day Victorian London. The narrator does a good job. She keeps the story moving at the fast pace it deserves and gives Xandra a feisty edge that makes her believable and eminently likable even though she is a little unhinged at times. She is rather spoiled and tunnel visioned believeing all she is told but is staunchly loyal and protective For the UK listeners: I did find the narrator's accent a little odd as most times she spoke with a middle to upper class accent but on occasion used the harder As used in the Northern part of the country.

The reason I do not find this novel to be truly Steampunk is that there are not inventions before their time and very little science jargon and the usual suspects of Steampunk and not a single derigible in sight. The science seems to be more genetic and torture related being of a most disturbing nature. Again like the Parasol Protectorate there is a lot of dialogue about the types of food consumed, relationships with family and work and the outcast protagonist having an alpha boyfriend. Although women seem to not be under the Rule Of Thumb and have a say.

After the Plague during Victoria's reign the virus slowly turned the aristocrats into vampires and some of them (especially the Scottish contingent) into werewolves. Humans still existed and another breed emerged, a cross of the strongest humans with the Aristos has produced another group called Halvies who are used to protect the Aristos. Our protagonist is one of these and they are distinguishable mainly by their unnaturally coloured hair, speed adn strength.. Last and not least there are the Goblins living under the City.... There is a vague harry Potter feel at times but there is no magic. It is all genetic.

In the present time, London operates as usual, only the aristocrats and Queen Victoria are still ruling. The vampires have some sort of celebrity status, while normal people live no different apart from donating a pint of their blood occasionally and keeping a record of their DNA with state's hospitals so they can be monitored for the virus development. Also they always keep their children in after dark knowing a seedy adn brutal underworld exists adn they are not safe..

There is much unrest and attempts of revolution which will give people more rights and diminish the rule of aristocracy. Bedlam, the infamous mental institution still exists and many Halvies end up behind it's formidable walls. There is also a strange destructive drug that allows people to borrow the supernatural strength of those affected by The Plague however. humans will not last long on this.

Xandra Vardan is quite content with her life as a special guard, living with her half sister and brother, until her younger sister, Dee Dee, goes missing and a body burned beyond recognition is identified as Dee Dee. Then the plot takes off and were are lead into the underworld and lots of truths are revealed and twists and turns occur that shake the foundations of Xandra's belief system. Forcing her to see the truth of those around her and herself. As everything falls away she does not know who to trust.

One of the things I was not so keen on was that there waas an invented words for this verse, a bit like in A Clockwork Orange, that got very overused which again made me feel it was aimed at a younger audience.

I loved Kate Locke's non nonsense style with likable characters, action and a good deal of punching, Xandra is straightforward and likable and I think there will be great times ahead in the rest of the series.

This book was just okay. It was a bit confusing trying to figure out the combinations of creatures and how they became what they were. Once you get past the confusion I think the story could have been better and it did have potential that didn't happen. I don't feel an urge to read the second book, so I think I will pass. The narrator was not the worst but by far not the best. Maybe if you catch this one on sale it would be worth listening to. Otherwise don't waste a credit on this one.

I didn't know what to expect from GSTQ: I bought it on the strength of its rating and the reviews. I'm happy to say those positive reviews are warranted.

There is a strong romantic element to this story, and while I am not by any means a fan of romance novels, I have to admit I enjoyed experiencing the protagonist's budding romance with another major character.

I particularly liked the main character, who although strong and tough, is somewhat naive and rather bigoted. I particularly appreciated this aspect of the character, because her (anti-human, anti-Goblin) bigotry is a big part of her character, but is handled with delicacy. Moreover, like real-life prejudices, hers are not erased in the blink of an eye.

The speculative history is fun, and the author's note at the beginning helps straighten things out before the story even starts. However, I found the appendix at the end to be dry and more information than I wanted or needed. Still, it's short, and in no way detracts from the work as a whole.

The narrator adds a sophisticated and very listenable element to the story.

I love the mixture of the supernatural and mythical world, we are dealing with Vampires, Werewolves, Goblins, and humans that can be half breeds too. It is a society where being effect by The Plague makes you nobility and un-dead. It is a rapid-paced action with characters driven by family loyalty and duty.
This is classified as a steam punk. There is no technology, but there is a unique social hierarchy between the species.
Xandra, the protagonist, is a halvie, a half-vampire with noble blood on her paternal side. She lives in a world where Queen Victoria of England still lives and prospers as a vamp; where the date is 2012 yet the cars and dress are still old fashioned; where werewolves and vampires make up the aristocracy, plagued with mutated blood thanks to the Black Death; where goblins creep through the sewers of London, snatching children and dragging them back into the dark depths.
This is a must read for those who enjoy supernatural

I purchased God Save the Queen during a lull in other book series I was reading based on mainly the reader's reviews. I was not disappointed and now I can't wait for the next book in this series.

The story took a little at the start before it started to pull me in but when it did, I couldn't put it down. It is a refreshing tale that I'm sure will entertain you as it entertained me.

The book has vampires, goblins, and even werewolves but their story is told in a refreshingly different style. Goblins are almost always little dingy monsters with sharp teeth that are mainly used as battle fodder but here they are dangerous to the extreme even when alone. It is not the same old take on the same old characters.

This book also does a great job at mixing up the modern science and technology with the magical and mystical. One does not preclude the other but instead the author meshes them together very well and in a manner that draws the reader into the story.

Give it a chance and I think you'll enjoy the book.

The primary heroine is both flawed and vulnerable in some ways but also tenacious, strong, and loyal. Supportive characters are also well-drawn, with complex personalities and life histories. I look forward to learning more about each of them!

Yes, even not being my typical choice for a read I greatly enjoyed this book. The story was well thought out and the science was also interesting adding a nice touch.

The Goblins where my favorite characters. It was nice to see they had more depth than the other characters thought.

The voices and accents helped bring the main character and many other to life.

I don't think so just in the length, however I did listen to it in 2 days enjoying it greatly.

I have to say that I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I would love to see where she goes with this book.