Audio Review: Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke

Long Live the Queen

The Immortal Empire, #3
Kate Locke

Genre: SteamPunk/UrbanFantasy
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Date of Publication: November 12, 2013
Abridged or Unabridged: Unabridged
Length of Production: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN    Audible   Downpour

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.

The fantastic conclusion to the series that started with the spectacular undead steampunk debut, God Save the Queen and The Queen is Dead.

This was the third and final installment in The Immortal Empire series and I was so sorry to see it end.  I actually had to take a break after listening to this series. I was experiencing a doozy of a book hangover and just wasn't quite ready to dive into something else. I am sure you know exactly what I am talking about.

I knew from the very beginning of book 1, God Save the Queen, that the author wasn't afraid of heading into the dark side and killing off likable characters. In book 2, The Queen is Dead, Ms. Locke ups her game and shows us the brutal underbelly of London and we get up close and personal with some of the worst parts London has to offer.  In this final book, Long Live the Queen, we find out that what we thought we knew and what is really going on are two completely different things.  There are so many twists, turns and misdirection, that I was completely fooled, right to the very end.

I am afraid to say too much for fear of giving a spoiler.  So, let's just say that you need to read books 1 and 2 before you read 3 and that the ending knocked my socks off. 5 bloody brilliant stars!

Audio Review: The Queen Is Dead by Kate Locke

The Queen Is Dead

The Immortal Empire, #2
Kate Locke

Genre: SteamPunk/UrbanFantasy
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Date of Publication: February 5, 2013
Abridged or Unabridged: Unabridged
Length of Production: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     Audible    Downpour

Xandra Vardan is the newly crowned Goblin Queen of England. But her complicated life is by no means over.

There are the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who for some reason wants her head. Not to mention her werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy. Now she's the suspect in a murder investigation --- and Xandra barely knows which way is up.

What she does know is that nothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.

After having finished God Save the Queen, the first book in the Immortal Empire series by Kate Locke, I was very impressed.  I was a bit worried when I started this second book, because sequels are either hit or miss for me.  So when the story started, I was even more afraid with a narrator change. If I get a character's 'voice' in my head, it is usually set and any disruption takes me a while to get over. However, Moira Quirk however did a smashing job.  By the end of the first chapter, I could somehow tell that the accent was natural and not affected.  Ms. Quirk also did a better job with the Scottish and Goblin accents. It took this story to a whole nother level.

Xandra has accepted that she is a goblin, is even starting to enjoy the perks of being queen, but hasn't officially been crowned or truly taken the reins of power. It has been a couple of months since the end of book 1, and she is slowly adjusting to her new life in a new house in a new neighborhood.  Relations are still strained between Xandra and her siblings. Then she gets a call from her paternal brother's maternal sister, Penny Dreadful, that their shared brother, Valentine has gone missing from Freak Show.  He was investigating the disappearances of some 'halvies' from the show at the behest of Penny.

Xandra turns to her goblins for aid, and Prince William shows her a picture of Val leaving Freak Show, apparently of his own volition, between 2 'Betties'. When these same 'Bettie' return and try to snatch Penny, Xandra barely arrives in time to save her.  On top of all this, Scotland Yard has been given information that Churchill was killed in the Plague Den and begins to harrass Xandra into confessing to the crime. Xandra is now racing against the clock to find and saver her brother, protect the rest of her family, all the while avoiding Scotland Yard.

As with any good story, the plot gets thicker and more tangled as you go along. One thing I adore about this series is that although Xandra keeps being placed in these outrageous situations, she mostly uses her own common sense, the long lived wisdom and patience of her Alpha boyfriend Vex and the steady guidance of Prince William to plot the best course of action. If she does fly off and do something stupid, they are there to ground her and remind her to "pull her head out of her arse".  I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. The series continues to be a delight.