Audiobook Review – The Queen is Dead (Immortal Empire, Book 2) by Kate Locke (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: February 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-0316196130
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Immortal Empire series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book in The Immortal Empire series. I know the third book in the series will be titled, Long Live the Queen, and release in October 2013. I am unsure of whether there will additional books in this series after that one. I really enjoyed this book, it was just pure fun.

I listened to this on audiobook. The narrator does a stellar job of capturing Xandra’s personality perfectly. I read the first book in this series in paperback and listened to this second book. This was one of those series where I actually enjoyed listening to it more than reading it!

Xandra is struggling to find her place in the world. She is unsure whether or not she should accept the crown of the Goblin Queen. Then her sister shows up, upset that their brother has gone missing. Xandra is forced to use her Goblin connections to try and figure out where he has gone. Vex, of course, is at her side to bring some werewolf sensibility to the mission.

Xandra is trying to get her life back together after finding out she is the Goblin Queen. When her brother goes missing she is dead set on investigating his disappearance. Xandra grows a lot in this story. She learns to set aside some vendettas and take up her responsibilities. It was fun to watch her grow and change into a better person.

Xandra is plucky, tough, fun, and loyal. I really enjoy her as a heroine. Vex is the perfect counterbalance; he loves her and respects her…but he also doesn’t let Xandra get away with being irresponsible or shying from decisions that need making.

I love the world this story is set in. Modern day London but with goblins, vamps, weres, and halfies. You have vampires and weres as the Royals. Goblins as the race that everyone is terrified of and halfies dealing with the fallout. The world is an absolute blast and you never know what you will find around the next corner.

The story is action packed and full of mystery. The book clips along at a good pace and is very engaging. The book is well written and fun. Mostly this is a mystery, but there is some relationship stuff going on between Xandra and Vex. The plot definitely isn’t romance driven though. This is more of a high octane urban fantasy read.

Overall this was a delightful and absolutely enjoyable book. This book was incredibly fun to read and very well put together. Xandra and Vex have a lot of tough problems thrown their way, but they react like mature adults and still have fun on the ride. Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy with a Victorian flare.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Get Steampunk’d Reading Challenge
– Audio Book Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Goblins: Paranormal Reading Challenge