Ella, The Slayer by A.W. Exley

3.5 stars

I chose this book because I really enjoyed Nefertiti’s Heart by this author.  This is a retelling of Cinderella, but with zombies of course.  Ella is of course Cinderella.  They are living in a time in England after a major war.  The soldiers brought home a sickness that spread like wildfire and killed fast.  However, the dead didn’t stay dead and once they rose from their graves they seemed to have one mindless purpose which is to find the living and infect them.  It took the general populace a while to catch on to what was happening, but now most of them have a way with dealing with the zombies as long as it isn’t a loved one or neighbor who comes calling for their brains. 

So Ella lives in the country with her step mother and two step sisters and true to the story she is their servant.  Ella manages to meet the most eligible bachelor in England before her step sisters, but must keep this a secret.  Ella is also the area’s premier zombie slayer which brings her into close contact with the Duke.  He is there to gain intelligence on the zombies and Ella has that insight so they end up working closely together.  However, Ella keeps her humble servants status a secret and you can imagine the rest of that. 

It appears there will be a sequel.  At least the ending is such that there could be.  I am not sure how I feel about the way things end with her step mother.  I must be blood thirsty because I admit I wish that Ella was able to “slay” her step mother as well. 

Beautiful cover! 

Hatshepsut’s Collar by A.W. Exley (Artifact Hunter’s #2)

5 Stars

This book was provided in exchange for an honest review.  

This is the second book in this series.  I hadn’t read anything else from this author and indeed I don’t think there is anything else except for a short story in an anthology.  When this happens I know I have either just found a great author or the first book is going to be their best work.  For A.W. Exley this second book was just as good as the first and in fact I might have loved it more!  After reading this second installment it makes me want to go back and read the first book again to glean more information.

The summary for the book is very vague so I am going to do my darnedest to keep all spoilers out.  This book takes back up with Cara and Nate shortly after the end of the first book.  Cara is always the narrator, but due to the bond of the heart forged in the first book we get rare glimpses into Nate’s psyche/emotions which make it feel like there are two narrators.  I really liked this because Nate still has a lot of mystique surrounding him and this allows the reader to understand his feelings for Cara without having it spelled out. 

Nate gets tossed in the Tower.  Cara only moments prior to his arrest finds out about a betrayal from Nate that occurred years before they ever met.  Before she gets to decide whether to keep or discard Nate for his treachery he is arrested.  Because of their bond, if he dies, so does Cara so she must rescue him.  Queen Victoria is wearing Hatshepsut’s collar and Cara begins to suspect something sinister is afoot. 

We get to see all our favorite characters from the first book too (well my favorites anyway) like Loki, Miguel, and Jackson as well as get to meet some new favorites like Natalie, Nikolai, and Sergei.  We get to do a bit of traveling in an airship and get a better understanding of what this bond means for our heroine and hero. 

I pretty much loved every second of this book and can’t wait for the next one.  While I understand Cara’s distress over Nate’s betrayal I can’t say I got as worked up about it as she did.  Obviously, her past taints her view of the situation, but I think I like Nate more because of it. 

The end of the book has an excerpt from a new series for this author and I must say that I don’t usually read those, but it was ~12% of the book so I thought I would give it a try and it has me hooked.  I hope it gets released soon.  Wardens, gargoyles, naturals…interesting and not done before as far as I can tell.  

Nefertiti's Heart by A.W. Exley

5 Stars

This is the first book I have read by this author.  I read it in one day and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.  You should probably know I am a sucker for good steampunk. 

Cara Devon has a tragic past.  When I say this, I mean she was extremely ill used as a child.  A lot of authors want their characters to have tragic pasts, but usually the past doesn’t quite live up to the buildup.   I’m not sure if that made sense.  Often the past is only alluded to in the beginning, and the character has altered their life, their personality and how they interact with others because of this past, then you find out what it is and it isn’t usually as big as your imagination has made it.  That is not so with Cara.  Her past is more tragic that usual, but it has made her stronger.  There is one aspect of her life that it tainted in a way that has caused her fear, but she works through that fear in this book.  And it is a completely logical and expected fear based on her past.  Now, after all that jabber and you don’t even know what I am talking about, I am going to move on…

Cara is back in London after her father passed away.  She is going to get his affairs in order and sell off some of his antiquities and do more travelling.  She doesn’t want to be there and London apparently doesn’t want her there.  Right away, two thugs break into her childhood home and attempt to relieve Cara of her father’s notebook (the notebook that tells where all the expensive antiquities are), but have no fear.  Cara can now take care of herself and she does.  That is one of my favorite parts of this book.  Cara does not need a man to protect her (most of the time anyway).  She has learned how to fight and protect herself.  And since society has shunned her, she doesn’t have to conform to how they think she should dress or how to act.

Someone very devious has taken an interest in Cara because of this show of strength.  Viscount Lyons.  He is a peer and a criminal mastermind.  He wants the notebook and it appears he also wants Cara now. 

But young debutantes are dying and the inspector thinks all signs point to Cara.  Cara eventually realizes she has caught the attention of this serial killer and is trying to determine who to trust. 

I loved not only Cara Devon and Viscount Lyons, but the secondary characters like Cara’s grandmother, and Lyons’ henchman Jackson.  Cara’s friend Amy was a bit one dimensional to me, but I didn’t care.  She doesn’t spend so much time on the pages that it bothered me. 

(One of my) favorite quotes:

“Nessy!”  she screamed back down the hallway.  “Tea and biscuits.  The little scamp is here with oodles of juicy gossip.”