All things must come to an end…
London is in the frozen grip of an unnatural winter and Queen Victoria wants answers. Cara and Nate know who – the Curator. The queen’s artifact hunters just don’t know what is responsible. Cara is on the trail of an ancient and powerful artifact capable of freezing a city and stirring demons. First she must confront her past and her father’s history. Only in learning why her father became a disciple of the Curator can she hope to learn what the old noble seeks and why he is so fascinated by her.
Then tragedy strikes and the bond forged by Nefertiti’s Heart is severed. Nate without Cara succumbs to his darkness and he lashes out at those he holds responsible for her loss. Meanwhile, in the shadows, Inspector Fraser waits for his opportunity to pull down the man known as the villainous viscount.
With London entombed in ice and all hope lost, could this be the end…?
I received this book from Curiousity Quills Press for an honest review for the book tour.
Moseh’s Staff is the fourth book in the Artifact Hunter series. In case you haven’t read any previous book reviews, the Artifact Hunters series is a steampunk adventure that adds in a bit of, what I like to think, Lara Croft flair. There is a kickass strong female lead, Cara, and an equally strong male lead, Nate.
I honestly fell in love with the two main characters in the first book. They have an energy about them that makes you root for them. They aren’t goody two shoes, but they are good in their own right. I love strong female leads and Cara is that strong female. She can box, shoot guns, and isn’t afraid to fight back. Nate is equally strong with his own darkness that you learn in bits and pieces throughout the series. Them and the obsessed detective, Hamish Fraser, make an interesting cast.
London is under ice in Moseh’s Staff and it’s up to Nate and Cara to find out what artifact is pushing back the spring and making an eternal winter. And no, it isn’t Queen Elsa that’s making London frozen. The Lyons’ believe there’s a darker force working and he has a disturbing interest in Cara.
For beginners of this series, you won’t be too confused at what is going on and may fall in love with the characters. I do feel that you should read the first book and the other books are important to their growth, but the events of the books are mentioned in this book through passing. I haven’t finished the other two books (between this one and the first), but I could still gain an understanding at what’s happening as well as be invested in what happens to the characters.
I do love seeing how well Cara and Nate work together in this book. They worked well in the first one, but there is a solid growth in their relationship seen in this one. If anything, this book solidifies their relationship and the strength of their love. One of the main conflicts is the disconnection they feel and how each of them work to try and feel that connection without the other nearby. It’s similar to real life in a way. I know I feel disconnected from my husband when we are apart and I have to remind myself of our relationship. Same concept with the Lyons only with life threatening consequences and awesome steampunk wonder. They have it better.
The main villain, The Curator, isn’t a villain in the sense of the serial killer in the first book (delightfully evil, that one), but he’s his own brand of bad. It’s cool that the bad guys aren’t cookie cutter in each book. It gives a more reasonable feel and honestly, one can only take a crazed psychopath so much. This guy is smart. He’s so smart, this isn’t the first book he’s in (I haven’t met him chronologically). If he lasted beyond one book, it’s a pretty big deal. The Curator also knows more than he leads people on. He’s calculative and has an objective that goes beyond revenge or sex.
The steampunk world gets even more interesting. I’m not too big on automatons because some steampunk worlds seemed to heavily work on the behind the scenes science of everything. Every item seems to need a play by play on how they work in some books. In this series, they are what they are. Not everyone can afford the fancy stuff and the fancy stuff isn’t described in detail. The people are used to this world, they don’t care how come things work, and the readers should feel used to it too. When an automaton or mechanical animal walked by, I didn’t groan or bat an eye. They were more like pretty decorations or the internet today: they make life easier and the growing generations aren’t surprised or wondering how they work.
The story is well written and pulls you in. The characters are fun and interesting. The world is expansive and only gets more expansive, but feels like a real place despite its obvious fantasy setting. Not only is Moseh’s Staff a good read, but so is the series. I highly recommend getting into this world. It’s a great adventure and a great push away from the droll of life.
About The Author:
Books and writing have always been an enormous part of A.W. Exley’s life.
She survived school by hiding out in the library, with several thousand fictional characters for company. At university, she overcame the boredom of studying accountancy by squeezing in Egyptology papers and learning to read hieroglyphics.
Today, Anita writes steampunk novels with a sexy edge and an Egyptian twist. She lives in rural New Zealand surrounded by an assortment of weird and wonderful equines, felines, canine and homicidal chickens.
Casia's Corner 