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A review by diaryofthebookdragon
Moseh's Staff by A.W. Exley
4.0
Artifact Hunters by A.W. Exley is steampunk romance series that I have been faithfully following since the beginning. I was eagerly waiting for the sequel – Moseh’s Staff.
LIKES
* Cara never gives up. No matter how bad situation is and how outnumbered or overpowered Cara is, she never throws the towel. She kicks and screams and, if nothing else, gives her enemies an eye twitch. (Those who have read the previous books in Artifact Hunters series will understand the connection between Cara and eye twitches).
* Quirky side characters. This is one of those books where secondary characters are so vivid and fun that you just can’t decide who is your favorite and if, maybe, you like them even more than main characters. I wish they all got their books! And for the last installment of the series, everyone are here:
- Jackson, Cara’s first bodyguard, is back to exchange more barbs with her.
- Brick, her current bodyguard, dazzled me with his extravagant fashion sense and perky personality.
- Helen, still delightfully mad and alive, made me giggle. Reading about a woman who duct-tapes a picture’s mouth because it talks too much can’t never be dull.
- Nessy, Cara’s grandmother best friend, who decides to switch her romantic interest to Jackson, since Loki is not around. I loved watching him squirm on her double entendres.
- Sergei, dragon master and his Russian pragmatism are always a delight. And you know what it means when Sergei is in a book…
* Dragons! After completely missing in Nero’s Fiddle, dragons are back. Just an additional bonus.
* Steampunk-ish goodness is all around. Automaton waiters, mechanical horses, even mechanical pets. A.W. Exley poured steampunk into everyday life of her characters so masterfully, sometimes you don’t even notice how many gears and cogs are all around.
DISLIKES
* Nate was not scary. There is a big emphasis on Nate’s dark side and how Cara is the only thing making him human. I just was not scared of him. Probably because he won me over with his bad boy charm in Nefertiti’s Heart, so I have a soft spot for him.
* Humor needed some fresh puns. Maybe it’s just my memory playing with me, but I think previous books were funnier than Moseh’s Staff. There is an Expiration date for some puns and after that they start feeling stale.
IN THE END..
It’s like A.W. Exley gathered all my favorite things about Artifact Hunters series and made an awesome farewell party. I’m really sad this great series has come to an end and I hope that at least some secondary characters will make an appearance in A.W. Exley’s next books.
If you love steampunk or urban fantasy with a healthy dose of romance and a lot of quirky side characters, you should give Artifact Hunters series a try.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
LIKES
* Cara never gives up. No matter how bad situation is and how outnumbered or overpowered Cara is, she never throws the towel. She kicks and screams and, if nothing else, gives her enemies an eye twitch. (Those who have read the previous books in Artifact Hunters series will understand the connection between Cara and eye twitches).
* Quirky side characters. This is one of those books where secondary characters are so vivid and fun that you just can’t decide who is your favorite and if, maybe, you like them even more than main characters. I wish they all got their books! And for the last installment of the series, everyone are here:
- Jackson, Cara’s first bodyguard, is back to exchange more barbs with her.
- Brick, her current bodyguard, dazzled me with his extravagant fashion sense and perky personality.
- Helen, still delightfully mad and alive, made me giggle. Reading about a woman who duct-tapes a picture’s mouth because it talks too much can’t never be dull.
- Nessy, Cara’s grandmother best friend, who decides to switch her romantic interest to Jackson, since Loki is not around. I loved watching him squirm on her double entendres.
- Sergei, dragon master and his Russian pragmatism are always a delight. And you know what it means when Sergei is in a book…
* Dragons! After completely missing in Nero’s Fiddle, dragons are back. Just an additional bonus.
* Steampunk-ish goodness is all around. Automaton waiters, mechanical horses, even mechanical pets. A.W. Exley poured steampunk into everyday life of her characters so masterfully, sometimes you don’t even notice how many gears and cogs are all around.
DISLIKES
* Nate was not scary. There is a big emphasis on Nate’s dark side and how Cara is the only thing making him human. I just was not scared of him. Probably because he won me over with his bad boy charm in Nefertiti’s Heart, so I have a soft spot for him.
* Humor needed some fresh puns. Maybe it’s just my memory playing with me, but I think previous books were funnier than Moseh’s Staff. There is an Expiration date for some puns and after that they start feeling stale.
IN THE END..
It’s like A.W. Exley gathered all my favorite things about Artifact Hunters series and made an awesome farewell party. I’m really sad this great series has come to an end and I hope that at least some secondary characters will make an appearance in A.W. Exley’s next books.
If you love steampunk or urban fantasy with a healthy dose of romance and a lot of quirky side characters, you should give Artifact Hunters series a try.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.