It's July and summer reading in my house is well underway. I've been reading my kids Russian fairy tales all summer (Grandma Petrovich would be proud) and I've been reading all things mermaid! One of my forages afield this summer was to read a work by another steampunk author dipping their toe in zombies. I was so delighted to read Ella the Slayer by AW Exley. I read it all in one sitting! Look at this lovely cover.
Here is the Blurb:
Ella is an Edwardian Cinderella with an undead problem.
The flu pandemic of 1918 took millions of souls within a few short weeks. Except it wasn't flu, and death gave them back.
Seventeen-year-old Ella copes the best she can; caring for her war-injured father, scrubbing the floors, and slaying the undead that attack the locals. Vermin they're called, like rats they spread pestilence with their bite. Ella's world collides with another when she nearly decapitates a handsome stranger, who is very much alive.
Seth deMage, the new Duke of Leithfield, has returned to his ancestral home with a mission from the War Office -- to control the plague of vermin in rural Somerset. He needs help; he just didn't expect to find it in a katana-wielding scullery maid.
Working alongside Seth blurs the line between their positions, and Ella glimpses a future she never dreamed was possible. But in overstepping society's boundaries, Ella could lose everything - home, head and her heart...
Seth deMage, the new Duke of Leithfield, has returned to his ancestral home with a mission from the War Office -- to control the plague of vermin in rural Somerset. He needs help; he just didn't expect to find it in a katana-wielding scullery maid.
Working alongside Seth blurs the line between their positions, and Ella glimpses a future she never dreamed was possible. But in overstepping society's boundaries, Ella could lose everything - home, head and her heart...
My Review:
A great zombie twist on a classic fairy tale! I really adored this genre mash-up. Exley is a master at writing engaging characters, well-developed worlds, and incorporating vivid description. This was a fun play on zombies and the cinder-girl story. The setting added an entirely new flavor to this classic work. The depiction of zombies in the story was well done, and Exley did an excellent job giving depth to the "walking dead" mystery. I loved how she wove Celtic myth into the story. Ella is a lovable character, her "prince charming" is swoon-worthy, and her minor characters are well-drawn and engaging. The "dance" at the end of the book was my favorite part. Another wonderful book from this talented author.
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ReplyDeleteThe book sounds wonderful and I loved your review! Can't wait to meet this "swoon-worthy 'prince charming'", and of course, those zombies... ;)
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