Moseh's Staff (Artifact Hunters, #4)

by A W Exley

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...?

• ISBN10: 1517181399
• ISBN13: 9781517181390
• Publish Date: 1 August 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

4.5 Stars

AH! NO! It’s over! I really hate ending a series I’m enjoying, but I’m really happy to see this series get the ending it deserves.

Moseh’s Staff starts a little bit after the third book, and London is still in the icy grip of winter despite it being well into Spring. All thanks to a main known as the Curator, a collector of artifact, and it’s up to Cara and Nate to figure out how to end it before the eternal winter takes it’s toll on the city. Top that off with the issues going on with Inspector Fraser, and you have a book full of tension and clashes. We get to see new artifacts at work and learn their lore, which remains to be one of my favorite portions of this series. I really liked the final showdown for Cara and Nate, because it really pulled on all of the strength and the allies they have gained over the course of the other three books. The Curator is one creepy guy, and will stop at nothing to get what he desires most. I loved his misplaced sense of self-honor and polite courtesies, especially since most of the time he’s talking about kidnapping and murdering people.

We also get to see Cara and Nate fend for themselves, alone, after depending on the other’s support and differences for so long. I really appreciated their time apart, because while I do adore them together I really like seeing who they are without the other around. Nate really struggles with his inner turmoil, and struggles to stay on the path of least resistance. He’s so use to doing what needs to be done in order to maintain peace for his people, that he has a bit of an issue noticing the line he crossed ages ago. Cara also deals with a lot of demons this time around, her nightmares are back and she is forced to face them by herself. I really missed my favorite character though, as he is not in the country at the time of the events in this one and his banter with Cara & Nate was sorely missed. But Exley makes up for it with the re-appearance of Nan and Nessy, and a little dragon from the snowy forests of Russia.

This book was incredibly bittersweet. I’m really happy with the way the story played out, and the way it ended (which was totally squee-worthy) but I hate that this is the last book. I want MORE! I can only hold out hope that Exley will give us another novella somewhere down the line. If you haven’t started the series but enjoy books like Soulless by Gail Carriger, then I urge you to go check this series out!