#Wednesday Review - The Ghost Rebellion by Pip Ballantine/Tee Morris (Steampunk, Fantasy) @BooksAndBraun

Series: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences # 5
Format: E-Galley 
Release Date: June 17, 2016
Publisher: Imagine That! Studios
Source: Author
Genre: Steampunk

The chase is on!

After rescuing Queen Victoria from the clutches of the Maestro, Agents Eliza D Braun and Wellington Books are in hot pursuit of Dr Henry Jekyll. While he continues his experiments on the aristocracy of Europe, he leaves a trail of chaos and despair in his wake. However when Eliza and Wellington run him to ground in India, they are forced to come face to face with ghosts from the past, and the realities of empire.

Meanwhile Ministry agents Brandon Hill and Bruce Campbell travel deep into Russia hunting down a rare ingredient to save Queen Victoria's life. Amid the cold they uncover a threat from the revitalized House of Usher that comes directly from their new Chairman.

All in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences will find their allegiances in question, and their mettle tested 

The Ghost Rebellion is the FIFTH installment in Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris's Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. This is a series that features Eliza D. Braun and Wellington Thornhill Books Esq. as agents of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They are supposed to save Queen and country from dastardly villains like the House of Usher who will do anything to bring the Empire to its knees. High at the top of Books and Braun's current enemies list is Dr. Henry Jekyll who continues to slip through the couples clutches. 

Books and Braun find themselves in the middle of a rebellion against the Empire as they try to trace a certain turncoat back to Dr. Jekyll which leads them to India. This means new characters like Lt. Jamal O'Neil and Agent Vania Pujari. Vania just happens to be the sister of Eliza's friend Ihita who was killed in action. This means Eliza gets to be Eliza. I can't tell you how utterly fascinated I am with Eliza's ability to get the job done even though she leaves destruction in her path almost every single time. I love that Eliza is a badass. I adore her charming bullet proof vest and her weapons as well.

With a rebellion brewing in India, it means that the Ministry, which was torn apart and lost numerous agents thanks to the Department of Imperial Inconveniences, must cobble up a fighting force to bring down the villains and traitors. But, what it really means is that readers will finally get to understand a bit more about Welly's dark side. A dark side that has been kept mostly under wraps thanks to Eliza. There's a whole lot that I will not spoil about Welly's abilities. Just read the book! The rebellion will also bring some stunning revelations to light.

Pip/Tee did something a bit different this time around which I was happy to see. She gave Agents Brandon Hill and Bruce Campbell their own mission. With the Queen showing the affects of Jekyll's serum, it is up to Hill and Campbell to travel to Russia and find a rare firebird feather. As with Braun & Books, this means a new character gets her chance to prove she should be kept around longer. This character is sniper Ryfka who not only joins the fun, but saves the boys from the Ministry from the villainous Mama Bear. I dare challenge the authors to keep her around, and maybe put her alongside of Eliza and Italian Sophia Del Morte, former assassin for the House of Usher.

The Ghost Rebellion once again features interludes. These interludes contain important stuff from those who are up to no good so please don't just skip over them thinking they hold no merits to what's happening to our protagonists. One of these interludes includes our favorite assassin and what she uncovers. Which is why you should not be surprised when the story kicks into high gear during the very first chapter! And, yes when I say couple, that is exactly what Books and Braun have become after years of skirting around the issue. For me, this is even more of a reason to continue to read this series!

PS - At the time of writing this review, the only link I could find where this book was found was B&N. If it becomes available on Amazon, or Kobo, I will update this review. 

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