Soulless by Gail Carriger
In the interest of full disclosure, I admit I was wary about reading this book. It's about vampires and werewolves. Two things that are definitely not my scene. I enjoy fantasy, but more of the high fantasy than the paranormal/supernatural fantasy. But a very good friend recommended this book to me and it is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Carriger, and I'm a sucker for series. So I read it.
I loved it.
It's another 19th century London setting, and Alexia Tarabotti is on the shelf (she's not married and is around age 30). She has two half sisters who are twittering nitwits, but she is very nice to them. Her mother (who remarried) is concerned with propriety and is still very desperately looking for a husband for Alexia. Alexia is not overly concerned. In fact, she would rather stay single.
There is something special about Alexia, something inherited from her deceased Italian father. Alexia is a preternatural: she is soulless, and thus able to turn vampires and werewolves (prevalent and accepted in society, so long as they follow the rules) mortal with her touch. Her family is not aware of this power; the government agency that handles the supernatural beings of England is aware of her, but her state is kept quiet and low-key.
Lord Maccon knows, though. He is the Alpha of the London werewolf pack. Alexia always seems to be getting in his way, especially when it comes to any investigations regarding supernaturals. When the reader meets Lord Maccon, it's because Alexia has accidentally killed a vampire. (He was very rude and didn't seem to know the proper etiquette when in public, like not lunging at and trying to feast on a person.) Alexia would love to work for the government, but of course, Lord Maccon does not think it appropriate, Alexia being a woman and all.
Carriger does a great job of establishing the normalcy of vampires and werewolves being accepted in London society (interestingly, they are not in America), down to the fact that places that cater to werewolves have cloakrooms with spare clothes, because of course, when men are werewolves, they are not wearing clothes. Scandalous! She does a brilliant job of describing the transformation into werewolf as well.
The main meat of the story is the mystery: rove vampires and werewolves (those not belonging to hives or packs) are missing all over England. It turns out they've been kidnapped by a mad scientist--seriously, a mad scientist--whose intention it is to rid the world of vampires & werewolves altogether. Alexia lands right in the middle of it and is being used for nefarious reasons as well.
The humor is great in this story; the exchanges between characters witty (even though Alexia hates her friend Ivy's taste in hats); the pacing good and the action sequences pretty intense. The romance isn't bad either. I eagerly await my library to get Changeless, the second book, so I can catch up with Alexia.
I loved it.
It's another 19th century London setting, and Alexia Tarabotti is on the shelf (she's not married and is around age 30). She has two half sisters who are twittering nitwits, but she is very nice to them. Her mother (who remarried) is concerned with propriety and is still very desperately looking for a husband for Alexia. Alexia is not overly concerned. In fact, she would rather stay single.
There is something special about Alexia, something inherited from her deceased Italian father. Alexia is a preternatural: she is soulless, and thus able to turn vampires and werewolves (prevalent and accepted in society, so long as they follow the rules) mortal with her touch. Her family is not aware of this power; the government agency that handles the supernatural beings of England is aware of her, but her state is kept quiet and low-key.
Lord Maccon knows, though. He is the Alpha of the London werewolf pack. Alexia always seems to be getting in his way, especially when it comes to any investigations regarding supernaturals. When the reader meets Lord Maccon, it's because Alexia has accidentally killed a vampire. (He was very rude and didn't seem to know the proper etiquette when in public, like not lunging at and trying to feast on a person.) Alexia would love to work for the government, but of course, Lord Maccon does not think it appropriate, Alexia being a woman and all.
Carriger does a great job of establishing the normalcy of vampires and werewolves being accepted in London society (interestingly, they are not in America), down to the fact that places that cater to werewolves have cloakrooms with spare clothes, because of course, when men are werewolves, they are not wearing clothes. Scandalous! She does a brilliant job of describing the transformation into werewolf as well.
The main meat of the story is the mystery: rove vampires and werewolves (those not belonging to hives or packs) are missing all over England. It turns out they've been kidnapped by a mad scientist--seriously, a mad scientist--whose intention it is to rid the world of vampires & werewolves altogether. Alexia lands right in the middle of it and is being used for nefarious reasons as well.
The humor is great in this story; the exchanges between characters witty (even though Alexia hates her friend Ivy's taste in hats); the pacing good and the action sequences pretty intense. The romance isn't bad either. I eagerly await my library to get Changeless, the second book, so I can catch up with Alexia.
Labels: female characters, historical fiction, romance, supernatural
posted by austentatious at 10:23 AM
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