Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Orbit (2009), Kindle Edition
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML:Buffy meets Jane Austen in the first book of this wickedly funny NYT bestselling series about a young woman whose brush with the supernatural leads to a deadly investigation of London's high society. Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire � and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? Soulless is the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.… (more)
Media reviews
Publishers Weekly
Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Aerrin99
Soulless is fluffy and fun alternative Victorian history with vampires and werewolves, but has some flaws that really disappointed me.
I picked up this book after seeing it on a lot of LT threads and then flipping through it at a Barnes & Nobles. The first scene - wherein spinster Alexia Tarabotti
It /is/ witty and fun and creative. However, it's also a Romance, which I did not expect. The capital R is to indicate the particular sort of specimen I mean - don't get me wrong. I like romance in my books. In fact, I enjoy it quite a bit. But this was a Romance, wherein the fantastically creative faux-Victorian world of the supernatural was interrupted on a regular basis to speculate on the muscle tone of its lead werewolf or to tell us yet again how unattractive its heroine thought she was (That Italian complexion, you know! That Italian last name! That unbecoming tendency to have opinions and speak them aloud!) and yet how very attractive the lead werewolf (masculine! Scottish! Bad-tempered!) found her! Inexplicably!
It grated. It grated because the book was too clever for that laziness. It grated because it was so close to creating a truly interesting heroine - someone who accepts her soullessness and her spinsterhood and decides to do things according to her own rules and /maybe/ finds unexpected love in the process - and instead cast her in a number of Harlequin-esque stereotypes, all of them unflattering. The 'she's beautiful but doesn't know it' and 'he appreciates her wit at a time when no one else can!' tropes are tired and cliche and frankly they often border on sexist.
You may be able to sense my frustration here. It's leaking out in waves not because I did not enjoy this book, but because I /did/, and it bothers me to no end to have this tripe shoved into an otherwise engaging story.
I suppose I should talk about the good too though, hm?
There is a lot of good. Although Carringer occasionally fails in convincing faux-Victorian (writing style, that is), for the most part it holds up. The vampire hives, controlled by queens, and the werewolf packs are an interesting set-up - as is the agency which polices them, the bits of their mythology that control their numbers, and the sight of Victorian society attempting to decide just how the 200 year old undead fit into their dinner party seating arrangements.
It's a clever set-up, a clever premise, and lots of fun in the main storyline. When Alexia is not dithering about her werewolf, I find her engaging, smart, and spunky, and I love her no-nonsense attitude about the state of her soul.
I recommend this book if you have the tolerance for the Romantic shenanigans listed above. I /might/ give the sequel a try and see if they cool off a bit - I do, after all, like the world.
But gosh, I was just /disappointed/.
I picked up this book after seeing it on a lot of LT threads and then flipping through it at a Barnes & Nobles. The first scene - wherein spinster Alexia Tarabotti
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encounters a vampire in a drawing room and then kills him with a hairpin and her parasol after the vampire discovers that she is soulless - and thus nullifys all his supernatural tendencies, including his fangs, with a touch - captured me right away. The book looked witty and fun and creative.It /is/ witty and fun and creative. However, it's also a Romance, which I did not expect. The capital R is to indicate the particular sort of specimen I mean - don't get me wrong. I like romance in my books. In fact, I enjoy it quite a bit. But this was a Romance, wherein the fantastically creative faux-Victorian world of the supernatural was interrupted on a regular basis to speculate on the muscle tone of its lead werewolf or to tell us yet again how unattractive its heroine thought she was (That Italian complexion, you know! That Italian last name! That unbecoming tendency to have opinions and speak them aloud!) and yet how very attractive the lead werewolf (masculine! Scottish! Bad-tempered!) found her! Inexplicably!
It grated. It grated because the book was too clever for that laziness. It grated because it was so close to creating a truly interesting heroine - someone who accepts her soullessness and her spinsterhood and decides to do things according to her own rules and /maybe/ finds unexpected love in the process - and instead cast her in a number of Harlequin-esque stereotypes, all of them unflattering. The 'she's beautiful but doesn't know it' and 'he appreciates her wit at a time when no one else can!' tropes are tired and cliche and frankly they often border on sexist.
You may be able to sense my frustration here. It's leaking out in waves not because I did not enjoy this book, but because I /did/, and it bothers me to no end to have this tripe shoved into an otherwise engaging story.
I suppose I should talk about the good too though, hm?
There is a lot of good. Although Carringer occasionally fails in convincing faux-Victorian (writing style, that is), for the most part it holds up. The vampire hives, controlled by queens, and the werewolf packs are an interesting set-up - as is the agency which polices them, the bits of their mythology that control their numbers, and the sight of Victorian society attempting to decide just how the 200 year old undead fit into their dinner party seating arrangements.
It's a clever set-up, a clever premise, and lots of fun in the main storyline. When Alexia is not dithering about her werewolf, I find her engaging, smart, and spunky, and I love her no-nonsense attitude about the state of her soul.
I recommend this book if you have the tolerance for the Romantic shenanigans listed above. I /might/ give the sequel a try and see if they cool off a bit - I do, after all, like the world.
But gosh, I was just /disappointed/.
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LibraryThing member dk_phoenix
I read this at the behest of many here on LT, and I'm glad I did. It seems this book has become a bit of a runaway hit, if our 75 Book Challengegroup and all the reviews I've seen on book blogs lately are any indication... I think maybe that's because it's something different, a new take on the
I won't bother with a plot recap, as I'm sure just about everyone knows more or less what it's about. I also don't want to venture into the "is it steampunk or isn't it?" debate, because even the author herself has said in interviews that it's more steampunk-light... "fluffy cloud punk" is what I believe she called it!
That said, the author is quite a character herself: she also works as an archaeologist (the kind that sits in a lab, though, not the digging kind) who currently visits a Peruvian site once a year to work on their artifacts, and she has several M.A.'s in object study/lab related archaeology. To add to that, apparently she had quite a bit of difficulty writing the romantic scenes in the book as they made her a bit uncomfortable -- which is why no naughty bits ever get mentioned by name!
Speaking of the romantic scenes... (and back to the book we go) there were simply too many of them for my taste. A bit too much swooning and fawning and fooling around for my taste, to be honest, but Carriger has mentioned that the second book will have significantly less romance and be a bit more like an old-fashioned mystery. Well, that's good news to me!
Overall, I thought the characters were interesting and the world building rather engaging. It was different for me to read something with long descriptions of clothing and food, so that took some getting used to, but it fit with the style and tone of the book.
I didn't love the book, but I liked it enough to recommend it to others... and, with the promise of less romance, I'm absolutely looking forward to the second installment, which I suspect I'll enjoy more than this one.
And another thing -- I mentioned in a quick Tweet (over on Twitter, which I use for work networking) that I was reading Soulless... and within an hour, Carriger (who must be using GoogleAlerts) had popped onto Twitter and made a comment back. She's on there often, Tweeting back & forth with readers, something a number of authors are doing these days to help connect with their audience. She's very funny and seems genuine, which I appreciate.
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paranormal theme.I won't bother with a plot recap, as I'm sure just about everyone knows more or less what it's about. I also don't want to venture into the "is it steampunk or isn't it?" debate, because even the author herself has said in interviews that it's more steampunk-light... "fluffy cloud punk" is what I believe she called it!
That said, the author is quite a character herself: she also works as an archaeologist (the kind that sits in a lab, though, not the digging kind) who currently visits a Peruvian site once a year to work on their artifacts, and she has several M.A.'s in object study/lab related archaeology. To add to that, apparently she had quite a bit of difficulty writing the romantic scenes in the book as they made her a bit uncomfortable -- which is why no naughty bits ever get mentioned by name!
Speaking of the romantic scenes... (and back to the book we go) there were simply too many of them for my taste. A bit too much swooning and fawning and fooling around for my taste, to be honest, but Carriger has mentioned that the second book will have significantly less romance and be a bit more like an old-fashioned mystery. Well, that's good news to me!
Overall, I thought the characters were interesting and the world building rather engaging. It was different for me to read something with long descriptions of clothing and food, so that took some getting used to, but it fit with the style and tone of the book.
I didn't love the book, but I liked it enough to recommend it to others... and, with the promise of less romance, I'm absolutely looking forward to the second installment, which I suspect I'll enjoy more than this one.
And another thing -- I mentioned in a quick Tweet (over on Twitter, which I use for work networking) that I was reading Soulless... and within an hour, Carriger (who must be using GoogleAlerts) had popped onto Twitter and made a comment back. She's on there often, Tweeting back & forth with readers, something a number of authors are doing these days to help connect with their audience. She's very funny and seems genuine, which I appreciate.
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LibraryThing member librarymeg
Soulless by Gail Carriger is the first in the new Parasol Protectorate series, which is set in an alternate Victorian England where vampires and werewolves are common, accepted, and registered members of polite society. In fact, several of the vampires and werewolves hold significantly higher
This book is chock full of action, intrigue, humor, and romance, but it is the fascinating Alexia Tarabotti and Gail Carriger's incredible writing style that really make this book special. For an example, the following passage is taken from the scene of Alexia's vampire attack:
"The creature stood stock-still, a look of intense surprise on his face. Then he fell backward onto the much-abused plate of treacle tart, flopping in a limp-overcooked-asparagus kind of way. His alabaster face turned a yellowish gray, as though he were afflicted with the jaundice, and he went still. Alexia's books called this end of the vampire life cycle dissanimation. Alexia, who thought the action astoundingly similar to a souflee going flat, decided at that moment to call it the Grand Collapse." (p. 6)
I spent the entire book with a smile on my face and a giggle in my throat. The book blends romance and mystery and intrigue together with some steampunk and paranormal elements and amazing characters to create one of the most entertaining reads I've had in a while. This series holds quite a bit of promise, and I anxiously await the next installation, Changeless, in March of 2010!
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social positions than the book's heroine, the half-Italian intellectual spinster Alexia Tarabotti. Alexia, who was born with no soul, has the unique ability to negate the supernatural powers of London's nighttime citizens. When she is attacked by, and accidentally kills, a rogue vampire while sitting unchaperoned at a ball she is brought to the attention of Queen Victoria's Bureau of Unnatural Registry and its leader, werewolf Lord Maccon.This book is chock full of action, intrigue, humor, and romance, but it is the fascinating Alexia Tarabotti and Gail Carriger's incredible writing style that really make this book special. For an example, the following passage is taken from the scene of Alexia's vampire attack:
"The creature stood stock-still, a look of intense surprise on his face. Then he fell backward onto the much-abused plate of treacle tart, flopping in a limp-overcooked-asparagus kind of way. His alabaster face turned a yellowish gray, as though he were afflicted with the jaundice, and he went still. Alexia's books called this end of the vampire life cycle dissanimation. Alexia, who thought the action astoundingly similar to a souflee going flat, decided at that moment to call it the Grand Collapse." (p. 6)
I spent the entire book with a smile on my face and a giggle in my throat. The book blends romance and mystery and intrigue together with some steampunk and paranormal elements and amazing characters to create one of the most entertaining reads I've had in a while. This series holds quite a bit of promise, and I anxiously await the next installation, Changeless, in March of 2010!
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LibraryThing member elbakerone
Creativity amped up on a double shot of espresso might just tip the surface of describing Gail Carriger's novel Soulless, the first in her steampunk romance series The Parasol Protectorate. The story begins with Miss Alexia Tarabotti, who, the reader discovers, has a father who is shamefully both
Carriger's alternate Victorian England is populated with vampires, werewolves and ghosts - all of which mingle properly in high society. The creation of these supernatural beings is explained as caused by an excess of soul; and the converse, having no soul, results in a being such as Miss Tarabotti - a "preternatural" with the remarkable ability to neutralize the powers of supernaturals.
Soulless was a delightful mix of Victorian romance and science-fiction steampunk, peppered with creatures from the horror genre. I really enjoyed the world that Carriger created and found Alexia to be a refreshingly smart, strong, and spunky heroine. Her innate ability to negate the powers of vampires and werewolves gives her a degree of fearlessness, and she is no more reluctant to whack a supernatural with her parasol than she is to speak her mind on science and philosophy. This novel was a fun and entertaining read, and I look forward to encountering Alexia again in future books.
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Italian and dead.Carriger's alternate Victorian England is populated with vampires, werewolves and ghosts - all of which mingle properly in high society. The creation of these supernatural beings is explained as caused by an excess of soul; and the converse, having no soul, results in a being such as Miss Tarabotti - a "preternatural" with the remarkable ability to neutralize the powers of supernaturals.
Soulless was a delightful mix of Victorian romance and science-fiction steampunk, peppered with creatures from the horror genre. I really enjoyed the world that Carriger created and found Alexia to be a refreshingly smart, strong, and spunky heroine. Her innate ability to negate the powers of vampires and werewolves gives her a degree of fearlessness, and she is no more reluctant to whack a supernatural with her parasol than she is to speak her mind on science and philosophy. This novel was a fun and entertaining read, and I look forward to encountering Alexia again in future books.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
I’m not quite sure how to characterize this book – it’s a mix of historical romance, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, steampunk, alternate history and probably a few other things I don’t know about. This was my first foray into whatever this genre is, and it was a light, easy,
Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural – a being with no soul – living in Victorian London where vampires and werewolves exist side-by-side with “regular” folk. She stumbles upon a bit of a mystery and matches wits with Lord Maccon – a werewolf – who doesn’t appreciate her meddling in his investigation. Alexia and Maccon, of course, fall in love, solve the mystery and get married.
This is the first in a series and, while Carriger builds an interesting world and injects some sharp humor into her descriptions and dialogue, I quickly grew tired of it all. Maybe because it was my first introduction to this kind of novel, it just seemed a little too “cute” to me. I don’t think I will continue with the series; it wasn’t terrible but there are too many other books out there that I know I will enjoy more.
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occasionally fun read. Ultimately, though, not really my cup of tea.Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural – a being with no soul – living in Victorian London where vampires and werewolves exist side-by-side with “regular” folk. She stumbles upon a bit of a mystery and matches wits with Lord Maccon – a werewolf – who doesn’t appreciate her meddling in his investigation. Alexia and Maccon, of course, fall in love, solve the mystery and get married.
This is the first in a series and, while Carriger builds an interesting world and injects some sharp humor into her descriptions and dialogue, I quickly grew tired of it all. Maybe because it was my first introduction to this kind of novel, it just seemed a little too “cute” to me. I don’t think I will continue with the series; it wasn’t terrible but there are too many other books out there that I know I will enjoy more.
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LibraryThing member seraphitta
Soulless is probably one of those books I would like if I were into that sort of thing.
I do a lot of research before picking up books, mainly because I buy them and want them to at least be worth my time and money. This was the one time I grabbed a bunch of books from Book Depository that just
THERE WILL PROBABLY BE SPOILERS. I DON'T KNOW.
Soulless is one of those books that simply sound good.
Victorian times, steampunk, werewolves, parasols, laughs, etc. Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural, meaning she is the opposite of a supernatural (excess of soul) -- she is devoid of one. Oh come on, it does sound good.
Except it really isn't. It does nothing with its premise and everything is relegated to a ploy to throw the big bad wolf and this Italian spinster in bed together. Soulless falls pray to a lot of the genre cliches, or just plain old bad writing in general. Alexia is gorgeous, with a great rack, a great mind...yet no one sees this except the Alpha Werewolf. The author does try to emphasize her Italian heritage, dark skin and big nose in an effort to make her seem like a less generic Mary Sue, but it's transparent as glass and only serves for some forced laughter. Which is another thing that didn't work for me: the humor. It's Carriger trying to be funny and ending up ruining a lot of scenes that disolve into plain silliness. In one scene--get this--where Alexia is straddling Lord Maccon after they've both been captured and are, for all intents and purposes, in mortal danger, they start making out like sex-starved teenagers. Her friend is being tortured or is dead in the other room. Just saying. It's not funny. It's not cute. It's ridiculous.
But back to the character. Alexia is taken straight out of those online personality tests. She is logical, scientific, rarely loses her cool, analytical, etc., etc. She sticks to this throughout the entire novel. Her actions and words are entirely predictable, you can see everything coming a mile away. Lord Maccon is equally predictable, he is after all modeled on wolf pack behavior, him being the big bad alpha, of course. Nothing but the best for our main gal. Oh and he's like Scottish and like amazingly handsome and many want him. He's like Gerard Butler or something.
I don't know. Soulless somehow manages to marry all my pet peeves together in one big ceremony. Characters are either soulless and rational, or soulful(?) beautiful and irrational and concerned with fashion. Just sayin'
Maybe I'm being harsh because I didn't know what I was getting into. I expected the romance to be a lot more downplayed and lot less significant in the grand scheme of things, and I found it looming over me like Everest. I felt deceived.
If you're looking for something different, this is definitely not the book. It may sound like that, but let the awesome cover not deceive you. Soulless is no different than any other generic book where a girl falls in love with a supernatural being.
If I sound like this wasted my time, it's because it did.
I do a lot of research before picking up books, mainly because I buy them and want them to at least be worth my time and money. This was the one time I grabbed a bunch of books from Book Depository that just
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sounded good. On paper. Unfortunately, it also serves to remind me why I shouldn't buy books that I haven't done my research on. THERE WILL PROBABLY BE SPOILERS. I DON'T KNOW.
Soulless is one of those books that simply sound good.
Victorian times, steampunk, werewolves, parasols, laughs, etc. Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural, meaning she is the opposite of a supernatural (excess of soul) -- she is devoid of one. Oh come on, it does sound good.
Except it really isn't. It does nothing with its premise and everything is relegated to a ploy to throw the big bad wolf and this Italian spinster in bed together. Soulless falls pray to a lot of the genre cliches, or just plain old bad writing in general. Alexia is gorgeous, with a great rack, a great mind...yet no one sees this except the Alpha Werewolf. The author does try to emphasize her Italian heritage, dark skin and big nose in an effort to make her seem like a less generic Mary Sue, but it's transparent as glass and only serves for some forced laughter. Which is another thing that didn't work for me: the humor. It's Carriger trying to be funny and ending up ruining a lot of scenes that disolve into plain silliness. In one scene--get this--where Alexia is straddling Lord Maccon after they've both been captured and are, for all intents and purposes, in mortal danger, they start making out like sex-starved teenagers. Her friend is being tortured or is dead in the other room. Just saying. It's not funny. It's not cute. It's ridiculous.
But back to the character. Alexia is taken straight out of those online personality tests. She is logical, scientific, rarely loses her cool, analytical, etc., etc. She sticks to this throughout the entire novel. Her actions and words are entirely predictable, you can see everything coming a mile away. Lord Maccon is equally predictable, he is after all modeled on wolf pack behavior, him being the big bad alpha, of course. Nothing but the best for our main gal. Oh and he's like Scottish and like amazingly handsome and many want him. He's like Gerard Butler or something.
I don't know. Soulless somehow manages to marry all my pet peeves together in one big ceremony. Characters are either soulless and rational, or soulful(?) beautiful and irrational and concerned with fashion. Just sayin'
Maybe I'm being harsh because I didn't know what I was getting into. I expected the romance to be a lot more downplayed and lot less significant in the grand scheme of things, and I found it looming over me like Everest. I felt deceived.
If you're looking for something different, this is definitely not the book. It may sound like that, but let the awesome cover not deceive you. Soulless is no different than any other generic book where a girl falls in love with a supernatural being.
If I sound like this wasted my time, it's because it did.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
I love this book! To say it was a refreshing antidote to overly sappy Victorian novels is an understatement. I'll admit that I had my doubts. I mean, the book was all but thrust into my hands by an extremely enthusiastic sales clerk at Borders in Wayzata, Minnesota. He gushed about the book so much
I adore Alexia and her pragmatic approach to life. She mocks the very essence of the Victorian social mores with her no-nonsense, common sense view of life. A reader quickly realizes that she is not a wilting flower and needs no white knight to rescue her (as long as she has her parasol). Not only that, but the entire story is a tongue-in-cheek view of "modern" England, science and history. I love anything that can plausibly rewrite history while mocking it; Ms. Carriger succeeds in just that.
Even though it may be satirical, Soulless is not without its serious messages. Tolerance and the dangers of science come to the fore as the story proceeds along its path. Good and evil are not easily discerned as "monsters" protect the Crown, fops come to the rescue, and (heaven forbid!) women hold positions of power.
Similarly, Alexia and Lord Maccon's tension works because they are so similar. They both are bound by and yet defy conventions of the day. It works for them, and one cannot help but appreciate them in their struggles. In their instance, opposites do not attract, and the reader is the better for it!
I cannot say enough about this fresh and fun take on paranormal romances. The reader gets the pleasure of enjoying an adult perspective on such things, for once, rather than having to deal with the anguish and drama associated with teen paranormal romances. I highly recommend Soulless to anyone who enjoys such things. If I can base my purchase on some random sales clerk, then trust me when I say that you will love it!
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that I could not say no. Still, I was hesitant to read it; I knew nothing about the sales clerk, and he knew nothing about me other than I liked vampire tales. Could one brief sentence be enough on which to base a recommendation? In this instance, the answer is yes, absolutely. Soulless is well worth the recommendation. I adore Alexia and her pragmatic approach to life. She mocks the very essence of the Victorian social mores with her no-nonsense, common sense view of life. A reader quickly realizes that she is not a wilting flower and needs no white knight to rescue her (as long as she has her parasol). Not only that, but the entire story is a tongue-in-cheek view of "modern" England, science and history. I love anything that can plausibly rewrite history while mocking it; Ms. Carriger succeeds in just that.
Even though it may be satirical, Soulless is not without its serious messages. Tolerance and the dangers of science come to the fore as the story proceeds along its path. Good and evil are not easily discerned as "monsters" protect the Crown, fops come to the rescue, and (heaven forbid!) women hold positions of power.
Similarly, Alexia and Lord Maccon's tension works because they are so similar. They both are bound by and yet defy conventions of the day. It works for them, and one cannot help but appreciate them in their struggles. In their instance, opposites do not attract, and the reader is the better for it!
I cannot say enough about this fresh and fun take on paranormal romances. The reader gets the pleasure of enjoying an adult perspective on such things, for once, rather than having to deal with the anguish and drama associated with teen paranormal romances. I highly recommend Soulless to anyone who enjoys such things. If I can base my purchase on some random sales clerk, then trust me when I say that you will love it!
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LibraryThing member allison.sivak
Meh. Uneven narrative voice, mixing contemporary 19th century language and characters ill-defined other than in the broadest sense; I didn't believe much of what they had to say. This also called many other things into question about the plot: for example, Alexia doesn't know any Latin? She is
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strong enough to throw a werewolf off-balance even though she lives like a 'lady'? I doubted it all the way through. Pat and precious. Show Less
LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
This book seems to be everywhere at the moment, and its reviews are mostly positive, so I gave in to popular opinion. Thankfully, my lapse in judgement was swift and at no cost to myself. I can now return the book to the library and restore my imagination with weightier stories!
Alexia Tarabotti is
Maybe my expectations were unrealistic - I'm sure YA readers will love Alexia, an outspoken yet self-conscious heroine, and her giggling groping of the wolfish Earl Maccon. Sort of 'Twilight' meets Georgette Heyer. However, a little less 'romance', a stronger plot and far more dignity would have raised this series in my estimation and made me want to read more.
Alexia Tarabotti is
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the new Lady Julia Grey (Deanna Raybourn), an independent Victorian woman drawn into shady mysteries and romance with a mysterious suitor. Unfortunately, the comparison ends there, and is not a recommendation of Gail Carriger's fantasy/horror/romance. Although I was initially intrigued and amused by the characters and the premise - Alexia is a 'preternatural', which means she is quite literally soulless, in a supernatural alternate reality where Victorian England is populated with werewolves, vampires and ghosts - the standard of writing soon slipped into an amateur blend of horny teenage smutfic (honestly, the chapter where Alexia must keep tight hold of a naked earl to stop him transforming back into a werewolf was embarrassing to read) and a Hammer House of Horror script. The background details are smart and solid - vampires (mostly gay) living in 'hives' with a 'queen' and worker 'drones', werewolves working in 'packs' with 'clavigers' as minions, and a central agency set up to keep the peace - but the plotting and dialogue are weak. I could almost overlook the abundant Americanisms in the light-hearted spirit of the book, but then Earl Maccon, Alexia's 'Alpha' aristocrat, came out with 'Gee, thank you' and it was downhill from there (Queen Victoria makes an appearance and is constantly referred to as 'the Queen of England'!)Maybe my expectations were unrealistic - I'm sure YA readers will love Alexia, an outspoken yet self-conscious heroine, and her giggling groping of the wolfish Earl Maccon. Sort of 'Twilight' meets Georgette Heyer. However, a little less 'romance', a stronger plot and far more dignity would have raised this series in my estimation and made me want to read more.
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LibraryThing member majkia
Miss Terabotti had resigned herself to spinsterhood long ago. After all, she was well past her shelf-life, tan, dark eyed, large nosed and, gasp, half Italian. She was also outspoken, acerbic and had a temper. She was also, incidentally, soulless (but tended to try to keep that sin quite secret, at
Her life had fallen into a fairly comfortable routine until a starving vampire attempted to dine on her. Alas for the vampire, he hadn't realized she was soulless, soulless beings having the ability, with a mere touch, to render supernatural creatures normal for the length of time the physical contact lasted.
Miss Terabotti hadn't really meant to kill the poor starving creature, just to convince him she was not food (or at least that he might have asked her politely if he could sip a bit). However, as all too often happens, fate stepped in. The vampire ended up dead and she ended up having to face the wrath of the Earl of Woolsey (who is in charge of policing the supernatural creatures in London proper) and who incidentally is a were-wolf.
The book is light-hearted and fun, and a hilarious farce regarding Victorian manners and 'acceptable' behaviour in a world where the supernatural has come out of the night and been regulated for the greater good. Or has it been?
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great light read.
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least from her family).Her life had fallen into a fairly comfortable routine until a starving vampire attempted to dine on her. Alas for the vampire, he hadn't realized she was soulless, soulless beings having the ability, with a mere touch, to render supernatural creatures normal for the length of time the physical contact lasted.
Miss Terabotti hadn't really meant to kill the poor starving creature, just to convince him she was not food (or at least that he might have asked her politely if he could sip a bit). However, as all too often happens, fate stepped in. The vampire ended up dead and she ended up having to face the wrath of the Earl of Woolsey (who is in charge of policing the supernatural creatures in London proper) and who incidentally is a were-wolf.
The book is light-hearted and fun, and a hilarious farce regarding Victorian manners and 'acceptable' behaviour in a world where the supernatural has come out of the night and been regulated for the greater good. Or has it been?
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great light read.
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LibraryThing member kayceel
Utterly delightful! Alexia Tarabotti is half-Italian, thanks to her father, and a bit of a social outcast as a result. The fact that she is intelligent, stubborn and independent doesn't help. Add to all that the secret that she is a preternatural - a person having no soul and therefore able to
When she is attacked at a social engagement by a vampire seemingly new-made and completely unaware of her status (all supernaturals in England are made aware of her abilities by their hive queens or alphas), Alexia is drawn into an investigation, much to Lord Maccon's annoyance. Maccon is both the head of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry as well as the Alpha of the local werewolves, and though he is often entranced by Alexia, he is just as often annoyed at her meddling. However, they find they must work together to uncover the plot afoot before it takes Alexia away with it...
Alexia is that charming, headstrong intelligent woman out of place in Victorian times. Maccon is sexy and blustery, and their interactions are fun and get sexier and sexier. Yum!
Reminiscent of the Amelia Peabody series, minus archaeology and adding the supernatural.
Highly recommended!
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render all supernaturals powerless at the merest touch of her hand - and it is no surprise that she is a spinster with no prospects.When she is attacked at a social engagement by a vampire seemingly new-made and completely unaware of her status (all supernaturals in England are made aware of her abilities by their hive queens or alphas), Alexia is drawn into an investigation, much to Lord Maccon's annoyance. Maccon is both the head of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry as well as the Alpha of the local werewolves, and though he is often entranced by Alexia, he is just as often annoyed at her meddling. However, they find they must work together to uncover the plot afoot before it takes Alexia away with it...
Alexia is that charming, headstrong intelligent woman out of place in Victorian times. Maccon is sexy and blustery, and their interactions are fun and get sexier and sexier. Yum!
Reminiscent of the Amelia Peabody series, minus archaeology and adding the supernatural.
Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Gail Carriger’s Soulless is pure escapist fun. A fantasy romp set in the Victorian period, with it’s mores and morals intact, but with the addition of supernatural beings. Strict controls are set on the hives of Vampires and the packs of Werewolves, and along with humans all seem to get along
Alexia Tarabotti is different, neither a supernatural being nor quite a full human either. Alexia is a preternatural, one who is born without a soul. This gives her the unique ability to touch a vampire or werewolf and have them instantly revert to human. She is also unfortunately of Italian heritage, possessing both an unfashionable larger nose and slightly darker skin than is accepted. Her worst trait however, is her outspoken intelligence that has led her to be considered “on the shelf”. She has resigned herself to spinsterhood, but her frequent run-ins with Lord Maccon, the alpha male of the Westminster pack tends to discomfort both her and him.
When Alexia is attacked by a rogue vampire, and then suffers numerous abduction attempts, Lord Maccon attempts to keep her safe but the close contact between them is driving them both crazy, and before too long they can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other.
This book reminded me strongly of Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. Historical romance with a twist, in this case a supernatural twist. These are not books to be taken seriously, but enjoyed for the sheer fun and romance of the story. I will definitely be continuing on with this feel-good series.
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swimmingly as long a good manners prevail. In fact, Queen Victoria relies quite heavily on the advice of her “Shadow” cabinet that consists of both vampire and werewolf advisors.Alexia Tarabotti is different, neither a supernatural being nor quite a full human either. Alexia is a preternatural, one who is born without a soul. This gives her the unique ability to touch a vampire or werewolf and have them instantly revert to human. She is also unfortunately of Italian heritage, possessing both an unfashionable larger nose and slightly darker skin than is accepted. Her worst trait however, is her outspoken intelligence that has led her to be considered “on the shelf”. She has resigned herself to spinsterhood, but her frequent run-ins with Lord Maccon, the alpha male of the Westminster pack tends to discomfort both her and him.
When Alexia is attacked by a rogue vampire, and then suffers numerous abduction attempts, Lord Maccon attempts to keep her safe but the close contact between them is driving them both crazy, and before too long they can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other.
This book reminded me strongly of Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series. Historical romance with a twist, in this case a supernatural twist. These are not books to be taken seriously, but enjoyed for the sheer fun and romance of the story. I will definitely be continuing on with this feel-good series.
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LibraryThing member JulieAndPruitt
"Soulless" is best enjoyed alongside a steaming cup of tea and a few shortbread biscuits. And be prepared to read for a loooooong time because this book (the whole series in fact) is difficult to put down. Perhaps it is best read in bed or on a comfortable couch so that you might relax for long
Gail Carriger's delightfully brazen heroine Alexia Tarrabotti is a model English spinster (at 26 years old) with all the wit, charm and brains of a 21st century woman. Her appeal to readers lies not so much with her ability to turn the supernatural mortal, but in her ability to ward off vampires, werewolves and their mortal minions without ruining her dress or damaging her lovely brass parasol.
Alexia never breaks down, crumples or falls apart. She remains a model of class at all times, even while fending off robotic ladybugs or vampire drones. Although certain aspects of Victorian societal code may not entirely agree with her, Alexia manages to play along so that, in return, she may continue with her life mostly on her terms.
If Alexia were a real person living today I think I would want her as a best friend. She is a woman living in the wrong time for she is far too smart for her female contemporaries and etiquette does not allow her the freedom to conduct herself as she might in today's time. What is so likeable about Alexia is her ability to push the limits of her society without going so far as to be grossly inappropriate. A remarkable feat for a woman who is half Italian.
If you choose to read "Soulless" (and I hope you do) be prepared to be as sucked into the Victorian world of steampunk as Alexia is. You won't want to leave.
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periods of time. Be able to limit your breaks, too.Gail Carriger's delightfully brazen heroine Alexia Tarrabotti is a model English spinster (at 26 years old) with all the wit, charm and brains of a 21st century woman. Her appeal to readers lies not so much with her ability to turn the supernatural mortal, but in her ability to ward off vampires, werewolves and their mortal minions without ruining her dress or damaging her lovely brass parasol.
Alexia never breaks down, crumples or falls apart. She remains a model of class at all times, even while fending off robotic ladybugs or vampire drones. Although certain aspects of Victorian societal code may not entirely agree with her, Alexia manages to play along so that, in return, she may continue with her life mostly on her terms.
If Alexia were a real person living today I think I would want her as a best friend. She is a woman living in the wrong time for she is far too smart for her female contemporaries and etiquette does not allow her the freedom to conduct herself as she might in today's time. What is so likeable about Alexia is her ability to push the limits of her society without going so far as to be grossly inappropriate. A remarkable feat for a woman who is half Italian.
If you choose to read "Soulless" (and I hope you do) be prepared to be as sucked into the Victorian world of steampunk as Alexia is. You won't want to leave.
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LibraryThing member SockMonkeyGirl
Werewolves and vampires and a soulless women who can overcome them all: sounds like the plot of a typical urban fantasy, right? Wrong! This is a steampunk book of manners with a wonderfully sarcastic heroine, a sexy werewolf and an intruiging mystery. It reminded me of Jane Austen in a weird and
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wonderful way. Loved it! (The sequel is pretty great too;) Show Less
LibraryThing member tdfangirl
I have to say, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It’s another fun blend of genres, much like Leanna Renee Hieber’s The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. Soulless is a Victorian paranormal mystery romance with a few shakes of steampunk thrown in for flavor. Unfortunately that
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won’t fit on the spine, so it’s classified as a Fantasy/Horror. I’d quibble with the horror classification, as these days werewolves and vampires do not horror make. It does fit under a very broad umbrella of fantasy, though I’d like to again bring up my wish that publishers would start using the bigger blanket term of speculative fiction.The wonderful Book Smugglers brought up an interesting point in their joint review, that Alexia and Lord Maccon reminded them both very strongly of Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson, the main characters in Elizabeth Peters’s wonderful series of Victorian Egyptian mysteries. I did pick up on the similarities, but unlike Ana and Thea, it didn’t bother me at all. Much like Peabody, Alexia is a spinster who carries a parasol and even looks something like Peabody. Lord Maccon is big, blustery, and grumpy, much like Emerson. But to me, the resemblance seemed more like inspiration or an homage, and the story takes a different enough tack from the Peters formula that I wasn’t bothered by it at all.I had loads of fun with the society-shirking that Alexia and Lord Maccon both excel at. As a spinster, Alexia can get away with behavior that would make her airheaded mother and sisters faint, and I love her almost gleeful acceptance of her social fate. Being a spinster suits her better than having to adhere to society’s expectations for marriageable young ladies would. It also allows her to take advantage of her soulless state–in this world, one’s propensity to becoming a supernatural creature is based on the amount of soul one has; Alexia is rare in that she has no soul, and so her touch can negate supernatural powers. She can dine with poncy vampires and snark back at werewolf Lord Maccon and get away with it. Heh.The mystery is fun and interesting, but I think my favorite part of the story is the budding romance between Alexia and Lord Maccon. It is also in the vein of Peabody and Emerson, and nothing lights my fires like a good love-hate relationship. ;) It’s not that Alexia and Lord Maccon hate each other, but they bicker and grump and hide their attraction, and there’s nothing better than two people who really, really like each other (and want each other) but who both think they need to hide it. Stoke those fires! Show Less
LibraryThing member ladycato
Alexia Tarabotti, despite the social connections of her family, is rather resigned to her condition as an old (late-20s) spinster in Victorian society. After all, there are several factors against her: a rather plain appearance, olive-toned skin and dark hair as a legacy from her deceased Italian
I loved this book. Out of over a hundred books read this year, this is among my very favorites. It was just outright fun. Carriger does a lovely job of creating a Victorian England where werewolves and vampires have openly been in society for centuries, with added steampunk touches as well. Alexia is a fantastic heroine, smart, well-read, and not afraid to wield her trusty parasol in defense. She and Lord Maccon create wonderful chemistry. I didn't expect the romance element to be so strong (or exist at all), but it really sizzled at points. I don't have a thing for werewolves, but wow, Lord Maccon is indeed quite a catch. The voice of the book is thoroughly British and only added to my delight. I will be buying the sequel to this as soon as it comes out.
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father, and the fact that she completely lacks a soul. The latter ends up being a gift when a socially-inept vampire attacks her in a library, and Alexia's touch nullifies his supernatural powers, enabling her to kill him in self-defense. To further complicate matters, Queen Victoria's agent Lord Maccon, an insufferable Scottish werewolf, is sent to investigate. Alexia soon realizes that a wider scheme is afoot, and she needs the help of all of her friends - ranging from a foppish vampire to the gruff Lord Maccon - if she is to survive.I loved this book. Out of over a hundred books read this year, this is among my very favorites. It was just outright fun. Carriger does a lovely job of creating a Victorian England where werewolves and vampires have openly been in society for centuries, with added steampunk touches as well. Alexia is a fantastic heroine, smart, well-read, and not afraid to wield her trusty parasol in defense. She and Lord Maccon create wonderful chemistry. I didn't expect the romance element to be so strong (or exist at all), but it really sizzled at points. I don't have a thing for werewolves, but wow, Lord Maccon is indeed quite a catch. The voice of the book is thoroughly British and only added to my delight. I will be buying the sequel to this as soon as it comes out.
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LibraryThing member soliloquies
This is fun! Victorian etiquette, steampunk, werewolves, vampires and a tea obsession. What more could you need? Oh, parasols! A genuinely funny book which follows the adventures of Miss Alexia Tarabotti, a preternatural, following her accidental killing of a vampire. A great array of secondary
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characters such as Lord Akeldama and Floote make this a magical world. Yes, there are anachronisms, but this is fantasy after all. Show Less
LibraryThing member allureofbooks
This is the best book I have read in a very long time. It is absolutely delightful and I will be following this series (and this author) for a very long time.
Amelia Peabody and Emerson have been two of my favorite characters for a very long time (see Crocodile on the Sandbank). Well, Miss
Alexia Tarabotti is a brilliantly realized character. She is in Victorian England, and she could not be any more ill suited for the time, yet she manages to fit in perfectly. Amazing. She manages to be ridiculous and proper at the same time, it is a beautiful thing. Lord Maccon doesn't really have to fit in, he just bulldozes his way through. They are going to make this a very enjoyable series indeed.
The supporting cast is also wonderful...complete with Floote the supportive (yet disapproving) butler, Lord Akeldama the flamboyant vampire sidekick, and Professor Lyall, the dignified werewolf assistant.
Even if you don't think you like vampire/werewolf/fantasy type books, you should really give this one a chance. I can promise that it won't be what you expect. I will lose all respect and faith in anyone who reads this book and does not immediately fall in love with it. It is charming, intelligent, well written, and an absolute laugh riot.
I dare you not to love it!
Amelia Peabody and Emerson have been two of my favorite characters for a very long time (see Crocodile on the Sandbank). Well, Miss
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Tarabotti and Lord Maccon have just been crowned the Amelia and Emerson of steampunk. I love the spoofy humor and witty intelligence in books like the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig, and of course the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters...but Soulless really takes the cake...parasols and all. Alexia Tarabotti is a brilliantly realized character. She is in Victorian England, and she could not be any more ill suited for the time, yet she manages to fit in perfectly. Amazing. She manages to be ridiculous and proper at the same time, it is a beautiful thing. Lord Maccon doesn't really have to fit in, he just bulldozes his way through. They are going to make this a very enjoyable series indeed.
The supporting cast is also wonderful...complete with Floote the supportive (yet disapproving) butler, Lord Akeldama the flamboyant vampire sidekick, and Professor Lyall, the dignified werewolf assistant.
Even if you don't think you like vampire/werewolf/fantasy type books, you should really give this one a chance. I can promise that it won't be what you expect. I will lose all respect and faith in anyone who reads this book and does not immediately fall in love with it. It is charming, intelligent, well written, and an absolute laugh riot.
I dare you not to love it!
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
This first book in the Parasol Protectorate series is a little bit steampunk, a lot tongue-in-check Victorian, a helping of wolves and vampires, a dash of mystery, a cup of ridiculous, and dollop of sexy, all with a silky top layer of funny. And I loved it. Alexia Tarabotti, our heroine, is a
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delightful mix of fun and no-nonsense who is never a wilting violet, unless, of course, the situation calls for it. Her love interest, one Lord Conall Maccon, alpha wolf in a prominent werewolf pack and head of the London division of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, is made up of somewhat typical romance hero fodder (handsome, a bit rough, gentlemanly, dangerous), but his interactions with Alexia and his second-in-command make him stand out as a fun and interesting character anyway. The plot could have been a touch meatier, perhaps, but I was having such a good time hanging out with these characters that I didn't much care. That missing last half star is less for the lightweight plot and more for an unfortunate (but mostly slight) tendency (mostly near the beginning of the book) to provide set-up information several times, each time as if the information were new to the reader. Recommended to anyone who enjoys fantasy and a little well-ordered nonsense. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cynara
I approached this with some optimism (well-reviewed on LT, steampunk/romance) and some trepedation - I've read too many unsatisfying steampunk settings lately, and I didn't feel like having the feeling I'm going to describe as "Waiting for the Airship" again, where you wearily watch as the author
To my pleasant surprise, Soulless wears its steampunkery lightly, like Pullman's The Golden Compass. I never felt that the author was writing a story to decorate the setting. Far from it; our heroine will settle for nothing less than our complete attention, and is never upstaged by automaton, vampire, werewolf, or dirigible.
Mild spoilers ensue.
The romantic storyline is of the lightly erotic and bantering kind. The essential story (acid-tongued overeducated parasol-wielding hourglass-figured Victorian spinster meets big, gruff hottie who introduces her to her life's work) reminded me strongly of Elizabeth Peter's Crocodile on the Sandbank. That's just fine with me, because Amelia Peabody and Emerson are one of my favourite mystery-romance couples ever; crisp, funny, madly devoted, hard-working, and loyal.
Like Peters, Carriger gives us some wonderful supporting characters, and her pacing is, perhaps, even a bit tighter.
So - nothing new here, but it's done very well, and I'm right on to the next book. One small complaint - 19th century English ladies didn't say "huh" or "gee", and there were a couple of other vocabulary misses. I am vastly unconvinced by Connall's Scots accent. I'm just nitpicky.
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brings in all the usual steampunk tropes without doing much with them.To my pleasant surprise, Soulless wears its steampunkery lightly, like Pullman's The Golden Compass. I never felt that the author was writing a story to decorate the setting. Far from it; our heroine will settle for nothing less than our complete attention, and is never upstaged by automaton, vampire, werewolf, or dirigible.
Mild spoilers ensue.
The romantic storyline is of the lightly erotic and bantering kind. The essential story (acid-tongued overeducated parasol-wielding hourglass-figured Victorian spinster meets big, gruff hottie who introduces her to her life's work) reminded me strongly of Elizabeth Peter's Crocodile on the Sandbank. That's just fine with me, because Amelia Peabody and Emerson are one of my favourite mystery-romance couples ever; crisp, funny, madly devoted, hard-working, and loyal.
Like Peters, Carriger gives us some wonderful supporting characters, and her pacing is, perhaps, even a bit tighter.
So - nothing new here, but it's done very well, and I'm right on to the next book. One small complaint - 19th century English ladies didn't say "huh" or "gee", and there were a couple of other vocabulary misses. I am vastly unconvinced by Connall's Scots accent. I'm just nitpicky.
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LibraryThing member ylin.0621
I expected greatness from this book. I expected a holy crap, ohmyeffinggodthisissogood! moment. I expected coming out from this book that I would pretty much find Gail Carriger, hold her tea hostage and demand the sequel. And by golly I got what I wanted! And yes, this review will be so improper
Soulless’s biggest selling point was the narration. The voice was equal parts charm and equal parts snark. Alexia is a strong female character and that came through with her actions. She’s not afraid to threaten people into shape with her brass silver-tipped parasol and perform some scientific investigation on the opposite sex’s…anatomy. She’s innocent, which makes her action more laugh out loud funny. You can’t help but sympathize to whoever has the misfortunate to be landed by Alexia’s steady and calculating gaze.
My second kudos goes to the setting and world Carriger devises. Set in Victorian London with multitude ruffled skirts and perfectly ties cavat knots, the author manages to incorporate the fantasy element of vampires and werewolves effortlessly. Everything makes sense! And thank goodness, vampires drink blood!
My biggest issue, however, was the political side. I was ever so lost in the biz. There are also several characters that I believed were not needed in the novel.
Overall: This was my first time reading steampunk novels and am I ever exciting that this was my first! Carriger definitely left a highly amusing, whimsically fun first impression!
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that it won’t even make sense. I will also have you know that this particular document file has been open then closed so often that it’s been several months since I last read the book.Soulless’s biggest selling point was the narration. The voice was equal parts charm and equal parts snark. Alexia is a strong female character and that came through with her actions. She’s not afraid to threaten people into shape with her brass silver-tipped parasol and perform some scientific investigation on the opposite sex’s…anatomy. She’s innocent, which makes her action more laugh out loud funny. You can’t help but sympathize to whoever has the misfortunate to be landed by Alexia’s steady and calculating gaze.
My second kudos goes to the setting and world Carriger devises. Set in Victorian London with multitude ruffled skirts and perfectly ties cavat knots, the author manages to incorporate the fantasy element of vampires and werewolves effortlessly. Everything makes sense! And thank goodness, vampires drink blood!
My biggest issue, however, was the political side. I was ever so lost in the biz. There are also several characters that I believed were not needed in the novel.
Overall: This was my first time reading steampunk novels and am I ever exciting that this was my first! Carriger definitely left a highly amusing, whimsically fun first impression!
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LibraryThing member chinquapin
Alexia Tarabotti is a 26 year old forthright spinster living London with her mother, step-father, and two half-sisters. She is also a preternatural, meaning she has no soul, and therefore she can cancel out the supernatural abilities of vampires and werewolves just by her touch. When we first meet
Alexia is an amazingly strong-willed character, and her honesty, bravery and wit lead to some hilariously funny dialogue. I laughed out loud often while reading this book. There are many amusing and well-drawn characters in Soulless, and the setting is exquisitely unique. I found this to be an enjoyable, light-hearted romantic adventure, and I do not normally read books of this type.
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her in this novel, she is attacked by a vampire whom she accidentally kills in self-defense. This sets off an entire stream of events which lead to a mystery involving disappearing rove vampires and werewolves and a romance with the alpha male of a werewolf pack. This whole adventure takes place within the social constraints of Victorian London, albeit an alternative, steampunk London that even has a government agency responsible for dealing with vampires and werewolves.Alexia is an amazingly strong-willed character, and her honesty, bravery and wit lead to some hilariously funny dialogue. I laughed out loud often while reading this book. There are many amusing and well-drawn characters in Soulless, and the setting is exquisitely unique. I found this to be an enjoyable, light-hearted romantic adventure, and I do not normally read books of this type.
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LibraryThing member millhold
Gently entertaining. The scenes of intimacy had appropriate humor. For some reason, I was never captivated by the story.
LibraryThing member demonite93
This was a recommendation from a co-worker. I am more than delighted about that! I am just about in love with this series so far.
This book is centered on Alexia Tarabotti, the heroine. She is a parasol toting, spinster who is known as Soulless, well the super-naturals know about it. This means
I don’t want to give away too much about the story but I really enjoy Alexia’s mentality toward everything going on around her. She is practical beyond all imagining and you can’t help but love her. All of the other characters are very distinct and there are no worries about mixing any of them up. The authors descriptions of everybody and everything real make the story that much more enjoyable. If you want a new outlook on vampires and werewolves, this is a good way to start. You should at bare minimum read the first book, I you aren’t caught up in the story, well then I can’t help you.
This book is centered on Alexia Tarabotti, the heroine. She is a parasol toting, spinster who is known as Soulless, well the super-naturals know about it. This means
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she has the ability to cancel out the immortality of werewolves and vampires. She has to deal with her 2 dimwitted half sisters, an over ridiculous mother, and a dear friend Ivy who is a fanatic for over the top hats. These books are listed in the romance section but honestly I don’t think they belong there. There is, as always, a love interest side of the story. Lord Maccon, the main aggravator for Alexia is a high ranking Werewolf in the English government. I don’t want to give away too much about the story but I really enjoy Alexia’s mentality toward everything going on around her. She is practical beyond all imagining and you can’t help but love her. All of the other characters are very distinct and there are no worries about mixing any of them up. The authors descriptions of everybody and everything real make the story that much more enjoyable. If you want a new outlook on vampires and werewolves, this is a good way to start. You should at bare minimum read the first book, I you aren’t caught up in the story, well then I can’t help you.
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LibraryThing member wiring
So when I first picked up this book, I loved Alexia from the first page. I ended up being oddly disappointed in this book in particular, though, because somehow I didn't realize it was actually a romance as well, and so I was ridiculously surprised when I realized it was going that way. I had been
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thinking Alexia would end up in my small list of asexual-potentials. Which isn't really the fault of the book, it was me, but it ended up lessening my initial squee.That said, I still enjoy Alexia muchly, with her ruthless practicality and bluntness in combination with her very Victorian English upbringing. If you enjoy steampunk-themes and urban fantasy and Victorian English romances all with a slightly humorous twist do check out this book. It's a fun read, a bit reminiscent of Jane Austen though with a more modern writing-style. Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — First Novel — 2010)
Chesley Award (Nominee — 2019)
Alex Award (2010)
Compton Crook Award (Nominee — 2010)
Prix Julia Verlanger (2013)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel — 2009)
Original publication date
2009-10-01