Title: Soulless
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit US
Genre: Steampunk/Fantasy
Publication Date: October 2009
Print ISBN: 978-0316056632
Length: 384 Pages
Buy: Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)
Book Blurb:
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 a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
I really didn't expect to like this book because it was a new genre to me. I couldn't figure out what the big deal was about Steampunk. I loved this book. Reading this book made me feel like the day that I read my first paranormal romance.
Alexia Tarabotti is an interesting character. She has known for some time that she is "soulless", or what we would identify as preternatural. She is not supernatural like the werewolves, vampires and ghosts that have come out of the closet in her society. Did I mention that her society is taking place during Queen Victoria's reign? Science has made big leaps in her time and Alexia prides herself on being up on he latest inventions and scientific thinking. She's open minded and far thinking, and also thinks that women can play a significant role in society. She's also not willing to always be the damsel in distress and when things hit the fan is right in the middle and thinking of ways to help herself and the other's that are involved.
Lord Maccon is a really fun character. He's a Scottish Werewolf and has had encounters with Alexia before. In fact one could say that they have a somewhat adversarial relationship at the beginning of the book but deep down the issue is that he is really attracted to her. He is in charge at the Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR), the government's official register for supernatural creatures and is considered one of the area's most eligible bachelor's. He ends up investigating an incident at a party that both he and Alexia attended and begins to spend more time in her company and their mutual attraction grows.
The secondary characters in this book are also alot of fun, especially the somewhat rogue vampire, Lord Akeldama, and Lord Maccon's beta wolf, Professor Lyall.
Overall this is a really great paranormal book and I plan to read the rest of this series.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns
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