Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless (Book 1 of the Parasol Protectorate Series)
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit
Pub. Date: 9/29/09
Genre: Steampunk/Fantasy/Supernatural/YA-ish
Main Themes: Steampunk, Alternate worlds, Werewolves, Vampires, Spinsters, Love, Murders, Disappearances
Pages: 373
Plot (from back of ARC):
"A COMEDY OF MANNERS SET IN VICTORIAN LONDON. FULL OF WEREWOLVES, VAMPIRES, DIRGIBLES, AND TEA-DRINKING.
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 is responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening in 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?"

I'll admit that I have no clue where to start when it comes to writing a review for Soulless! I can easily say that it was one of the most fun and imaginative books I've read this year, but there is just so much more to this book in addition to those details.

I loved the plot of Soulless. There was a perfect mix of romance, supernatural creatures, and mystery. Gail Carriger wove the different elements of Soulless together seamlessly. When I started reading Soulless, I was astounded - each element of the book is so unique and seemingly separate, yet this debut author found a way to them all together into a masterpiece!

The world that Gail Carriger has set her debut novel in is amazing. Alexia brushes shoulders with not characters typical of the Victorian era, but werewolves and vampires as well. I really enjoyed Gail's unique take on the origins of werewolves and vampires. The supernatural aspect that really interested me though was Alexia's own affiction: her lack of soul. When I first read the description, my mind immediately jumped to demon, but Soulless offers a whole new take on what it means to lack a soul...

This is also my first foray into reading steampunk, and I must admit, I'm now intrigued. Soulless explores the ideas of traditional steampunk, which is basically a world that people of the Victorian era envisioned the future to be. Gail's steampunk is unique in that many of the advancements that occur are due to the presence of vampires and werewolves. Some popular steampunk books include: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Alexia Tarabotti is one of the most exciting and dangerous spinsters I have ever encountered between the covers of a book. She was simply so much fun to read! I was always waiting to see what trouble and inappropriate circumstances she would find herself in next. I especially enjoyed her verbal sparring matches with Lord Maccon. Two of my favorite characteristics of Alexia is her acceptance of her flaws and shortcomings and her confidence in her own abilities. Alexia is a smart, witty, and unique character that makes me proud to be unique as well! Alexia may be living in a time (and world) much different than that of those who will read her story, but she can still teach girls and women of a today a valuable lesson about being yourself, despite being told that who you are isn't fashionable or correct.

The romance in Soulless was wonderfully written. Gail perfectly balanced the social norms of the time with steamy, fun romantic scenes. Despite the fact that they were occuring in Victorian times, the scenes seemed natural. The romance in the book all came together perfectly due to the supernatural aspect of Alexia's world, which made the romance scenes more believable and intense!

Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 10
Charaters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality: 10

Total: 50/50 (A!)

I can't wait to see what trouble Alexia encounters in the next installment of The Parasol Protectorate, Changeless, which is due out next year from Orbit!

ENTER HERE TO WIN A COPY OF SOULLESS!

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi, a.k.a The Story Siren!

Last week I didn't have an IMM post because I got nothing. Partially by choice actually because I have a lot of reading to catch up on and I didn't want to go check out more library books because I'm moving on Monday (8/23)! I still have about 10 library books to get through before I leave and I know it isn't going to happen.... I'm too busy with goodbyes and last minutes stuff...

This week I got a few books in the mail! Which reminds me, I have to figure out my new address otherwise IMM will be a bit hard to do... :) Anyway, I'm really excited about these books!


Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland (12/22/09 Egmont)
"Polly Madassa is convinced she was born for a more romantic time. A time when Elizabeth Bennet and Anne of Green Gables walked along the moors and beaches of the beautiful, wild land. A time when a distinguished gentleman called upon a lady of quality, and true love was born in the locked eyes of two young lovers.
But alas, she was not.
This however does not stop our young heroine from finding romance wherever she can conjure it up. So while Polly is burdened with the summer job of delivering baked goods from her parents bakery (how delightfully quaint!) to the people in her small beach town, she finds a way to force...um...encourage romance to blossom. She is determined to bring lovers, young and old, together...whether they want to be or not."
Thank you Egmont for sending me a copy! :)


Darklight by Lesley Livingston(Harper Teen, 12/10)
"Faerie can't lie... or can they?
Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was Faerie royalty, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved New York City from a rampaging Faerie Faerie war band. When a terrifying encounter in Central Park sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful - but cut short. For they've been plunged into a game of Faerie deception and wavering alliances in which the next move could topple a kingdom... or part them forever."
I really liked Wondrous Strange and I can't wait to see what happens next with Kelley and Sonny! Thanks HarperTeen!


Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger (Orbit, 10/09)
"A comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirgibles, and tea-drinking.
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has not soul. Second, she's 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 is 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?"
I am so ridiculously excited about this book! I'm not sure if I can hold off on reading it immediately! Thanks Gail and Orbit!


The Life of Glass by Jillian Kantor(HarperTeen, 3/10)
"Before he died, Melissa's father told her about stars. He told her that the brightest stars weren't always the most beautiful - that if people took the time to look at the smaller stars, if they looked with a telescope at the true essence of the star, they would find real beautiful. But even though Melissa knows that beauty isn't skin deep, the people around her don't seem to feel the same way. There's her gorgeous sister, Ashley, who willl barely acknowledge Melissa at school; there's her best friend, Ryan, who may be falling in love with the sophisticated Courtney; and there's Melissa's mother, who's dating somone new, someone who Melissa knows will never be able to replace her father.
To make sure she doesn't lose her father completely, Melissa spends her time trying to piece together the last of his secrests and completing a journal he began - one about love and relationships and the remarkable ways people find one another. But when tragedy stikes, Melissa has to start living and loving the present as she realizes that being beautiful on the outside doesn't mean you can't be beautiful on the inside."
I absolutely adored The September Sisters and am super excited for Jillian Cantor's upcoming release! Thank you HarperTeen!


Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen (signed) (9/13/2009 Egmont)
"Sara and her father are moving to Boston from small-town Lundun, Massachusetts. She is going to attend the very elite Anton High School-- crowned "North America's Most Elite and Most Bizarre" by Time magazine, harder to get into than Harvard. As the new girl, Sara doesn't know anyone--better yet, no one knows her. And that means she can escape her family's checkered past and her father can be a surgeon instead of "Crazy Charlie" the school janitor.
What's the harm of a few little black lies? Especially if it transforms Sara into Anton's newest popular girl. But then one of the It girls at school starts looking into Sara's past, and her father's obsessive compulsive disorder takes a turn for the worse. Soon, the whole charade just might come crashing down... "
Thanks Tish for sending (and signing) Little Black Lies for me! Can't wait to read it!