mijinjin

Miss Alexia Tarabotti, resigned to life as a spinster, is rudely attacked by a vampire when she escapes the ball to find something to satisfy her sweet tooth. Her soulless ability to diffuse supernatural powers with a mere touch is also how she manages to kill the out-of-control hungry vampire. The brash Lord Maccon, rough and messy werewolf, turns up to investigate and Alexia is caught up right in the middle of it. Some supernaturals are going missing, whilst new ones are appearing unregistered. Just what in the heck is going on? Soulless is a book I've had sat on my shelf for a fair few months. I'd heard great things about the series and so when I spotted the first three in The Works (amazing discount bookstore in the UK) I snapped it up. Since reading it, I massively regret only buying the first one when I could have had all three in the 3 for £5 offer and been able to read them as a series, because it is just such a fun read and I really didn't want to put it down. A lot of paranormal novels are a little bit dark and as much as I love that, sometimes you really want to read something a little lighter and Soulless was absolutely perfect. Gail Carriger has a great sense of humour and has created an interesting alternate world with such colourful characters that you can't help but love it. It is entirely immersive. The novel is written in the style of Victorian high-society but much easier to read than, for example, Austen. It feels more like a tip-of-the-hat than a replication and it is very witty and elegant. I found myself giggling along a lot of the time and the characters had a lot to do with that. Noteable mentions go out to Lord Maccon, of course, who is a gruff, scruffy Scottish werewolf with whom Alexia seems to be constantly at war. Their arguments had me in hysterics, I loved them! Then there's Lord Akeldama, a very flamboyant vampire who lives apart from the hive with his own drones. He's a friend to Alexia and such a great addition to the alternate world I couldn't imagine it without him. Ivy Hisselpenny is Alexia's human friend with a terrible taste in hats, she's a very silly character who brings a sense of humanity to Alexia's life. Alexia's family never ceased to remind me of the Bennett's of Pride & Prejudice with their obsessions with putting in a good appearance in society and marrying well and their general demeanor. I both hated and loved them. And of course, Alexia herself, who is a half-Italian preternatural spinster with a mind of her own. She is a sarcastic and outspoken strong female lead with a brain. What's not to love? I absolutely loved Gail's unique take on the supernatural mythos. In the Parasol Protectorate, a person's ability to become supernatural (vampire, werewolf, ghost) depends on how much soul they have. Alexia could never be supernatural because she doesn't have a soul, some people have a large abundance of soul and some don't, but it's difficult to know until they undergo the metamorphosis process. If they make it, they become supernatural, if they don't, they die. It's a fairly big risk to take but it is much more interesting than the usual. The other thing that stood out to me was that all supernaturals had something in common. Werewolves are as dead as vampires and ghosts. They're all hindered by the sun in some way, and Lord Maccon is about 200 years old. It all fit so well. I did have a little chuckle at the American spellings dotted throughout the book amongst the very otherwise English style of the writing. My only criticism would have to be for the perspective switching mid-scene with no warning. After a while you do get used to it but it can be quite jarring to suddenly be following the story from another perspective when you were with Alexia just in the last paragraph, and there is no indication that it's happening, not even so much as a line break. I also found the story a little bit predictable though that didn't take anything away from the story as such, it was still thoroughly enjoyable, it just meant I yelled at Alexia more than I otherwise might have done. I would definitely recommend this novel. For who? Well, the 18+ crowd. There are a few saucy bits that would be inappropriate for younger readers and they are totally hot. Seriously. It is a witty paranormal steampunk romance and if that description appeals to you, then you will enjoy Soulless. Basically put: if you've been thinking about reading it and/or you think there's a possibility that you might enjoy it - read it. I know a few of you have mentioned it.

2022-09-05 23:59