Review: Soulless

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Parasol Protectorate #1

Fantasy/Horror/Romance, Published 2009

Challenges: Series Challenge IV, Fangtastic Fiction Challenge, RIP V Challenge

Read: Sept 2010, 357 pp

Verdict: 5/5

Book Blurb:

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 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?

My Thoughts:

What a fantastic beginning to a new series (just what I needed…)!  Set in a very proper Victorian setting, with a generous use of 19th century syntax, along with vampires and werewolves living out in the open, Alexia is quite the lady, a spinster at twenty-something, she has quite given up on finding a husband and spends her time being bothered by her family, keeping up with her many social circles, and neutralizing the supernatural.  She is a rare breed, indeed, a preternatural, and is friends with both the vampires and werewolves, often acting as their liaison. I loved Alexia’s wit and sharp bite (pun intended), especially the back and forth between her and Lord Maccon.  And watch out for her parasol!

Carriger brings a lot of fun, eccentric characters, to say the least, to her alternative world and I hope we will get to know them better throughout the series.  There is a lot going on in this book – {mystery, alternate history, romance, fantasy, and a dash of steampunk} – and while it is technically listed as an urban fantasy/horror, it should really be found in the paranormal romance section, IMO.  There is no real horror, no really gruesome or violent details, unless you don’t like the mystery arc taking a back seat to the romance about half way in.

Warning: This book is Rated R for sexual content.

Quotes:

Miss Alexia Tarabotti was not enjoying her evening.  Private balls were never more than middling amusements for spinsters, and Miss Tarabotti was not the kind of spinster who could garner even that much pleasure from the event.  To put the pudding in the puff: she had retreated to the library, her favorite sanctuary in any house, only to happen upon an unexpected vampire. -p. 1

“Why is it Miss Tarabotti, every time I have to clean up a mess in the library, you just happen to be in the middle of it?”  the earl [Lord Maccon] demanded of her.  -p. 8

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Twilight Saga ~ Books 1&2

Twilight Saga – Book 1

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

YA Fiction, Published 2005

Read: Emme-Sept. 2007, Mel-Oct. 2007

5/5

From the Cover:

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him – and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Emme’s Review:

Bella Swan moves from Phoenix to Forks to live with her dad, the police chief of a small, rainy town in Washington. Her mom is getting remarried and Bella feels she will be in the way of her mother’s happiness. So, she decides to move in with her father, Charlie, who willingly takes Bella in even though they’ve never been particularly close. He has even bought her a truck to drive to school so she won’t have to be dropped off in (gasp!) a police cruiser. Bella is about to begin her sophomore year of high school and is not at all excited about one, being in Forks, two, being in the cloudy, rainy weather of Washington, and three, attending a new school.

Bella’s first impressions of Edward are of confusion and anger. She really believes that he does not like her and it is not until he saves her life several months into the school year that they actually become friends. But she also befriends Jacob and soon Bella learns there are many secrets lurking in her new hometown. Book One of the Twilight Saga introduces us to the entire cast of characters, each unique in their own right.

As I, nor my contributing reviewer, bff and cousin Mel, am no longer in the “YA” age group (although she may disagree), I was hesitant to pick this one up. I’m so glad I did because Stephenie Meyer has a way of grabbing hold of the reader and not letting go until you turn the last page. After reading all four books in the series, I have to say that Twilight is probably my favorite in that it is where we first become enthralled with Edward, Alice, and the entire Cullen clan as well as a bit curious about Jacob and his friends down in La Push.

It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.

I stared at their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful.

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Twilight Saga – Book 2

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

YA Fiction, Published 2006

Read: Emme-Oct. 2007, Mel-June 2008

4.5/5

From the Cover:

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself; Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their dating relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning…

Mel’s Review:

Although I did enjoy this book — in fact, I intended to read a single chapter but ended up reading it all in a day — I liked it less than Twilight. When Edward leaves, it devastates Bella to a point where she shuts down emotionally, and simply goes through the motions for several months, much to my disappointment. Eventually, she builds up a strong friendship with Jacob Black out at the reservation, and her outings with him are, in my opinion, the highlight of this entry in the series. It turns out that Jacob has a rather unusual secret of his own now, and with his help Bella starts to find that life is almost livable again, but still she can’t quite get Edward out of her mind, or her heart.

The end of this book definitely left me wanting more, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in Eclipse, on special loan from emmegail’s bookshelf!

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Check out Emme and Mel’s Review for Book 3 of the Twilight Saga ~ Eclipse

and coming up (as soon as Mel finishes): Review of Breaking Dawn!

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From the Shelves of Mel…

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Fantasy, Published 2006

Mel Read May 2008

4.5/5

From the Cover:

Mercy Thompson’s sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf. She’s tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself…and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

Review:

I had been very hesitant about picking up this book, but it did not disappoint. Mercy is a very practical person dealing with a birthright she doesn’t entirely understand, and navigating a complex society of magical folk, many of whom are still hiding their nature from the rest of us ordinary humans. It is her efforts to help a young runaway werewolf that lead her into danger, as she tries to protect her friends from an unknown enemy.

One of the aspects I liked most about this story was the depth to which the various magical subcultures were detailed. In particular, we learn a lot about life within a werewolf pack, and Mercy’s history within the pack that helped to raise her.

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

UPDATE: Review for Iron Kissed

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Twilight Saga ~ Eclipse

Twilight Saga ~ Book 3

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

YA Fiction, Published 2007

Read: Emme -July 2008, Mel – Aug. 2008

4/5

From the Cover:

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision is potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Review:

As the release of book 4 of the Twilight Saga approaches, I’m finally finishing Eclipse which I pre-ordered last September. This says nothing about the quality of the book, but just my ineptitude to read in the order that I plan… In my book buying craze I’ve also pre-ordered Breaking Dawn which should arrive at my house Saturday. (This is directed at you bn.com…don’t send me any more e-mails telling me about your super awesome book clearance sale!!) However, after finishing Eclipse, I’m super excited that I may just beat my 10 month reading delay.

Coming from New Moon, I was excited to find out how Bella would deal with having both Edward and Jacob in her life. Mostly the book focuses on the push-pull love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob. It’s towards the end of Bella’s senior year in high school and like all graduates has some big decisions to make. Bella finally makes up with Jacob after their falling out in New Moon and starts to hang out in La Push, against Edward’s wishes. Jacob falls further for Bella every time they’re together and he knows she loves him too. Jacob even invites Bella to a bonfire with all of his were-friends and it is here that we discover more of the history and inner workings of the werewolf pack. Jacob’s character really started to come to life in New Moon and I really love him in Eclipse.

Jacob finally admits his true feelings to Bella and Edward knows he now has competition. Bella can see her life with Jacob, but not without Edward. She struggles with her feelings for both guys, for werewolf, for vampire, until the end of the novel and even then it seems not entirely over.

But bliss never lasts too long for Bella because soon Victoria, an evil vampiress, is coming after her with a group of newly turned vampires. The only way to make it out alive is for the immortal enemies to join forces and save their true love. Whose heart will Bella break and which side will she choose in the end?

“He’s like a drug for you, Bella.” His voice was still gentle, not at all critical. “I see that you can’t live without him now. It’s too late. But I would have been healthier for you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun.”

“I used to think of you that way, you know. Like the sun. My personal sun. You balanced out the clouds nicely for me.”

He sighed. “The clouds I can handle. But I can’t fight with an eclipse.”

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Mel’s Review:

The relationship dynamics in the third book of the Twilight Saga got a bit more interesting. Throughout the beginning of the book, the refusal of the Cullen family to allow Bella anywhere near her werewolf friends was nearly as aggravating to me as it was to Bella herself. Despite Bella’s denials, Jacob had a good point when he suggested that Edward was very controlling in his relationship with Bella, and it was not surprising that Bella rebelled against that excessive control despite her love for Edward. Even after Edward and Jacob reach a truce of sorts, Bella continues to be conflicted between those two opposites. In the face of seeming hopeless odds, Jacob continues to fight to pull Bella away from Edward, and he has my vote. It’s not often that I switch sides in a love triangle, but in this case, the more I get to know of Edward, the less I like him, or the strong-armed approach he tends to take with Bella. The interplay among those three characters was, to me, the most compelling part of the story.

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