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daumari's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Soulless is a fun adventure, mixing Victorian social niceties with the supernatural and a dash of steampunkish science fiction (if I had to make a judgement call, would err on the side of fantasy because of the vampires, werewolves, and ghosts but it does have both sf/f imo).
The characters were definitely chatty- did sort of feel like a Buffy the Vampire Slayer level of quippiness, and POV shifts from paragraph to paragraph probably added to that. Intrigued to see where the rest of the series goes.
The characters were definitely chatty- did sort of feel like a Buffy the Vampire Slayer level of quippiness, and POV shifts from paragraph to paragraph probably added to that. Intrigued to see where the rest of the series goes.
ashley_apairofreaders's review against another edition
5.0
Fun gaslamp fantasy with vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. The tongue in check humor and the romance aspects had me flying through this one. The perfect book to read after a lot of dark romantasy books. It has a little bit of everything with a cozy vibe. Can’t wait to dive into book two.
aerialcataloger's review against another edition
DNF-ed at 30%. Not for me because 1) Alexi is a Very Special Fantasy Heroine who is Not Like Other Girls, 2) there is an unchallenged "Alpha-hole kisses heroine for explicit purpose of making her 'shut up'", and 3) no one told the author that she didn't have to note in every scene - whether or not it's relevant, and usually it's not - that Alexia is Very Voluptuous (even in a corset!) and Too Tan to Be Accepted in Lily-White Society (because her father was Italian).
bookschaosnart's review against another edition
4.0
A great first story in the series as the paranormal society of Victorian England is experiencing turmoil and low key racism. I can't wait to see how the side characters as well as Alexia & Lord Maccon's relationship develops.
lucindarie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I found it to be very slow paced. The tension between the two main characters was good, and there were some funny moments. The book left me with more questions than answers and overall underwhelming plot. The characters were likable and the primary source of motivation to keep going with the read. The end felt hurried through and was the most interesting part by a long shot.
eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
2020 Reread
Changed rating from 4 to 3.
I first read this book three years ago but, even though I quite liked it, I didn't get around to reading the sequel soon enough. So I decided to reread it. And I didn't expect to write another review. Unfortunately, my opinions have changed since the first read, so here we are.
I still liked the first scene of the book, in which Alexia is being bothered by a newbie vampire trying to drink her blood ...and she accidentally kills him. But she's very chill about it, and it made for an entertaining scene that made me like Alexia immediately.
Liking Alexia remained consistent for me throughout the novel. She's funny and clever and bold, and she livens the book up. I also enjoyed the world-building aspect of the book—everything from how the supernatural were incorporated into this world, and funny things like vampires not going into homes uninvited, not because they couldn't, but because they cared too much about social etiquette. Other parts, unfortunately, weren't so consistent.
My biggest issue was with the narration. I think the author was going for a third-person omniscient but couldn't quite manage it. So instead, we got prose that seemed to shift POVs from one paragraph to the next. And that became a problem when we'd go from Alexia wanting tea to thinking about her generous curves! Is Lord Maccon, the werewolf love interest, the one thinking that or is Alexia just that modest?
Another issue was the balance in how much page-time was given to which aspect of the book. The world-building was fine, the romance needed a bit more, the plot about supernatural individuals going missing need a lot more, and a significant amount of the frivolous trying-to-be-clever portions could've been removed. Because while I won't deny that the book was clever, the attempts to imitate an Austen-esque tone fell short. And they ended up just taking up space in the book that could've been given to more important things.
Overall, this was a disappointing read—partly because of what it could've been, and partly because of what I thought it was since I'd previously liked it. Still, I think it's a book worth checking out.
The last thing I wanna mention is the ending. Certain developments felt like they came out of nowhere—an issue that could've been resolved if the book focused more on the plot! But despite the plausibility of the development, I like that it happened, and I might still read the second book because of that.
**********************************************************************
2017 Review (4 Stars)
This is a steampunk novel about a woman who fights vamps while wearing a dress (and a corset) using her parasol. At least, that's what's insinuated by both the Goodreads synopsis and the first chapter of the novel, in which the protagonist, Alexia, kills a vamp who attacks her for no reason while she's awaiting sandwiches, as a guest, in someone's library.
As you read on though, you see that the novel is quite different. The protagonist doesn't ever fight vampires. She simply found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, while led to her being involved in some troublesome stuff. Alexia is more of an intellectual. She a preternatural, meaning that she doesn't have a soul. Her emotions work fine, it's just, whenever supernatural creatures come in contact with her, they lose their abilities and become human. Her kind is very rare, which could be dangerous for her. Thankfully, her soulless state is not known by many, especially not her mother, who's constantly fretting that her 30-year-old peculiar, spinster daughter will ruin the marriage prospects of her younger sisters.
The official supernatural-committee-thing knows about Alexia. Supernatural creatures are a part of civilized society now so, of course, there are records kept. One of those official people is a werewolf called Lord Maccon. He and Alexia get in a lot of spats. It's a love-hate relationship and, obviously, a romance. The romance takes over a large portion of the novel. The other part is devoted to some trouble with the supernatural.
The story is interesting, thanks to the intriguing world. It's nice to see supernatural creatures be a normal part of society instead of constantly hiding or warring. The tone of the novel is humourous. A lot of it because of Alexia, who I really like. She's a bit of a troublemaker, considers food very important, and rolls her eyes at what most of society would consider a scandal. Her narrative was a ton of fun, and her and Lord Maccon's bickering was entertaining as well. And while I think that their relationship could have been more gradual, I liked it. They both unsettle each other (though usually, Alexia likes to rattle his fur).
So if you can overlook the misleading synopsis on GR and the romance being a little on the sped-up side, this is a really fun and enjoyable read. I think this is one definitely worth checking out and I'm looking forward to reading the future installments of the series.
Changed rating from 4 to 3.
I first read this book three years ago but, even though I quite liked it, I didn't get around to reading the sequel soon enough. So I decided to reread it. And I didn't expect to write another review. Unfortunately, my opinions have changed since the first read, so here we are.
I still liked the first scene of the book, in which Alexia is being bothered by a newbie vampire trying to drink her blood ...and she accidentally kills him. But she's very chill about it, and it made for an entertaining scene that made me like Alexia immediately.
Liking Alexia remained consistent for me throughout the novel. She's funny and clever and bold, and she livens the book up. I also enjoyed the world-building aspect of the book—everything from how the supernatural were incorporated into this world, and funny things like vampires not going into homes uninvited, not because they couldn't, but because they cared too much about social etiquette. Other parts, unfortunately, weren't so consistent.
My biggest issue was with the narration. I think the author was going for a third-person omniscient but couldn't quite manage it. So instead, we got prose that seemed to shift POVs from one paragraph to the next. And that became a problem when we'd go from Alexia wanting tea to thinking about her generous curves! Is Lord Maccon, the werewolf love interest, the one thinking that or is Alexia just that modest?
Another issue was the balance in how much page-time was given to which aspect of the book. The world-building was fine, the romance needed a bit more, the plot about supernatural individuals going missing need a lot more, and a significant amount of the frivolous trying-to-be-clever portions could've been removed. Because while I won't deny that the book was clever, the attempts to imitate an Austen-esque tone fell short. And they ended up just taking up space in the book that could've been given to more important things.
Overall, this was a disappointing read—partly because of what it could've been, and partly because of what I thought it was since I'd previously liked it. Still, I think it's a book worth checking out.
The last thing I wanna mention is the ending. Certain developments felt like they came out of nowhere—an issue that could've been resolved if the book focused more on the plot! But despite the plausibility of the development, I like that it happened, and I might still read the second book because of that.
**********************************************************************
2017 Review (4 Stars)
This is a steampunk novel about a woman who fights vamps while wearing a dress (and a corset) using her parasol. At least, that's what's insinuated by both the Goodreads synopsis and the first chapter of the novel, in which the protagonist, Alexia, kills a vamp who attacks her for no reason while she's awaiting sandwiches, as a guest, in someone's library.
As you read on though, you see that the novel is quite different. The protagonist doesn't ever fight vampires. She simply found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, while led to her being involved in some troublesome stuff. Alexia is more of an intellectual. She a preternatural, meaning that she doesn't have a soul. Her emotions work fine, it's just, whenever supernatural creatures come in contact with her, they lose their abilities and become human. Her kind is very rare, which could be dangerous for her. Thankfully, her soulless state is not known by many, especially not her mother, who's constantly fretting that her 30-year-old peculiar, spinster daughter will ruin the marriage prospects of her younger sisters.
The official supernatural-committee-thing knows about Alexia. Supernatural creatures are a part of civilized society now so, of course, there are records kept. One of those official people is a werewolf called Lord Maccon. He and Alexia get in a lot of spats. It's a love-hate relationship and, obviously, a romance. The romance takes over a large portion of the novel. The other part is devoted to some trouble with the supernatural.
The story is interesting, thanks to the intriguing world. It's nice to see supernatural creatures be a normal part of society instead of constantly hiding or warring. The tone of the novel is humourous. A lot of it because of Alexia, who I really like. She's a bit of a troublemaker, considers food very important, and rolls her eyes at what most of society would consider a scandal. Her narrative was a ton of fun, and her and Lord Maccon's bickering was entertaining as well. And while I think that their relationship could have been more gradual, I liked it. They both unsettle each other (though usually, Alexia likes to rattle his fur).
So if you can overlook the misleading synopsis on GR and the romance being a little on the sped-up side, this is a really fun and enjoyable read. I think this is one definitely worth checking out and I'm looking forward to reading the future installments of the series.
wollstonecrafty's review against another edition
1) I was tricked, bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray into reading werewolf romance! this is not a safe space for team jacob. 2) why do people insist on still writing idealized british empire fic. this is like britain is soooooo good bc they do not legally discriminate against the supernatural and if they do they’re not TRUE brits! um also lots of discussion of how the MC is oppressed for being italian (britain is racist & specifically colorist only towards italians apparently)
faeriesparks's review against another edition
3.0
Most of this book I read while I was in a reading slump so I think that had a big impact on my rating. I did like the quirky writing. I'm still not too sure about the characters. I did enjoy Alexia's and Lord Maccon's relationship though I do wish it had been dragged out just a bit more. It wasn't exactly insta-love but it did happen quite fast and I think I would've enjoyed a bit more slowburn.
Overall this was an okay read for me, it didn't exactly blow my mind and I'm not quite sure if I will continue on with the series.
Overall this was an okay read for me, it didn't exactly blow my mind and I'm not quite sure if I will continue on with the series.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First read May 21, 2010.
First in the Parasol Protectorate steampunk series and revolving around Alexia Tarabotti, a preternatural; there is a prequel series you may want to read, the Finishing School series. The couple focus is on Alexia and Lord Conall Maccon, a werewolf, in 1873.
In 2013, Soulless won the Prix Julia Verlanger, and in 2010, it won the ALA Alex Award.
My Take
Gail Carriger only gets better when you re-read her novels. She has a biting wit that snarks away at Victorian values and beautifully blends that time period with her steampunk world of vampires and werewolves.
Her main protagonists move seamlessly from a seeming outright dislike of each other into love along a most amusing path. While the progression of Alexia and Conall's romance is an underlying theme, the overt conflict is missing supernaturals with Alexia's violent confrontation in the library as the kickstart.
I'm assuming that Carriger "drew" Siemons and his actions in order to point up the ridiculousness of the man.
I do love that ending. And so does Alexia with all the opportunities Queen Victoria's appointment will allow her. Well, the Queen does want someone who has kept current with scientific inquiry.
The Story
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?
The Characters
The brilliant Miss Alexia Tarabotti is of Italian extraction and was born without a soul, a state of existence that has a disastrous (to them) effect on vampires, ghosts, and werewolves. Alessandro Tarabotti is her now-deceased father, himself a preternatural — with a very bad reputation. The frivolous, disapproving, and unsuspecting Mrs. Loontwill is her mother who remarried to the easygoing Squire Herbert Loontwill. Evylin and Felicity are her idiotic, mean, nasty, backstabbing stepsisters. Floote is the Loontwill butler and had been Mr. Tarabotti's valet for years.
The Woolsey Pack is…
…a werewolf pack of eleven based outside London. Lord Conall Maccon has been its Alpha (with an Anubis Form) and the fourth Earl of Woolsey for the past twenty years. (We first heard of him in Curtsies & Conspiracies, 2, in the Finishing School series.) The very urbane Professor Randolph Lyall is his Beta, his second-in-command. Rumpet is the head butler. Tunstell, an actor, is Maccon's personal valet and captain of the household clavigers.
The Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR) is…
…a division of Her Majesty's Civil Service and charged with enforcement of supernatural laws. The overly blunt Lord Maccon heads up BUR and is its chief sundowner. Prof. Lyall is the assistant administrator of supernatural relations. Employees include werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and mortals. George Greemes is in charge of vampire registration in Canterbury. Haverbink is another agent.
The Shadow Parliament is…
…composed of three beings and advise Queen Victoria. The vampire potentate who serves as a vampire prime minister has been the royal advisor since Queen Elizabeth I. The dewan is the werewolf advisor and is concerned with military matters. The muhjah is a preternatural meant to break any stalemates between the potentate and the dewan and is the only mobile councilor. Lord Maccon is one of its agents.
Lord Akeldama…
…is a rove and notorious for his flashy style of dress. He claims he split from his hive when he was told what to wear. He's also — secretly — respected for the abundance of information his excitable drones acquire. His drones are well-dressed, well-mannered, and very surprising. They include Biffy (Akeldama's favorite); Tizzy, a.k.a., Viscount Trizdale is the Duke of Trizdale's heir; and, Eustace.
The Westminster hive is…
…located in London with Countess Nadasdy as its queen. Miss Mabel Dair is an actress and a drone for the countess. Angelique is the countess' French maid. Lord Ambrose, Nadasdy's praetoriana; the Duke of Hematol; and, Dr. Caedes, an engineer, are part of her hive.
The Hypocras Club is…
…an offshoot of The Order of the Brass Octopus and has opened next door to the Snodgroves and caters to intellectuals, philosophers, and scientists. Mr. Siemons is its head with an interest in ensuring humanity's agenda. Mr. MacDougall is an American scientist fascinated by measuring the soul. The wax-faced VIXI is an automaton. Dr. Neebs and Cecil may be the same scientist.
The Duke of Snodgrove is amazingly tightfisted. It was at Lord and Lady Blingchester's d inner party that Miss Wibbley appeared.
Glassicals are Prof. Lyall's monocular cross-magnification lenses with spectra-modifer attachment. Alexia believes they're the "progeny of an illicit union between a pair of binoculars and some opera glasses.
Soul-sucker is a pejorative term for a soulless preternatural. Drones are vampire companions, servants, caretakers, who serve as food and hope to be turned. Vampires prefer artists. A hive is a pack of vampires. A rove is a vampire without a hive; a loner is the werewolf equivalent as he is without a pack. Clavigers are werewolf staff who hope to be changed. Werewolves have a preference for flashier creative people such as thespians, opera singers, and ballet dancers. The Anubis Form requires a strong werewolf who can master changing only a part of his body. A sundowner is a sanctioned killer for queen and country.
Templars are a religious organization dedicated to eliminating supernaturals.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a softened gray-and-white background of a street scene with an old-fashioned, ornate street lamp and Big Ben. Alexia is front and center with her weaponized parasol in black while she stands in a reverse-S posture and wearing a satiny red-violet ensemble and a black top hat that appears to be trimmed with a glassical. The author's name, title, and series info is in a white font and each is backed by a solid-colored rectangle of purple, fuchsia, and pink.
The title is our introduction to Alexia, a rare Soulless preternatural.
First in the Parasol Protectorate steampunk series and revolving around Alexia Tarabotti, a preternatural; there is a prequel series you may want to read, the Finishing School series. The couple focus is on Alexia and Lord Conall Maccon, a werewolf, in 1873.
In 2013, Soulless won the Prix Julia Verlanger, and in 2010, it won the ALA Alex Award.
My Take
Gail Carriger only gets better when you re-read her novels. She has a biting wit that snarks away at Victorian values and beautifully blends that time period with her steampunk world of vampires and werewolves.
Her main protagonists move seamlessly from a seeming outright dislike of each other into love along a most amusing path. While the progression of Alexia and Conall's romance is an underlying theme, the overt conflict is missing supernaturals with Alexia's violent confrontation in the library as the kickstart.
"Alexia figured, delightedly, that this meant he did, in fact, tend to traipse around his private apartments in the altogether. Marriage was becoming more and more of an attractive prospect."I adore Alexia's sang-froid and confident assertiveness. She's a brilliant woman with her own sense of very upright morals who holds herself to them through rigid courtesy. And I suspect she's the "anonymous" writer in those society papers. I also adore Lord Akeldama. He's so amazingly frivolous appearing and has the most incredible repertoire of endearments.
I'm assuming that Carriger "drew" Siemons and his actions in order to point up the ridiculousness of the man.
I do love that ending. And so does Alexia with all the opportunities Queen Victoria's appointment will allow her. Well, the Queen does want someone who has kept current with scientific inquiry.
The Story
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?
The Characters
The brilliant Miss Alexia Tarabotti is of Italian extraction and was born without a soul, a state of existence that has a disastrous (to them) effect on vampires, ghosts, and werewolves. Alessandro Tarabotti is her now-deceased father, himself a preternatural — with a very bad reputation. The frivolous, disapproving, and unsuspecting Mrs. Loontwill is her mother who remarried to the easygoing Squire Herbert Loontwill. Evylin and Felicity are her idiotic, mean, nasty, backstabbing stepsisters. Floote is the Loontwill butler and had been Mr. Tarabotti's valet for years.
Miss Ivy Hisselpenny is Alexia's only human friend and notorious for her extremely bad taste and even worse taste in hats. Unfortunately, her family is too middle class for Society."'Well, a parcel of scientists coming and going … will certainly lower the tenor of that neighborhood.'
'How ghastly for [the Duchess of Snodgrove],' said Alexia, driven beyond endurance into comment. 'People actually thinking, with their brains, and right next door.'"
The Woolsey Pack is…
…a werewolf pack of eleven based outside London. Lord Conall Maccon has been its Alpha (with an Anubis Form) and the fourth Earl of Woolsey for the past twenty years. (We first heard of him in Curtsies & Conspiracies, 2, in the Finishing School series.) The very urbane Professor Randolph Lyall is his Beta, his second-in-command. Rumpet is the head butler. Tunstell, an actor, is Maccon's personal valet and captain of the household clavigers.
The Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR) is…
…a division of Her Majesty's Civil Service and charged with enforcement of supernatural laws. The overly blunt Lord Maccon heads up BUR and is its chief sundowner. Prof. Lyall is the assistant administrator of supernatural relations. Employees include werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and mortals. George Greemes is in charge of vampire registration in Canterbury. Haverbink is another agent.
The Shadow Parliament is…
…composed of three beings and advise Queen Victoria. The vampire potentate who serves as a vampire prime minister has been the royal advisor since Queen Elizabeth I. The dewan is the werewolf advisor and is concerned with military matters. The muhjah is a preternatural meant to break any stalemates between the potentate and the dewan and is the only mobile councilor. Lord Maccon is one of its agents.
Lord Akeldama…
…is a rove and notorious for his flashy style of dress. He claims he split from his hive when he was told what to wear. He's also — secretly — respected for the abundance of information his excitable drones acquire. His drones are well-dressed, well-mannered, and very surprising. They include Biffy (Akeldama's favorite); Tizzy, a.k.a., Viscount Trizdale is the Duke of Trizdale's heir; and, Eustace.
The Westminster hive is…
…located in London with Countess Nadasdy as its queen. Miss Mabel Dair is an actress and a drone for the countess. Angelique is the countess' French maid. Lord Ambrose, Nadasdy's praetoriana; the Duke of Hematol; and, Dr. Caedes, an engineer, are part of her hive.
The Hypocras Club is…
…an offshoot of The Order of the Brass Octopus and has opened next door to the Snodgroves and caters to intellectuals, philosophers, and scientists. Mr. Siemons is its head with an interest in ensuring humanity's agenda. Mr. MacDougall is an American scientist fascinated by measuring the soul. The wax-faced VIXI is an automaton. Dr. Neebs and Cecil may be the same scientist.
The Duke of Snodgrove is amazingly tightfisted. It was at Lord and Lady Blingchester's d inner party that Miss Wibbley appeared.
Glassicals are Prof. Lyall's monocular cross-magnification lenses with spectra-modifer attachment. Alexia believes they're the "progeny of an illicit union between a pair of binoculars and some opera glasses.
Soul-sucker is a pejorative term for a soulless preternatural. Drones are vampire companions, servants, caretakers, who serve as food and hope to be turned. Vampires prefer artists. A hive is a pack of vampires. A rove is a vampire without a hive; a loner is the werewolf equivalent as he is without a pack. Clavigers are werewolf staff who hope to be changed. Werewolves have a preference for flashier creative people such as thespians, opera singers, and ballet dancers. The Anubis Form requires a strong werewolf who can master changing only a part of his body. A sundowner is a sanctioned killer for queen and country.
Templars are a religious organization dedicated to eliminating supernaturals.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a softened gray-and-white background of a street scene with an old-fashioned, ornate street lamp and Big Ben. Alexia is front and center with her weaponized parasol in black while she stands in a reverse-S posture and wearing a satiny red-violet ensemble and a black top hat that appears to be trimmed with a glassical. The author's name, title, and series info is in a white font and each is backed by a solid-colored rectangle of purple, fuchsia, and pink.
The title is our introduction to Alexia, a rare Soulless preternatural.
_kelly_'s review against another edition
5.0
Fast paced, quick to immerse you in an alternate reality of Victorian London. Steampunk devices, automatons, werewolves, vampires, and London society make up the theme. Unique characters, great dialogue, well thought out plot.