Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Soulless by Gail Carriger

6 reviews

alittleshy's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Here are some off-the-cuff thoughts about the work, now that I've finished it. 
  • I generally enjoyed myself.  The characters were likeable and the setting was a novel one for me as a reader.  I occasionally found all the manners business a bit tiring, but the story is set in the Victorian era so I can hardly complain.  Complaining a work set in Victorian Britain delves deep into manners is like complaining a microbiology textbook is too focused on the cell.  It'd be, in a word, silly.
  • I was a bit worried about the appearance of
    the automaton
    , because I initially thought it was
    a golem
    and that there'd be some
    low-key anti-Semitism
    in the work.  As near as I can tell, those fears were unfounded.
  • I'm glad that the work didn't end with
    Lord Akeldama's death
    , because he is the clearest
    queer representation
    in the work.  I'm pretty over the
    "bury your gays"
    trope, frankly. 
  • I listened to the audiobook, and the performer does an admirable job voicing the various cast members.  With that being said, it sounds like something akin to ADR was occasionally used.  This is an assumption on my part, but every once and a while its like the performer is using a different microphone or is in a different room. 
  • There is an intimate scene in the prologue; it was fine (and relatively brief).  If that's what you're reading for, though, you'll probably be disappointed. 
  • This isn't related to the "review," but apparently this series also has three volumes of manga?  Go figure.
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pedanther's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

I found the prose style easy to read - aside from an irritating tendency to change its mind several times a scene about who the viewpoint character was - but for me the story never entirely came alive. The plot is serviceable, but unsurprising, the characters underdeveloped, and while the worldbuilding has some interesting elements, it also has a tendency to rely on unexamined tropes that often left me wishing that certain aspects had been thought through more. I suspect that someone who's already more into urban fantasy and/or regency romance than me would find it more enjoyable. (I don't know if someone who's more into regency romance than me would be more or less annoyed by the use of regency romance tropes in a story that's explicitly set in the late Victorian era.) I wasn't surprised to find PG Wodehouse listed as one of the author's inspirations; I'm going to say that she doesn't have Wodehouse's knack for funny character names and leave it at that.

It says something that I've gone on so long about the book: I don't usually have this much to say about books I really dislike (or books I really like). This one's in that middle ground where it was good enough that I want to be just to it, but not good enough that I really liked it. Not sorry I gave it a shot, not likely to read any of the sequels.
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hey_al's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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flohbeutel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Als sie auf Seite 7 ihren Haarstab als Pflock benutzt, wollte ich ihr einen Antrag machen.
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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Alexia Tarabotti is a fantastically capable heroine and the mystery of learning more about the supernatural and preternatural communities in London society was a hilarious romp with Gail's signature steampunk flair. And the narrator for the audiobooks did a fantastic job distinguishing characters with delightful voice acting. I look forward to picking up future installments in the series!
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directorpurry's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book is just fun.

With as much emphasis on the plot as the romance, Soulless is a well-designed and solidly built steampunk, paranormal universe. Whenever I want to read a romance novel, I reread this book.
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