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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Gail Carriger does it again. I'm completely enamored with Lady Alexia Maccon and her friends, lovers and foes, and a Victorian England in which vampires, werewolves, ghosts, preturnaturals and humans all—somewhat peacefully—coexist.
I've been dragging my feet on reviews lately, for whatever reason, but here's my (very late) thoughts on this one. I read the first book of this series back in 2010, and I thought it was pretty mediocre, especially after all the rave reviews that I kept seeing, so I thought that the series would be a pass for me. But I keep hearing more and more reviews that praise this series, so I thought that I would give it another shot. I wasn't into it enough to want to actually interrupt my current line-up, though, so I decided to listen to the audiobook. This turned out to be the best thing I could have done!
I really enjoyed the audio version of this, as read by Emily Gray. I think that she did an absolutely fantastic job in reading this, and moreover, I think that the audio version is probably the best way for me to experience these books. One of my disappointments in the first book was that I didn't really find myself laughing at the humor. It was mildly amusing, but for me, there's a big difference between hearing humor and reading it. This is the kind of humor that I really need to hear in order for it to actually be funny to me. (I probably would be really into listening to Douglas Adams as well, since I definitely struggled with actually laughing at his humor as well.)
With the humor aspect taken care of, the entirety of this book became so much better. Alexia and Conall's relationship became fresher, the first meeting between Alexia and Channing became hilarious, Ivy became just fantastic. Suddenly, these characters were being brought to life for me, rather than just being lifeless shadows. I think part of that may an improvement in the writing, but I also think that it's because I found the right medium for me.
I also really enjoyed learning more about Conall's past with this book, and seeing more of the events that shaped him. Traveling to Scotland and meeting the pack there was a lot of fun, and I loved the character of Sidheag particularly. It was also exciting to officially meet Madame Lefoux, who starred in another recent audio listen in the novella "Romancing the Inventor."
On the complaint side, I feel like these books are kind of light on substance. There's mystery and adventure and romance, but there's not a lot of analysis of the world, particularly on a social level. I'm not sure that's a fair expectation for me to have in the first place, but I think it's an inclusion that would make these books even more enjoyable to me. I am happy for the inclusion of diversity that we see, but I still just wish for a little more depth to really satisfy my soul.
Still, I enjoyed this enough to immediately move on to listening to the next book in the series, which is something that I do rarely. Fingers crossed that I might even be able to knock this series off my currently-reading list by the end of this year!
I really enjoyed the audio version of this, as read by Emily Gray. I think that she did an absolutely fantastic job in reading this, and moreover, I think that the audio version is probably the best way for me to experience these books. One of my disappointments in the first book was that I didn't really find myself laughing at the humor. It was mildly amusing, but for me, there's a big difference between hearing humor and reading it. This is the kind of humor that I really need to hear in order for it to actually be funny to me. (I probably would be really into listening to Douglas Adams as well, since I definitely struggled with actually laughing at his humor as well.)
With the humor aspect taken care of, the entirety of this book became so much better. Alexia and Conall's relationship became fresher, the first meeting between Alexia and Channing became hilarious, Ivy became just fantastic. Suddenly, these characters were being brought to life for me, rather than just being lifeless shadows. I think part of that may an improvement in the writing, but I also think that it's because I found the right medium for me.
I also really enjoyed learning more about Conall's past with this book, and seeing more of the events that shaped him. Traveling to Scotland and meeting the pack there was a lot of fun, and I loved the character of Sidheag particularly. It was also exciting to officially meet Madame Lefoux, who starred in another recent audio listen in the novella "Romancing the Inventor."
On the complaint side, I feel like these books are kind of light on substance. There's mystery and adventure and romance, but there's not a lot of analysis of the world, particularly on a social level. I'm not sure that's a fair expectation for me to have in the first place, but I think it's an inclusion that would make these books even more enjoyable to me. I am happy for the inclusion of diversity that we see, but I still just wish for a little more depth to really satisfy my soul.
Still, I enjoyed this enough to immediately move on to listening to the next book in the series, which is something that I do rarely. Fingers crossed that I might even be able to knock this series off my currently-reading list by the end of this year!
So book number 2 in this series picks up not too long after the ending of book 1 with our main characters having settled down into their new lives and new positions. Alexia Tarabotti is no longer a Tarabotti and has a new governmental office which allows her to be 'in on the action' a lot more proactively than in book 1, and I have to say that I really liked seeing the snippets of her new position and how that came into play in this story.
I do love the character of Alexia as I think she's a really strong and very fun character who knows exactly what to do and when to do it. She is always in control of herself and whilst she doesn't always approve of those around her and their actions she has a good heart and is kind and genuine to her friends. The fact that she's also Soulless is a factor in this book when there appears suddenly to be some sort of geographical problem which affects all the supernatural creatures in a certain area, and no one knows why. This is a problem as in the current London Society supernatural beings are common and integrated into society, so being unable to turn if you're a werewolf and becoming human again if you're a Vampire isn't really what people need or want, not to mention the ghosts who all seem to have vanished...
In terms of the story of this book I thought it was a more comprehensive storyline and it was easy to follow and understand which I enjoyed. I thought that the mystery was entertaining and the gradual progression towards a solution was done well too. However that's not to say that this was a dull read, on the contrary there was a lot which happened over the course of this book which was both very exciting and action-packed!
Whilst the story is engaging and fun it's the characters and the over-exaggeration of the English ways that really make this book and series so fun. I loved meeting Madame Lefoux who is a very intriguing character and a lady just as strong-willed and engaging as Miss Tarabotti herself, of course we have the return of Lord Maccon (the leader of BUR and a stubborn but fun character), Professor Lyall (the sweet-natured and loyal beta to the pack), Miss Hisslepenny (with her dreadful taste in hats and men) and Lord Akeldama (the rogue vamp who's tastes are rather more male) and some of the smaller characters from before also take on larger roles such as Biffy, Tunstell, Angelique and Felicity who all had much more of a plot contribution than before.
On the whole I liked this better and the ending especially was fun and action-filled, leaving me wanting to know what happens next. I will certainly be getting to Blameless just as soon as I can, and I am very excited to see how everyone goes on from here! Another good 4*s book which I'd recommend!!
I do love the character of Alexia as I think she's a really strong and very fun character who knows exactly what to do and when to do it. She is always in control of herself and whilst she doesn't always approve of those around her and their actions she has a good heart and is kind and genuine to her friends. The fact that she's also Soulless is a factor in this book when there appears suddenly to be some sort of geographical problem which affects all the supernatural creatures in a certain area, and no one knows why. This is a problem as in the current London Society supernatural beings are common and integrated into society, so being unable to turn if you're a werewolf and becoming human again if you're a Vampire isn't really what people need or want, not to mention the ghosts who all seem to have vanished...
In terms of the story of this book I thought it was a more comprehensive storyline and it was easy to follow and understand which I enjoyed. I thought that the mystery was entertaining and the gradual progression towards a solution was done well too. However that's not to say that this was a dull read, on the contrary there was a lot which happened over the course of this book which was both very exciting and action-packed!
Whilst the story is engaging and fun it's the characters and the over-exaggeration of the English ways that really make this book and series so fun. I loved meeting Madame Lefoux who is a very intriguing character and a lady just as strong-willed and engaging as Miss Tarabotti herself, of course we have the return of Lord Maccon (the leader of BUR and a stubborn but fun character), Professor Lyall (the sweet-natured and loyal beta to the pack), Miss Hisslepenny (with her dreadful taste in hats and men) and Lord Akeldama (the rogue vamp who's tastes are rather more male) and some of the smaller characters from before also take on larger roles such as Biffy, Tunstell, Angelique and Felicity who all had much more of a plot contribution than before.
On the whole I liked this better and the ending especially was fun and action-filled, leaving me wanting to know what happens next. I will certainly be getting to Blameless just as soon as I can, and I am very excited to see how everyone goes on from here! Another good 4*s book which I'd recommend!!
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed Changeless almost as much as I enjoyed Soulless, but it just did not have the perfect combination of humor and intrigue that Carriger managed in the first book. The beginning of Changless was weak, with lots of details and the rapid-fire introduction of new characters, which made it a challenge to get into the actual story being told. The first book had so much delicious sexual tension and the sex and allusions to sex (werewolf and lesbian) were not as hot in Changeless.
Despite that, it was overall an incredibly fun read, with loads of great steampunk details, and an ending that will have reader's jaws dropping, followed by sputtering outrage.
Alexia continues to be a first-rate heroine and I love being in her world.
Despite that, it was overall an incredibly fun read, with loads of great steampunk details, and an ending that will have reader's jaws dropping, followed by sputtering outrage.
Alexia continues to be a first-rate heroine and I love being in her world.
3.5/5 stars
I didn't like this one as much as the first one unfortunately, HOWEVER I still loved Alexia and the overall story and I'm interested to see where it goes!
I didn't like this one as much as the first one unfortunately, HOWEVER I still loved Alexia and the overall story and I'm interested to see where it goes!
Somehow missed the humor of the first book. Carriger writes with amazing character. It's a good book, but without the sharp wit of the first book, it's too outside my genre for me to enjoy.
Amusing, though I'm not loving it as much as I loved the first one. I feel like this one focuses a considerable amount more attention on the steam part of the steampunk. Absolutely looooved the ending though, can't wait to find out more in the third.