Scan barcode
A review by eesh25
Soulless by Gail Carriger
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.