A review by annaclaire
Soulless by Gail Carriger

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

2.5

While this books was a quick read and I overall enjoyed the romance and mystery, there were also a lot of faults. The language that was used to describe the queer characters and non-British characters really took me out of the story and at times made me uncomfortable, the only mitigating factor was that it seemed to be done in the interest of keeping with the Victorian time period. However, I really don't think it was a necessary addition since the steampunk and fantasy elements of the books could have easily explained the lack of discriminatory language. The story was also at times a bit too silly for my taste, leaning into a goofy kind humor that could be hit or miss for me. I preferred the darker and more tense moments when the flowery writing did a really great job of pulling me into the emotion of the scene. I mostly enjoyed the main romance and really appreciated both the main and side characters. The length of the book gave a lot of room to develop the different personalities and relationships, but that development seemed to come at the cost of the ending which wrapped up way top quickly and neatly for my liking. 
I've seen this book being recommended and am glad that I read it, but I don't think I have enough interest to continue on with the series.