Soulless
107. Gail Carriger, Soulless
Alexia Tarabotti is a young lady living in Victorian London - but it’s a Victorian London where supernatural creatures are publicly recognized and integrated into society. Vampires and werewolves are the most common types of supernaturals, and their special powers arise from an excessive amount of soul. Alexia herself is rather unique; she has no soul at all and is therefore a preternatural, capable of neutralizing a supernatural’s powers through touch. In addition to this social handicap, Alexia also has an unfashionably dark complexion and is considered, at 25 years old, to be a spinster. As if these hardships weren’t enough, a vampire rudely attacks her in the middle of a ball, an unknown creature keeps trying to kidnap her, and the handsome werewolf Lord Maccon is constantly picking fights with her. What’s a soulless girl to do?
This book is just tons of fun. It’s a mixture of historical fiction, urban fantasy, romance, and steampunk, with some rollicking humor thrown in. One thing I really appreciated was the manageability of the plot: it was complex enough to hold my attention, but I managed to remember all of the key threads so that I wasn’t hopelessly confused at the end. Alexia is a great, fun character, and her interactions with Lord Maccon are especially entertaining. My favorite aspect, though, was the world-building; I think it’s a unique and creative universe with lots of potential, and I especially liked the treatment of vampires and werewolves. Aside from a little head-hopping and a few completely unnecessary references to the Templars, I have no complaints about this book. I’m very pleased that a sequel is coming out next year, and I definitely plan to continue with the series!