#66 Changeless by Gail Carriger
The following review has spoilers for Soulless, but none for Changeless beyond the first chapter.
In the first chapter of Changeless, Alexia (now known as Lady Maccon due to marrying werewolf alpha Conall Maccon) watches her husband argue with a ghost, and then run off without a word, discovers that an entire werewolf regiment is setting up tents on her front lawn, and learns that her closets friend, Ivy Hisselpenny, has become engaged. Quite a busy morning. Alexia soon hears that a plague has hit supernaturals in London, stripping them of their immortal state and turning them back into living humans. Alexia, due to being soulless, finds herself the prime suspect.
Changeless is the second book in The Parasol Protectorate, and even more enjoyable than the first. The wonderful humor that I appreciated so much from the first book is back, as is Carriger's interesting blend of paranormal, steampunk, and historical fiction. There are a few noticeable differences between Soulless and Changeless. For one, there is less of an emphasis on romance in Changeless. Sure, there are steamy scenes between Alexia and Conall, but here the love story really takes a back seat. Instead of being a paranormal romance like Soulless, Changeless is a character driven adventure story, and I found that I preferred this. Changeless also emphasizes the steampunk elements a bit more than Soulless, as Alexia encounters many different gadgets and machines. This is something else I really enjoyed. Another improvement I noticed over Soulless is Carriger's tendency to jump between different characters point of view in one scene is handled much better.
The plot in Changeless moves at a fast pace, making the book a very quick read. I found that I zipped through it quite easily in just two days. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Alexia again, as she's such a likable protagonist. Her relationship with Conall, although far from perfect, is satisfyingly steamy. Ivy Hisselpenny plays a much larger role in this book. As much as I loved her in Soulless, I found that she often got on my nerves this time around, but I'm pretty sure that was intentional. One of my favorite characters of Changeless was the mysterious Madame Lefoux, a hat designing inventor with a habit of dressing in men's clothing. She easily fits in among this quirky cast of characters.
One significant difference between Soulless and Changeless is that while Soulless is a self-contained book, Changeless is not. I really wouldn't recommend picking it up without having read the first book in the series. Changeless also ends on quite a cliffhanger, making me glad that the third book, Blameless, is set to be released in just a few weeks. Readers may find that they want to pick up book two and three together after the shocker ending of Changeless.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 388 pages
Source: Mr. Paperback (during a store closing sale :( )
Challenges: This book is not part of any challenges
Similar book: For other fantasy/horror book that take place in a Victorian setting, try Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray, or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith ( my review)
Other books I've read by this author: Soulless ( my review)
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
In the first chapter of Changeless, Alexia (now known as Lady Maccon due to marrying werewolf alpha Conall Maccon) watches her husband argue with a ghost, and then run off without a word, discovers that an entire werewolf regiment is setting up tents on her front lawn, and learns that her closets friend, Ivy Hisselpenny, has become engaged. Quite a busy morning. Alexia soon hears that a plague has hit supernaturals in London, stripping them of their immortal state and turning them back into living humans. Alexia, due to being soulless, finds herself the prime suspect.
Changeless is the second book in The Parasol Protectorate, and even more enjoyable than the first. The wonderful humor that I appreciated so much from the first book is back, as is Carriger's interesting blend of paranormal, steampunk, and historical fiction. There are a few noticeable differences between Soulless and Changeless. For one, there is less of an emphasis on romance in Changeless. Sure, there are steamy scenes between Alexia and Conall, but here the love story really takes a back seat. Instead of being a paranormal romance like Soulless, Changeless is a character driven adventure story, and I found that I preferred this. Changeless also emphasizes the steampunk elements a bit more than Soulless, as Alexia encounters many different gadgets and machines. This is something else I really enjoyed. Another improvement I noticed over Soulless is Carriger's tendency to jump between different characters point of view in one scene is handled much better.
The plot in Changeless moves at a fast pace, making the book a very quick read. I found that I zipped through it quite easily in just two days. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Alexia again, as she's such a likable protagonist. Her relationship with Conall, although far from perfect, is satisfyingly steamy. Ivy Hisselpenny plays a much larger role in this book. As much as I loved her in Soulless, I found that she often got on my nerves this time around, but I'm pretty sure that was intentional. One of my favorite characters of Changeless was the mysterious Madame Lefoux, a hat designing inventor with a habit of dressing in men's clothing. She easily fits in among this quirky cast of characters.
One significant difference between Soulless and Changeless is that while Soulless is a self-contained book, Changeless is not. I really wouldn't recommend picking it up without having read the first book in the series. Changeless also ends on quite a cliffhanger, making me glad that the third book, Blameless, is set to be released in just a few weeks. Readers may find that they want to pick up book two and three together after the shocker ending of Changeless.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 388 pages
Source: Mr. Paperback (during a store closing sale :( )
Challenges: This book is not part of any challenges
Similar book: For other fantasy/horror book that take place in a Victorian setting, try Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray, or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith ( my review)
Other books I've read by this author: Soulless ( my review)
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads