Book review: Soulless
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Miss Alexia Tarabotti has three social strikes against her: she’s half Italian, hence her strong features and appallingly tan skin; she’s 26 years old and doomed to spinsterhood; and last but certainly not least, she’s soulless. Oh, she has feelings, a caring if stubborn heart, and all that, but her soulless state means she’s England’s only preternatural: an individual who can nullify any supernatural power by a single touch. Usually she delights in rendering opponents like the arrogant yet handsome Lord Maccon (the Alpha of the London werewolves) helplessly human, but when she accidentally kills a rogue vampire (who had the nerve to attack her first), her life seems to be on the fast track to fulfilling the short life span of preternaturals. Can she figure out what is happening to London’s high society before they get to her first?
I have to thank
christina_reads for reviewing this book first and putting it on my radar, because this book was just pure fun! It’s one of those books that I read with a silly smile on my face because the antics, the characters, and Carriger’s tongue-in-cheek writing style are just so vividly imaginative that I just had to give up and go along for the (wacky) ride. So it’s more paranormal romance/mystery than steampunk fantasy, but since I’ve never really tried the latter before, Soulless felt like just the right introduction, combining steampunk elements like floating airships with an electrifying heroine and hero. Carriger creates quite a unique version of Victorian England, where werewolves, vampires, and other supernaturals are “out” in society, but their presence is uneasily tolerated at best. As Lord Maccon reminds Alexia: “When all is said and done, daylight folk are still food” (284). Alexia is a particularly intriguing character because she is a bit of an outcast in both the normal and supernatural world: she is ostracized in the former for being bookish and intellectural, and in the latter for being a potential threat.
For me, the most enjoyable part of Soulless is simply Carriger’s writing style: it evokes the charming wordiness of Jane Austen but with plenty of modern snark thrown in. Alexia has such a distinctively dry and ironic voice that I can easily imagine her calmly taking her tea while an epic battle between werewolves and vampires rages all around her. During one episode when she witnesses an attack between her guards and some fearsome baddies, she cannot help but think: “I do not want to die […] I have not yet yelled at Lord Maccon for his most recent crass behavior!” (191). Of course, Lord Maccon is funny in his own right. Upon observing Alexia, he thinks: “Miss Tarabotti might examine her face in the mirror each morning with a large degree of censure, but there was nothing at all wrong with her figure. […] Of course, she always went and spoiled the appeal by opening her mouth” (8-9). Perhaps at times Carriger seems to have lost hold of her plotlines while focusing so much on Alexia and Lord Maccon’s love/hate relationship, but hey, I really can’t complain, I enjoyed it so.
Miss Alexia Tarabotti has three social strikes against her: she’s half Italian, hence her strong features and appallingly tan skin; she’s 26 years old and doomed to spinsterhood; and last but certainly not least, she’s soulless. Oh, she has feelings, a caring if stubborn heart, and all that, but her soulless state means she’s England’s only preternatural: an individual who can nullify any supernatural power by a single touch. Usually she delights in rendering opponents like the arrogant yet handsome Lord Maccon (the Alpha of the London werewolves) helplessly human, but when she accidentally kills a rogue vampire (who had the nerve to attack her first), her life seems to be on the fast track to fulfilling the short life span of preternaturals. Can she figure out what is happening to London’s high society before they get to her first?
I have to thank
christina_reads for reviewing this book first and putting it on my radar, because this book was just pure fun! It’s one of those books that I read with a silly smile on my face because the antics, the characters, and Carriger’s tongue-in-cheek writing style are just so vividly imaginative that I just had to give up and go along for the (wacky) ride. So it’s more paranormal romance/mystery than steampunk fantasy, but since I’ve never really tried the latter before, Soulless felt like just the right introduction, combining steampunk elements like floating airships with an electrifying heroine and hero. Carriger creates quite a unique version of Victorian England, where werewolves, vampires, and other supernaturals are “out” in society, but their presence is uneasily tolerated at best. As Lord Maccon reminds Alexia: “When all is said and done, daylight folk are still food” (284). Alexia is a particularly intriguing character because she is a bit of an outcast in both the normal and supernatural world: she is ostracized in the former for being bookish and intellectural, and in the latter for being a potential threat.
For me, the most enjoyable part of Soulless is simply Carriger’s writing style: it evokes the charming wordiness of Jane Austen but with plenty of modern snark thrown in. Alexia has such a distinctively dry and ironic voice that I can easily imagine her calmly taking her tea while an epic battle between werewolves and vampires rages all around her. During one episode when she witnesses an attack between her guards and some fearsome baddies, she cannot help but think: “I do not want to die […] I have not yet yelled at Lord Maccon for his most recent crass behavior!” (191). Of course, Lord Maccon is funny in his own right. Upon observing Alexia, he thinks: “Miss Tarabotti might examine her face in the mirror each morning with a large degree of censure, but there was nothing at all wrong with her figure. […] Of course, she always went and spoiled the appeal by opening her mouth” (8-9). Perhaps at times Carriger seems to have lost hold of her plotlines while focusing so much on Alexia and Lord Maccon’s love/hate relationship, but hey, I really can’t complain, I enjoyed it so.