Soulless by Gail Carriger [Review]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

My Review:

Soulless by Gail Carriger was anything but soulless. It is a mixture of everything and I fell head over heels for it. It is so cleverly written, wit paints every page. The banter between the main characters was not exactly laugh out loud funny, but I sat around reading this with a smile plastered on my face.

Soulless is set in the time of Queen Victoria- thus combining two very fun topics- corsets and the paranormal. Miss Tarabotti is a soulsucker, someone born without a soul- the natural enemy of all things supernatural. She has an attitude problem which provides great conflict throughout the entire novel as outspoken women weren't very common during this time. She can't even confide her lack of a soul to her best friend, a delicate Miss Ivy Hisselpenny. (Aren't these names so much fun!?) Ah, so what's a girl to do when she has been shelved and deemed useless at the ripe age of 26?
 
Miss Tarabotti finds herself in a bind one evening while attending a ball - a young, rude vampires goes straight for her neck. It is mortifying that he has not even introduced himself first. She is not having that. One thing leads to another and the police are called. Enter Lord Conall Maccon... what a wonderful man. I love his character. He is Alpha Werewolf of the Woolsey Castle pack. He is brutal and Scottish. The romantic dance that happens between Miss Tarabotti and Lord Maccon is brilliant. Carriger provides everything you could ever want in a courtship. Their kisses are a grade 10 on a scale of steamy. The only thing that stands in their way now are the rogue vampires- Where are they coming from? Can Alexia and Conall stop them?

What I love about this novel is that the romance IS there, but it is quite subtle. The characters themselves can't see it right away, but we can. The focus is on the investigation of disappearing (and reappearing) rogue vampires and werewolves. During their investigation of the supernatural a massive, torturous plan unfolds... but is it too late to put a stop to it?

This book is funny, intense and romantic. The main characters are alluring and rude. The secondary characters are just as much fun- I found myself fond of Lord Akeldama, an eccentric vampire, and the Professor- Lord Maccon's intelligent Beta werewolf.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy paranormal, romance, historical, urban fantasy and steampunk. It is refreshing and a lovely change from the stories I normally find myself reading. I can't wait to read the second installment!

Books in this series in the order that they should be read:

1. Soulless
2. Changeless (March 2010) 

Book Details:

Published: October 1, 2009 - Orbit
Mass Market Paperback: 373 Pages
ISBN10: 0316056634