Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Apr 24, 2010 Crowinator rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: steampunk-clockwork, 2010-reads, paranormal-supernatural, adult, vamps-and-or-werewolves, genre-fantasy, 2020-reads, genre-historical, vicarious-smoochies, urban-fantasy

3.5 stars. Man, I wish Goodreads allowed for the half stars, because I feel there are a lot of 3.5 star books in my life.

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Jun 30, 2010 Chessa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sf_fantasy, series, paranormal-urban-fantasy, steampunk

This book was really cute! Steampunkish urban fantasy/paranormal humor with a little romance thrown in. I absolutely love Alexia Tarabotti and wish I could sit down to a lovely English tea with her and chat for hours. Alexia is soulless- kind of the antithesis of the overly-souled Vampires and Werewolves (only individuals with "too much" soul can survive the metamorphasis) - Alexia and others like her cause the paranormal folks to resort to their human forms with just a touch. When a rogue vampi ...more

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Jun 06, 2013 Molly rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, recommended, kindle, guilty-pleasure, historical-fiction, fantasy, borrowed, read-in-2013, steampunk, summer-2013

I enjoyed this immensely, in spite of the fact that it contained SO many elements that should have annoyed the piss out of me. I think the reason I found it delightful instead of dreadful is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. Much like Spoiled, Soulless is quite deliberately over the top and ridiculous. Carriger knows that names like Blingchester are ludicrous, just as the authors of Spoiled knew that no sane human names their daughter Arugula.

This is basically a romance novel, dre I enjoyed this immensely, in spite of the fact that it contained SO many elements that should have annoyed the piss out of me. I think the reason I found it delightful instead of dreadful is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. Much like Spoiled, Soulless is quite deliberately over the top and ridiculous. Carriger knows that names like Blingchester are ludicrous, just as the authors of Spoiled knew that no sane human names their daughter Arugula.

This is basically a romance novel, dressed up as a steampunk mystery. As I've mentioned in a few other reviews, I am NOT a fan of genre romance. And while this contains a few of those tropes that drive me crazy (the fierce male protector role rears its ugly head...complete with possessive growling!), it doesn't fall into the trap of stopping all elements of plot in favor of romance. And again, it approaches its subject with full awareness of said subject's inherent ridiculousness.

Alexia Tarabotti is unique in Victorian society for a couple of reasons - not only is she both Italian and a confirmed spinster, she's also preternatural, which means she has no soul. According to the laws of this universe, those who are able to successfully transform into vampires or werewolves are able to do so because of an excess of soul. Additionally, because of her lack of soul, if Alexia makes physical contact with either a werewolf or vampire, she can neutralize them (no fur, no fangs). The sole purpose of this power in the novel seems to be an excuse to get her alone with a naked werewolf, but it's reasonably entertaining. The whole idea of the souls is one that is clearly being set up for exploration in the other novels. Nonetheless, I'm satisfied so far with the explanations of how all these creatures "work."

Anyway. The novel opens with Alexia being attacked by a vampire. It's an unusual occurrence given that the vamp in question is clearly newly made, but no one has any records of his transformation (it's a big deal. There are parties. Apparently most don't survive). Alexia and disagreeable werewolf love interest Lord Conall Maccon team up to determine who's making new vampires and letting them run amok. Turns out, there are some fishy new clubs opening, and not everyone in London is in favor of continued supernatural presence. (We're given to understand that supernaturals are hunted in the states)

Overall, I found this to be a delightful read. It was cute, fluffy, and entertaining, which is really all I want out of my summer reading! ...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Alison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own_it, fiction

This was fabulous - a hilarious romp through Victorian London, featuring vampires and werewolves who have been fully integrated into society. I laughed out loud more than I can tell you. Our heroine, Miss Alexia Tarabotti, is a very proper young lady, on the shelf for quite some time. As such she is a bluestocking and does as she sees fit. This includes sneaking away at balls, sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night and just generally acting scandalously modern for her mother's tast ...more

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Nov 28, 2011 molly rated it liked it

great fun - perfect sick-day reading. tempted to give it another star, but the author treats the plot like it's something of a nuisance. good thing that her characters and their world are fun to hang out with. ...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: steampunk

hahaha so i was looking for my review of this and this is what i said...

Oh just how much do I love Alexia Tarrabotti? SOOO MUCH, this is such a fun series to read, it has it all, dirigibles, exploding parasols, werewolves, vampires and soulless oh my! Trust me if you like fantasy you will just love this series!

I'll have to work on that... ...more

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Jan 02, 2016 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, audio

Silly paranormal suspense/mystery/romance with a touch of steampunk. Great writing and just the right amount of humor mean that I'll be listening to more in this series! ...more

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