Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Nov 17, 2015 Cee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, historical, romance, steampunk, vampires, werewolves-shifters

LOOK AT ME, I'M READING.

I forgot how wonderfully bizarre Soulless is. The snark is so strong. On reread I realize how little I actually remembered from the story - I could still recall the lovely romance between Alexia and Lord Maccon, but the entire plotline of vampires and werewolves going missing slipped my mind.

Soulless is a fantastic urban fantasy book, original in its combination of alternate history and paranormal elements, all in a well-written and funny package. Am looking forward to re ...more

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May 10, 2010 Cee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, steampunk, victorian, vampires, werewolves-shifters, series-that-are-finished

This was one of the surprises of the year. Even though I have had the Parasol Protectorate series on my TBR for a while, I never really looked into them and what they were about. All I knew was that they were classified as steampunk, a genre I love.

Miss Alexia Tarabotti is a special woman, in several ways. She is a spinster in her twenties, deemed unmarriageable because of her mysterious Italian father, her interest in science and other unladylike topics, and her slightly sarcastic wit. On top o This was one of the surprises of the year. Even though I have had the Parasol Protectorate series on my TBR for a while, I never really looked into them and what they were about. All I knew was that they were classified as steampunk, a genre I love.

Miss Alexia Tarabotti is a special woman, in several ways. She is a spinster in her twenties, deemed unmarriageable because of her mysterious Italian father, her interest in science and other unladylike topics, and her slightly sarcastic wit. On top of that, she is a preternatural. Miss Tarabotti is not in possession of a soul. When she is most rudely attacked by a vampire, she is sucked into quite dangerous business, dealing with even more dangerous yet very attractive werewolves...

I absolutely ADORE the world Ms Carriger has created. Not only is the story of Soulless set in Victorian society, even the supernaturals are affected by the setting. Being a werewolf is no excuse for dressing poorly, and you better have good table manners as a vampire. It makes for such bizarre situations, it is utterly brilliant. I actually snickered while reading this book. Maybe I am even guilty of outright giggling.

Another massive plus is that at no point in the story the romance felt icky. Usually, when the heroine and hero are getting the hots for each other, I am not quite there with them yet. In Soulless I had no such issue. From all the adult romance storylines I have come across, this was one I was most comfortable with. It all felt so natural, the bickering, the little bits and pieces of tenderness. It all came together in such a way that I was fully invested in the scene, which is accomplished very rarely by books I read.

Alexia was an interesting character to read about. Even though she might not technically has a soul, she has enough brains to make up for it. She is a pleasant conversationalist with a healthy self-image and enough thinking capacity. She is nothing like her shallow half-sisters, constantly fussing about who wears what, and what they will wear to that party. What I liked was that even though Alexia in spirit resembles a modern woman, she still has some very distinct Victorian values. It was a great little touch, adding a lot of credibility to the story. You can really feel Ms Carriger has thought every detail through.

Soulless is a highly original book that I would certainly recommend to all lovers of steampunk, the paranormal, or historical romance. From the first page the dreamlike prose draws you in, and won't let you go until you have finished the story. I cannot wait to read the next installment, and find out what is in store next for this soulless heroine. ...more

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Nov 01, 2010 cc rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read, steampunk, paranormal-romance, shapeshifters, heroine-v

I really liked the heroine, Miss Tarabotti, and all the nonsense that goes on in her mind. Her encounters with Lord Maccon would crack me up every time, and I have to say I did not see his interest in her coming. Of course, he could hardly ignore a female that sometimes shows up in his arms when he’s wearing nothing else but his birthday suit.
I’m still to understand a few things about Carriger’s alternate world, like why exactly is Miss Tarabotti considered soulless when all she has is some kind ...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Diane ~Firefly~ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: uf, vampires, paranormal, shifters, historical

Interesting world building and idea of how supernaturals come to be. Nice setup for sequels without a cliff-hanger.

What I enjoyed:
* The banter between Alexia and Lord Maccon.
* Lord Akeldama was probably my favorite character.
* (view spoiler)

What could have been better:
* The middle was a bit too slow.
* It was pretty obvious who was going to be behind the troubles.
...more

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Jun 30, 2011 ♥ Unaeve ♥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Soulless has a fresh and new view on the vampire/werewolf world ,so it did keep me intrigued to read it through but... it has not enough heart and soul to make me read the next book as well.

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