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

Jun 29, 2011 Lindsay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5stars, steampunk, lmaiangowi-s-150-for-2012, read-in-2012, reread, kobo, read-in-2017

First Read April 15 2012 - April 20 2012
4 Stars

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Apr 01, 2010 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, favorites, humorous, historical, british-isles

My fist Steampunk read, the cover hooked me in and I've been addicted ever since. Victorian setting with stream-powered contraptions and mechanical gadgets but add werewolves and vampires as part of Her Majestey's government. Interesting plot, setting and characters with humor and just a dash of romance.

Delightfully whimsical, I have devoured all 5 books in the series as they were published and they are among my favorite rereads.

I also highly recommend her new related series beginning with Etiqu ...more

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Jan 20, 2010 Alisha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

(Delayed review: written Aug. 2010)
So. My favorite (or at least "top 2") book is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, so I guess it should come as a surprise that I enjoyed this book. But holy moly, I absolutely adored it! I can't remember the last time I finished a book and immediately wanted to re-read it...after completing this one, I flipped (clicked) right back to page one and ended up reading a (non-continuous) chunk of the story.

Alexia is simply delightful. I enjoyed every minute of her mis ...more

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Feb 03, 2010 Logan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-bought-ebook, steampunk, paranormal

First impressions: One of the first things I loved about this book was Alexia's voice. She's a stickler for etiquette, and her commentary on the manners of others, even in the most ridiculous of circumstances, is hilarious.

Lasting impressions: What a refreshing take on the paranormal and steampunk genres! I loved the mash-up of steam and clockwork technology with werewolves and vampires in Victorian society.

Conflicting impressions: The first third of the book moved pretty slowly. It wasn't unti First impressions: One of the first things I loved about this book was Alexia's voice. She's a stickler for etiquette, and her commentary on the manners of others, even in the most ridiculous of circumstances, is hilarious.

Lasting impressions: What a refreshing take on the paranormal and steampunk genres! I loved the mash-up of steam and clockwork technology with werewolves and vampires in Victorian society.

Conflicting impressions: The first third of the book moved pretty slowly. It wasn't until the last third that I got truly hooked on the story.

Overall impressions: I've been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I'm happy that I finally did. Although this is a steampunk novel, it's really more along the lines of "steampunk light." I think if I had read this a few years ago, when it first popped up on my radar, I would have had a much different idea of what constituted steampunk. There are some elements of steampunk to the story, but it's not nearly as integral to the story as, say, Leviathan. I definitely recommend this one for folks looking to ease in to the steampunk genre.

The paranormal elements are what make this book really shine. In Alexia's world, vampires and werewolves are a part of society, even if they still inspire some trepidation and fear. They pose no threat to Alexia, however, as she has no soul. As a preternatural, her touch returns supernatural beings to their human state - vampires lose their fangs, werewolves shift back. Alexia's abilities are known to select members of society, but she works to keep it away from friends and family.

Alexia is strong, stubborn, willful, and of course, proper. Yet her Italian heritage, abrasive (for the time) personality, and advancing age (I think she's 27) have resigned her to life as a spinster. If I have one complaint about the book, it's the incessant beating to the head we take on these three facets of Alexia's life. On almost every page, and certainly in every scene, we are reminded that Alexia is old, Italian, and not suitable as a mate. She constantly refers to herself as a spinster. Later in the book there are hints that this has been drilled into her by her family, but through most of the story it is simply presented as fact so I never felt bad for her. Since these descriptors didn't serve to elicit empathy, they just became annoying.

Lord Maccon is the best sort of love interest. He's a dashing alpha male who still respects and appreciates Alexia. He can be condescending and brusque, but all in good fun as he matches wits with the equally snappish Alexia. The verbal sparring between these two is lots of fun to witness, and were some of my favorite parts of the book.

The mystery and plot were not nearly as exciting as the characters and world, so the story seemed to drag at points. Still, the ending sets up a new chapter in Alexia's life that holds lots of promise and I'm eager to start the next book. ...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

love this book!!!

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Jan 31, 2010 AmandaG rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, series, 2010, 2019

I'd heard so many good things about this book here on Goodreads and was excited to see it available in ebook through my library and finally decided to read it. I'm SO GLAD I did. I really enjoyed the wit and writing of this story. I thought this was a YA book and not that teens can't read it, I don't think it is. It was funny, had romance and some action. I can't wait to read the next book. ...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Jesslyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z2010-kindle-reads, cat-pnr-fantasy, cat-series-ongoing

Its funny, but I'm starting to lose interest. Seems like a standard 'Victorian' romance with some supernaturals thrown in to make it different. Okay, I guess I was in a REALLY bad mood. The next time I opened it up, and right thru to the end, I was back enjoying it. Weird!
AND it was good enough for me to buy the next one! ...more

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Jan 13, 2010 Drea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-book, june-2012

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the rest. I loved the mix of historical fiction and the supernatural along with the added bonus of wit - a delightful mix.

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Dec 08, 2009 Cindi Kelley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read

It grew on me slowly after I got use to Alexia's snooty attitude. But you soon find out why she acts that way. I love that it's a historical paranormal mystery. Very good indeed! ...more

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