Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless

Author: Gail Carriger

Rating:

Who Should Read It? Anyone into steampunk or quirk or hideous hats and parasols. This book is ace!

What I Have to Say: So while this wasn't my first foray into steampunk, it was my first foray into the genre known as steampunk romance, and let me just say: thank goodness I didn't let that little word "romance" scare me.
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!
Seriously.

Everything about this book is quirky and exciting. It is the quirkiness, I think, that makes this book so unique, and the non-stop excitement that makes this book so fabulous.

I'm not usually one to go in for British humour (seriously - all those books like Georgia Nicholson that everyone think are HILARIOUS usually do little more than just annoy me), but somehow the humour in this book (and the occasional degrading of Americans and Italians) had me laughing out loud on a regular basis.
For someone without a soul, Alexia Tarabotti sure brings a lot of soul to this book - she is fun, quirky, strong-willed, opinionated, intelligent - put all of this together, and you've got the perfect narrator for a book including flamingly gay vampires, scruffy, uncontrollable werewolves, useful parasols, and hideous hats.

Of course, I think one of the reasons that I liked this book so much is that I really enjoy a lot of build-up before any real action happens. And while I do ENJOY action, if it's not done PERFECTLY, I sort of just glaze over it. This book is not lacking in build up. I have heard a lot of people say that it is slow to get started, and while I don't agree, I can understand where they're coming from. ESPECIALLY if you're not used to reading things with lots of language and words that you might not understand (and therefore having to read through all of the descriptions). Even if you're not like me, though, once this book finally does get moving, it's fabulousness does not stop. And there is plenty of action and quirk hiding at every twist and turn for those of you out there that are action addicted. Who can help but love a heroine who will, no matter what the cost, have her tea?

My biggest problem with this book was the occasional slightly racy love scene. I know people like me are few and far between, but reading about "sex" really rubs me the wrong way. I mean, my favorite love stories in books are those that end with one, sweet kiss. Nothing more. And while Soulless is not over the top by any means, there's still a little more of that in it than would suit my tastes. That said, there is mega chemistry between the two love interests, and Carriger did an amazing job of building that up throughout the book.

So, in other words, if you're one of the few like me to be late in the reading of Soulless game, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? Get yourself a copy now. You will not regret it.

Summary:Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Cover Story: Honestly, it's the cover, more than the title or the summary or the reviews that I read, that originally had me wanting to read this book. There's something about the dress and the parasol and the hideous gray background that just scream interesting and exciting to me!