Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

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?

Over the past few months I've read some amazing reviews for Soulless (here's one from Book Reviews by Jess). Plus, almost 500 people on Goodreads have given it a 5 star review. So, I moved the book to the top of my TBR list, and started it. I'll admit that I'm not sure exactly how to write this review. There's a lot to say, and I'm sure many of you have heard some of this before. Nevertheless, here's why I enjoyed it:

It's fun! Carriger was able to create a world that was filled with the supernatural, romance, and a tiny bit of steampunk (a topic I'm still learning about). This is a feat in itself, but the language, and concentration on societal status, throughout the book felt Austen-eque.

Alexia herself was a big part of what made the book so appealing. She's a bit stubborn in her ways, but she's got a lot of sass. She was the heroine of the book, and was able to save herself (although, that was after getting herself into some sticky situations). Plus, she carried her parasol everywhere. Honestly, I might have to start carrying one.

Typically when I read books that are really hyped about, I'm let down. I let my expectations get the best of me, and then the book never reaches my expectations (i.e Evernight, which was loved by a lot of people I know). Luckily that didn't happen this time, because it was able to meet my high expectations, and keep me entertained.

Soulless
By Gail Carriger
Published by Orbit
Pages 357
Rating: A

The sequel, Changeless, is due to be released on March 30, 2010