Soulless by Gail Carriger - Blog with Bite Review

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)

Downloaded to my Kindle from Amazon.com - paid for by me.
Author's Website

PJV's Quickie POV:  A charming and very witty mix of a multitude of sub-genres.  Soulless kept me fixated on the plot while entertaining me throughout with laugh-out-loud moments and I think I might have even blushed a few times.  Even the author description was entertaining in its hilarity.

Review: Miss Alexia Tarabotti has accepted her spinster status and the fact that she is not in possession of soul like a true lady.  Her mother and two half-sisters might be veritable dim-wits and they even might have given her the worst room in the house, but life isn't that bad.  She has a wonderful library left to her by her deceased father (the originator of her soulless status) and she is allowed a bit more freedom now that she is a spinster.

Miss Tarabotti's life has taken on a certain pattern, that is of course until she kills a vampire - and all she really wanted was to get something to eat! Lord Maccon, a werewolf, whom seems to be just barely civilized, is sent to investigate the murder of the ill-fated vampire and the shenanigans begin.

This novel is in possession of a wonderfully witty tone, a boat-load of refreshing secondary characters and descriptions that suck you in and make you believe you are in the Victorian age. I enjoyed everything about this book.  The plot is deep and well thought out.  The main characters are wonderful and very likable. The tone is consistent with gritty humor and almost a sexy innocence. The dialog was excellent! I'm usually not a historical fan, but I'm a fan of this book.  Can not wait to read Changeless. 

Problems with the book were few and far between.  The author does tend to be a bit long winded, but the descriptions paint a wonderful picture.  I thought the epilogue was a bit too much, could have edited a bit of that out.


Recommendations: This is an adult novel, but is not over the top in the sexual escapades or violence, I would not be opposed to passing this on to a teen. Pick a sub-genre any sub-genre, fans of urban fantasy, steampunk, historical - take your pick fans of any and all of those genres should read this book.  I must state that I am not the biggest fan of steampunk or historical and I still very much enjoyed this book.

Blog with Bite Discussion Questions:

1. With the rise in popularity of steampunk trends, do you think the dialog and environment created in Soulless fitting within the paranormal genre?

I think the novel worked perfectly.  The unique steampunk/urban fantasy world was a refreshing take on the normal paranormal tones that are rampant in books these days.  This was a very unique perspective and I don't believe books should be fettered to any particular parameters set by other novels in the genre. 

2. For better or worse, Soulless throws together a lot of unconventional story elements. What ones worked for you? What ones didn't? Will you be reading the next book in the series, Changeless?

They all seemed to work for me, I highly enjoyed this novel and I loved the mix of story elements. I thought the comedic tone worked very well with the Victorian setting, mix that all together with the paranormal aspects and it was even more entertaining. I will be reading Changeless, if I didn't have some review deadlines I would have downloaded it today.

1. The comedic tone of the novel was ever present even when the novel was at it's darkest plot-threads. Do you think this added to the depth of the novel and characters or did it trivialize the plot?

During the climax when all the action took place the comedic tone wasn't as prevalent but the lightness of the author's voice was still there.  This may not have conveyed the severity of the situation like another novel might have - SPOILER - they were draining her friend of all his blood and still there was a light tone, which might have trivialized it a bit.  But I think I grasped the intensity of the climax.

Ring of Desire by Ryshia Kennie

Whispers of an ancient magic drew them together ... In the medieval land of Hafne, a curse has swept through the land leaving it barren and without hope. As one of the chosen, Vala watches for signs of the prophecy and with it, the owner of a ring who is destined to fight by her side and drive away the darkness. The newly arrived Norman enemy is an unnecessary complication in Hafne-and in beautiful Vala's heart. ... An unspeakable evil fights to keep them apart. Giles arrives with his Norman men in time to rescue a mysterious woman from a watery death. Holding Vala in his arms, the stirrings of destiny and desire begin, binding him to a prophecy of which he surely has no part-binding him to a search for his true origins and a fight to save his soul and hers.

This book from the moment I opened it intrigued me.  I read the synopsis and while I am not a big fan of historical fantasy, thought I might enjoy this book.  The beginning was very good and I found myself drawn in, but as I got further into the book, I realized I really wasn't as into as I was in the beginning. Once again it could be because I'm not a fan of historicals... all the nays and maidens ...but I actually got confused within the pages. Later on it did iron out and I got back into the novel, but the damage had been done, unfortunately. 

It was very well written and the plot was entertaining and original. The bad guys were very creepy. I think where it was lacking was in the main characters, I just could not relate to Giles and Vala.  They were just so different that I wasn't drawn into them to care what happened.  In the beginning Vala's plight was intense and I was drawn to her, but she began acting oddly later on and I just didn't get what her motives were.

If you are a fan of Historical Fantasy, maybe this would be something you would be into. I am not going to rate it though, because I think any rating I put on it would be unfair, since this is not a genre of preference for me - and now I know in the future not to tread these waters.

The Queen's Bastard by C.E. Murphy

Author Spotlight C.E. Murphy

For today an tomorrow I will be reviewing first in series books by author C.E. Murphy.  I enjoy her books - even though the tend to get mediocre reviews.

Author Bio from Amazon:

C.E. Murphy was born and raised in Alaska and has since moved to her ancestral homeland of Ireland. She lives there with her husband, a chef, and three very spoiled pets. 


She's a full-time writer. Thus far her plans to take over the publishing world are proceeding apace.




Spotlight Book #1:

The Queens Bastard (The Inheritors’ Cycle, Book 1)

Set in an alternate reality of Elizabethan Europe, The Queen’s Bastard highlights the life of Belinda – The queens bastard and trained assassin. Magic, death and court politics, this book drips full-bodied, lusty appeal.

Belinda, while a strong, death-wielding assassin, is basically a slave to the system she was bred into. She has been raised in total ignorance of who she is. She has been taught to act a certain way, believe a certain belief system and follow her Queen with blind faith. She kills indiscriminately and has very little remorse over doing so. In fact, Belinda shows very little feeling what-so-ever. She is just a tool.

When Belinda is given an assignment to infiltrate the elite of a neighboring enemy country, Belinda is given the opportunity to behave differently then she is used to. Her usual roles have been those of the servant class, on missions of assassination. This role is that of a spy and for that she has to get close to her targets, befriend them and wait for word. She is not used to this role and in so doing, her feelings, which she has pushed to the side as meaningless become more and more apparent. Belinda begins to care for the people she may have to kill.

Along with her realization of the magnitude of emotions, Belinda also realizes that there is something quite different about her, something that gives her the ability to blend into the shadows and become the perfect assassin. Belinda is witchbreed and she is not the only one of her kind.

This is a very different read than my usual modern books with bit, but I do recommend it for those interested in historical dramas and the paranormal. There are some explicitly violent and sexual scenes in this book. Overall the book was good and kept my interest. I do plan on picking up the second novel when I get a chance.

Check back tomorrow for the review of C.E. Murphy’s Heart of Stone.