Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger
(Spoiler-free Review!)
Start out by imagining Elizabeth Bennett. Add a hefty amount of steampunk, a few vampires and werewolves, and a good dose of wonderful sounding food and tongue-in-cheek humor. You might come up with something somewhat like Soulless, by Gail Carriger.
I would’ve known nothing at all about this unassuming little book if not for word of mouth, but it was a wonderful discovery. In the current literary world where vampire stories are a dime a dozen, and the majority of them rather decidedly bad, I found myself having to put aside a certain amount of suspicion of any book involving the supernatural. Once assured that none of the vampires in the book sparkle (with, perhaps, the exception of Lord Akeldama, and that only with sequins) I decided to give it a chance.
I’m glad I did. This book was one of the most fun reads I’ve had in quite a while, largely due to the humor of the novel. It has no problems poking fun at the tropes of the genres it straddles, while at the same time presenting them in new and rather refreshing ways. Alexia Tarabotti is a heroine Jane Austen would be proud of: an unconventional and independent woman in a society where free-thinking women were rarely welcomed. Like Eliza Bennett, she looks upon the women of her own family with amused annoyance as they natter on about fashion and society gossip. Her male counterpart is a good bit more Heathcliff than Darcy, but a fitting match for her wits and someone who can appreciate a woman who can think for herself.
I couldn’t help laughing out loud at places, but don’t think that this book is all about the giggles. At its heart are characters you can’t help but fall a bit in love with, a tightly written mystery story that never did lay all its cards on the table until the end, and a romance that is anything but Victorian.
If you like a little steampunk Victoriana and can enjoy a good supernatural story, be sure to pick this book up.
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