Soulless - Gail Carriger

Soulless
By: Gail Carriger
Published: 2009
Audiobook Read by: Emily Gray
My rating: SPECTACULAR









Here is another book that my friend Valerie recommended and has stood up to that recommendation very well for me! I absolutely loved it! Thank you so much, Valerie!!

Alexia Tarabotti is your average spinster in the making. Already 26 years old with a very plain face, a very forward and assertive personality, and worst of all, an Italian father, she has accepted her fate as gracefully as possible. Yes, Alexia is a very average, quite uninteresting girl, unless you count the fact that she has no soul!

Now, everybody knows that vampires and werewolves are generally well behaved individuals who despite one or two eccentricities are respectable citizens. Imagine Alexia's surprise then, when for no apparent reason she is attacked by a vampire at a party and is forced to defend herself in a most unladylike manner. Good thing she carries her trusty parasol everywhere isn't it? Unfortunate that she killed the poor fellow, though, she really hadn't meant to but now, one of her best wooden hair pins is absolutely ruined! Well, when Lord Maccon of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry shows up to investigate she really is inconvenienced! Despite being a very well put together specimen, and despite his two hundred or so years of experience, and despite being the Alpha of the Wolsey Castle werewolf pack, Alexia just can't abide him! Everyone knows that the Scottish are such neanderthals and behave in such uncivilized ways, can you just imagine, wearing a smoking jacket to dinner! No self-respecting lady in London society would be caught dead with a Scottish werewolf and here she is, forced to spend an entire evening with him!

Well, it turns out that insane vampires are just the tip of the iceberg. Had Alexia known that killing that one vampire was going to force her to spend so much time with that repulsive Lord Maccon, she just might have let him bite her instead! It might have been fun to see what would have happened, her being soulless and all. Oh well, whats done is done and now she is in a whirlwind of scandalous activities, trying to uncover the truth about the strange events that are wreaking havoc on her social standing! And to make matters worse, that beastly Lord Maccon can't keep his paws to himself! Well...maybe it isn't making things worse, but really, why does he have to be Scottish?

This was a very fun book! I love the way Gail has created a world where the supernatural and natural mix in polite society. All the way through there are hilarious references to fashion and polite behavior that clash most absurdly with the typical thinking on werewolves and vampires! The mystery is well thought out as well but not so deep as to require you to focus on it. The story of Alexia's personal life is very entertaining as well! It's a beautifully written work that blends the best of proper fashion and etiquette of 19th century London with the mystical world of the supernatural and adds in a great big heaping helping of fun! There is a healthy amount of romance and some sexual situations but they are tastefully written and though a bit explicit at times, were not offensive to me and even added to the fun most of the time.

I listened to the audiobook read by Emily Gray. Emily was wonderful and I loved her performance. She isn't the best at doing a male voice with an American accent but I think that added some to the fun of her performance!

Overall, this is a SPECTACULAR book. If you like vampires and werewolves dressed in stylish waistcoats and cravats, you'll love this book!