Mar 20, 2011

Changeless



Changeless by Gail Carriger
(Number 2 in Parasol Protectorate series)
Published: April 1, 2010 by Orbit

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.


But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. 


She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it. 

       I decided to start reading this series (which starts with Soulless) after reading tons of great reviews that made me curious about it. These books are great, just be aware that they are adult books found in the regular Science Fiction section, not the Young Adult section. There's nothing graphic, but there is sex. 

Reasons I love this book:
  • the cover- I know this doesn't actually effect the story, but this series has some of my favorite covers. They're designed by Lauren Panepinto, who made this video showing her design process. I found it fascinating so I thought I'd share. Take a look if you haven't seen it! (Bonus: Watching it here means no nasty Youtube comments!)                        

  • the mystery- basically the plot I suppose, but whatever you call it, it's great. Also, once you read it you'll know why the title is so fitting. 
  • Alexia- I love this girl: her parasol weapons, the banter with her husband, being stubborn and never doing what she's told, taking absolutely no nonsense, and not giving a care about long-established pack protocol
  • the lighthearted nature of this series is such a refreshing change- some paranormal books take themselves so seriously, but not this one
Huh, what?:
  • Ivy and Felicity (but mostly Felicity)- they annoy me almost as much as they annoy Alexia, and their competition for Tunstell's attention makes them sound like teenagers. The only thing keeping them from driving me nuts is the way Alexia deals with them.
  • the Kingair Pack- You betrayed us! No you betrayed me! It's a little tiring after awhile. 
The boyfriend factor:
  • My boyfriend loves these books. He always asks me for things to read so I gave him Soulless, thinking he might like it. After reading Changeless he bought me Blameless just so he could read it and now he's telling me I need to read it immediately. 
Is this the end?:
  • No way after a cliffhanger like that! It was infuriating and one of the best/worst cliffhanger endings I've ever read. Best because it's a bomb of a cliffhanger, worst because it made me so mad!
  • The 4th book, Heartless, comes out June 28th of this year. 
Favorite Quotes:
  • "Does this thing work as an umbrella? she asked Madame Lefoux on her way back, waving the parasol.                                                                                                                                                 The inventor looked sheepish. "I forgot that part."                        pg. 207
  • "I believe your husband just smashed one of the hall tables into a thousand pieces with his fist." She cocked her head. "It was an astonishingly ugly table, but still, one could always give it to the deserving poor, couldn't one?"                                pg. 373


5 Robots
This is a series I will definitely be keeping up with, even past the dreaded 4th book in a series doldrums!
Acquired: Bought


3 comments:

  1. yay! for steampunk. make sure and visit me in june for steampunk romance features ;-D

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  2. I read the first one, but then got worried about the cliffhanger I heard ends the second. I don't know if I'll continue with the series or not.

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  3. Carol: It's a big cliffhanger for sure! Luckily I had already bought the 3rd book, so if you decide to continue the series (which I definitely recommend) make sure you have access to the 3rd book right away!

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