Review: Heartless - Gail Carriger

Hello there.

Heartless was called, by some, a passage novel. That it was there to fill the blank between Blameless and Timeless. I agree partially.

From here on, there will be spoilers of Soulless, Changeless and Blameless. Be warned!



So, after our beloved Alexia manages to get back with her Lord Maccon, they go back to England, she gets her position back and they end up with still more problems, of course.

Because the vampires that wanted her dead on the previous book, well, they still do. And they send undead porcupines to do the trick of luring her husband out while some vampire finishes her off. I mean, really, undead porcupines? How cool is that?

Either way, Professor Lyall, the genious on the bunch, finds a solution - one that Alexia doesn't exactly love, that Lord Maccon doesn't like at all, but that will have to do. Alexia and Conall's baby will have to be adopted out. The vampires are worried that such a powerful and important being will be dangerous if raised by werewolves. So the Woolsey Pack Beta believes that it can be countered if a vampire adopts the child - and who better than Lord Akeldama to do it? Trustworthy and not tied to any hive, a friend of the family and always well informed, with an army of dandy drones, he'll be perfect to raise the baby in all the niceties of England's society.

Of course, Lady and Lord Maccon want to keep up with the baby so they rent the house next door and end up living on Lord Akeldama's second best closet. Secretly, of course.

Biffy, who is now a werewolf, because of the "accidents" of the previous book is having a hard time to adapt, so he's taken to the city along with Lady Maccon, Floote and some others, so to make everyone more comfortable.

At the same time, we have Alexia's sister Felicity joining the sufragette movement (le gasp!) and showing up to live with Alexia, since she's been kicked out, aparently.

Madame Lefoux is a rare show on this book, but she has a great part and a great reason to be away. We find more about Professor Lyall's past and it's simply heartbreaking, we find out more about the Woolsey Pack's past, how was the previous Alpha, we find out more about the treason that made Maccon leave -specially since Alexia decides it is important for a current problem and she must find out. We also find out more about Madame Lefoux and Former Lefoux, Genevieve's late aunt and a thing or two about ghosts, who seem to form some sort of... Whispernet... To talk to people who are away from where they are thetered.

Back to my first statement, this book does feel like an in between thing - it's there to show Alexia pregnant and to hold space for Timeless - but, at the same time, it's got a decent story in it and it explains so much about the past that I just loved to hear, specially Lyall's story and a lot of Lord Akeldama.

There're the food talks, the dress and hat talks, the setting of the real Parasol Protectorate - finally! - where Ivy Tunstell is nominated a member of a secret society and reveals herself to be not as shallow and silly as we first thought.

There is that one moment where you are screaming at the book "don't do that you fool, don't you know vampires??" but then again, you must forgive Alexia, she's enormous, she's in pain and she's trying to help while her husband and the whole pack is, well, locked up.

All in all, another one of Gail Carriger's masterpieces. Totally worth it, even if not her best work, simply because it leads to Timeless.

Oh, and I must say, it is NOT my favorite cover, right along with Soulless. My favorites would be Blameless and Timeless, definitely.

Review: Blameless - Gail Carriger

Hello all!

Today I bring you another review of this series I love so badly, The Parassol Protectorate. You can read the previous reviews of Soulless and Changeless, before we start.

Also, be aware, there will be spoilers of both Soulless and Changeless, since they are needed to better talk about Blameless.

You've been warned.

We begin the book with Alexia Maccon unfortunately stuck at the Loontwill's home. Again. Not as a spinster, but as a married woman with, well, problems. When one's husband is a werewolf and one's pregnant, well, something must be explained - this is not Twilight, after all and Werewolves just don't have children. It's not done!

So Alexia is casted out from the Shadow Council, from her home and marriage, from the Woolsey Pack, from society, since she must've been "indiscreet". Well that's absurd, Alexia would never do such thing - she finds most people impossible to even talk to, why would she do that when her husband is, well, such a big piece of man...

Gail Carriger delivers another one of her masterpieces, with witty comments and steampunk fantasy goodyness.

I just adore the setting of the story, with Alexia, who is a wonderful main character, with the vampires and werewolves, who are amazingly well written and the whole steampunk thing which is amazing. I mean, really, killing clockwork-ish ladybugs? Just a-may-zing. Ah, and the dresses and the parasol, of course.

So Alexia is cast out of everything she found on book 1 and everything she loves. Along with that, the only one who can really help her understand, our favorite fashionable vampire, is gone. Poof, possibly turned into glitter. Ok, not really glitter, he swarmed, which means he was in immediate danger and he ran away.

Professor Lyall is left to investigate the dissappearance of Lord Akeldama and Lord Maccon getting drunk on any kind of alcohol he can find (which is very hard for a werewolf), while Alexia decides that a trip to Italy to talk with the Templars, the only people who may possibly know anything about her "delicate condition". She takes Floote and Madame Lefoux, as help and protection, and travels to Italy in a "not so swift" travel, as anything Alexia does.

I'm not going into detail as to how things go, since that would be bad, mean, ugly spoilers, but I simply love how Alexia conducts things. Since she is soulless, her answers are what we would call sceptical. When asked what she thinks of "this lovely city" she goes "well, it's orange", since it was all so orange and, aparently, she is soulless and can't see the beauty and magic of things. I happen to disagree, I think she sees the beauty of things, just not the futile things, futile ideas and, well, maybe I am soulless too ;)

Floote is one interesting guy and I like how he shows up more here and on the following books. I also adore Lyall and I think he makes everything more interesting, such a perfect gentleman, so impecable and a perfect Beta.

I have so much more to talk about the characters, but I will wait to tell on my review for the next book. I strongly advise everyone to read these books, they are lovable, unbearably cute, amazingly fun and just all around awesomeness. Stay tuned for reviews of Heartless and Timeless.

Review: Changeless - Gail Carriger

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'll start this review saying that I love Alexia. And that I am profoundly shocked by the ending of Changeless. That I must deeply advise anyone to buy Blameless along with Changeless and not, under any circunstance, to read one and not have the other as you will definitly feel the need for it once you are done. I made that mistake and now I have to wait at least 40 days to read Blameless...

Alexia and Connal's dialogues are just incredibly funny - actually the whole book is full of witty and hilarious quotes - and Ivy is another character you just love, despite her complete nonsense.

Alexia is a lady definitly not suitable for her time and place. She is very italian of complexion, while British of temper, so she was not believed to get married - at the age of 26, she was a spinster and couldn't worry less about it. And then Lord Maccon, an Alpha Werewolf, Head of BUR and a large piece of a man, married her, against all odds, really.

When Alexia wakes up with her husband yelling, at first, she jumps claiming "wasn't me" even though, as she promptly thinks, it usually is her fault. When her husband goes missing, the next day, she tracks him down, finds enough information to gather he went to Scotland - damp, cold and gray Scotland. Because of a series of incidents, Miss Hisselpenny (Ivy), Mr Tunstell (a Claviger) and Alexia's sister, Miss Loontwill, all end up going with her and her maid, Angelique, because, of course, one mustn't be without a decent hairdo or a proper wardrobe only because one's in the middle of Scotland. Madame Lefoux, a man-dressing-like inventor, surprinsingly joins them after making Alexia the most wonderful parasol ever and our troupe is set to go - by dirigible, of course! Unfortunatly, Alexia deems "dirigible food" to be something awfully tasteless:

Everything - meat, vegetables, even pudding - appeared to have been steamed into flaccid colorless submission, with no sauce, or even salt, to boldter the flavor. It was like eating a wet handkerchief.

If our Lady Maccon was wonderfully shocking the society while single (and spinster), she may be a little less shocking now that she is married, as married women are allowed a bit more than spinsters and she does seem to take her husband's position in consideration - she is now the wife of an earl, not some ordinary spinster, not to mention Muhjah of the queen. But that doesn't make her less hilarious as she can also, mostly, speak her mind or, at least, think it, which makes us have a great time following her train of thought.

He paced about Alexia slowly in a circle as though examining her for flaws. It felt very doglike to Alexia. She was prepared to jump back if he cocked a leg.

Ivy Hisselpenny and her hats are something extra. She would be what we call in movies "The Comic Relief" I believe. And yet, we all love her, her small subplot and weird aditions to the story make it funny and nonsensical.

"I love him so very much. As Romeo did Jugurtha, as Pyramid did Thirsty, as-" (Ivy Hisselpenny speaking her usual nonsense)

Of course it wouldn't be our usual dose of Alexia (and of Gail Carriger) if someone wasn't trying to kill her. And she wasn't trying to uncover some plot to end the supernatural life, even if she, being soulless and all, wasn't the exact end of supernaturals. It's a major wave of preternatural or, as they call it, humanization. Every supernatural within a radius suddenly becomes... Human. And that is pretty creepy for immortal people who've been immortal for a long time now.

Alexia wondered what it said about her character that Ivy had genuinely believed she would intentionally go climbing about the side of a floating dirigible.

Obviously, Alexia does find out what's causing it. And it brings a whole new creepy perspective for herself and her soulless condition. Which reminds me - do NOT read the burble for the following books (Blameless, Heartless or Timeless) as it will most definitly holds a major spoiler of storyline, I read them and, well, I don't mind, also it was still a surprise of sorts, but I'm sure most people would be deeply frustrated by the spoilery.

Then there is the cover. I absolutelly must comment on the cover. This series always had me for the witty thoughts and the covers, but I seem to alternate favorites. Soulless and Blameless are my favorites, but Changeless and Heartless have it's charm, with Heartless being my least favorite for the simple reason that Alexia looks too fashionable and too cute for her own self. Also, where is the parasol on Changeless? I can't properly see, but it seems like she isn't holding one and that isn't much Alexia-like.


Blameless' cover is much more beautiful. Probably the best in the series, I must say, that dress and that parasol oh my (see?). I guess I should wrap this up, it's going way too far, so I'll finish by saying that I'm eager to read Blameless, I'm crazy to get more Alexia and that I definitly plan on buying Blameless, Heartless and probably pre-order Timeless all together. Timeless seems to be one of the most interesting ones, with more questions answered, I believe, since Egipt seems to have lots to say about preternaturals.


You can buy Changeless at Amazon here or the Book Depository here.


Also, if anyone is willing to buy and give me as a birthday gift, my birthday is on september 11th and the Book Depository ships for free to Brazil. :)

Review: Soulless - Gail Carriger

LO-VED. What other way of starting a review like this one? I won this at a giveaway on The Book Lovers INC blog, with a US$ 10 credit on the Book Depository. A Steampunk-ish romance, with a strong heroine, vampires, werewolves and lots of humor it was all I wanted! It took around 45 days to get here and when it got here, I had other books I had to read and review before, so it was here for like 2 months before I got to it, but I finally managed to read it during my short one week vacation... And went crazy! Why didn't I read it before? I could've asked both sequels for Christmas! Now I have to wait until #4 is out, in June, or I'll finish #'s 2 and 3 and then # 4 is out and I'll want that one too... You know how it is.

Well, to the story! Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster, on Victorian England, she's a 26 (or 28? I forgot!) years old unmarried woman and, actually, her mom never tried to get her a husband, because she's Italian-like - strong will, high taste of food, dark-ish skin and a large nose - making her mom actually give up on finding her a husband, before she even started looking. But there's something her mom doesn't know: Alexia is a Preternatural, a Soulless person that, because of that, can anull a supernatural's powers. Vampires lose their fangs, strength, even their imortality when she touches them. Werewolves go back into being normal people, even during the Full Moon.

Oh, of course, on Victorian England (and there's the steampunk-ish factor of the book) vampires and werewolves are accepted in society and both "Hives" (vampire groups) as Werewolves Packs follow government rules. One of the very interesting factors is that it is very hard for them to turn people into vampires and werewolvers, specially women and only female vampires (Queens, like bees) can turn people into vampires.

The story starts with Alexia killing a vampire. It's something slightly accidental, he attacked her, without knows what she is - which is strange by itself, sinde the "BUR" Supernatural Things Unit (can't remember the proper name) keeps a registry about her and all supernatural beings on the region and inform hives and packs about her - and she defended, of course, with her umbrella (specially made, with a silver tip).

On the male side, we have Lord Maccon, a werewolf, chief of the Supernatural Bureau, pack of the London area Pack. Stubborn, manly (oh so manly), strong, sexy, stubborn... Did I mention stubborn? Strong, hot temper. He likes Alexia, of course, but they argue all the time, from the beggining to the very ending of the book. Actually, one of the reasons that he kisses her the first time is to make her shut up.

There's a misterious mistery (oohh) happening, loner vampires and werewolves (who have no hive or pack) are disappearing, while others, disoriented, uninstructed, hungry, are showing up. And, of course, that`s a major issue.

Oh, yes, Lord Akeldama, a gay vampire (yes!) is ALL GOOD. He's one of the best characters. He's Alexia's friend, against Lord Maccon's wishes - who, actually, doesn't approve much of anything Alexia does.

Alexia is, like I said, stubborn - as much as Lord Maccon -, witty, funny and loves her parasol (some sort of unbrella made for the sun, bsasically). Something you clearly notice on the book is the difference between the characters that are naturally from England and those from elsewhere. Maccon is Scotish, what makes him "less civilized" among the English and Alexia's blood is Italian, while Maccon's Beta (Lyall) is english and a perfect gentleman, delicate, polite, discreet, like Alexia's butler, who's always around but's very discreet.

Soulless is not a Young Adult novel, as the main characters are adults and there are pretty spicy scenes. Actually, all the way spicy, if you know what I mean... It touches some politics, prejudice, some history, and the language - at least the original book - is quite complex, I had a hard time with some words and expressions.

I hope it gets published in Brazil soon, I know lots of people who would LOVE this series and is missing on it, I'm dying to recommend it for everyone, but I understand how complicated it is for most people to read in English a book of this level - lots of strange expressions due to the time frame of the story and british English, which makes it a quite complex book.

Hearless, the fourth on the series comes out July 1st, 2011. Second and third are Changeless and Blameless, all with the most wonderful covers ever.

You can buy Soulless with free shipping worldwide at the Book Depository: Soulless