There was awkward head hopping that was used to create sympathy for characters or provide a more omniscient view of the characters for the readers.
Courting between the two was very awkward.Īt times the storytelling was a bit clumsy. The “daytime folk” observed different societal customs than those of the Pack or the hives (vampires). Alexia knew, for example, that a vampire that attacked her was very young because he had a “fang-lisp” and “among vampires, lisping was the height of vulgarity.” Heavy velvet drapes had become in fashion at the emergence of the supernaturals who avoided sunlight. The worldbuilding was extremely robust and given in small, telling details as well as broader strokes. She holds herself aloof from society before it can reject her, causing her to become different enough for society to reject her.
#Soulless by gail carriger skin#
“ So Alexia, whose nose really wasn’t that big and whose skin really wasn’t that tan, had gone on the shelf at fifteen.” Alexia believes her lack of connection to people is based on her soullessness and her conviction of this leads to her being brash and alienating to those around her. Indeed, her mother had decided the best place for Alexia was on the shelf. She understood that was an unlikely bride for any man. There were few soulless individuals and apparently it was something Alexia inherited from her father, along with his exceedingly long nose and unfavorably dark skin.Īlexia, having learned early on that she was soulless, determined to embrace it by learning all she could from her father’s library of the supernatural. By her touch, she could raise up their human nature and render their magic null. Alexia presented a danger to supernaturals. Additionally, most wanted to preserve their youth and thus requested to be transformed at a young age. Supernaturals were those beings who had an excess of soul and therefore could handle the transition of human to supernatural, be it vampire, werewolf, or ghost. According to the Bureau of Unnatural Registry (BUR), Alexia is preternatural because she had no soul. They are rich and interesting.Īlexia Tarabotti is neither human nor supernatural. They advise the Queen and hold powerful political positions. They weren’t the first choice for the upper echelon of society to mingle with, but they do have a certain cache. Werewolves and vampires presented a peculiar place within society, of a class like successful tradesmen. For them it had been an age spent skulking through the night. Supernatural folk called the time before the Dark Ages, for obvious reasons.
Before that prestigious revolution in philosophy and science that their emergence triggered, known to some as the Renaissance but to vampires as the Age of Enlightenment. Cleverly, the acceptance of the supernatural among the humans is tied to real world events.īefore the hives and packs made themselves known on the British Isle. There are fun references to this time period being so “modern” and how things aren’t done in this “day and age”. Soulless is set in 19th Century London, the center of technological and sociological advancement. With this background, Lord Maccon comes to the realization that he is greatly attracted to Alexia and Alexia has to overcome her lack of self esteem to accept Lord Maccon’s permanent attentions. This strange creature, or group of creatures, are picking off the lone wolves and the lone vampires (roves) and have an unseemly interest in Alexia. Instead the story rests upon the relationship of Alexia Tarabotti, Lord Maccon, the Alpha of Woolsey Castle and a strange monstrous creature that is neither werewolf, vampire or ghost, the only supernaturals that are supposed to exist. It has steampunk elements, but very little of the book is focused on the technological aspects of the period. If the reader is a long time lover of steampunk or intimately acquainted with period pieces like gaslight fantasies and the like, then the reader may have a completely different reaction to this book.īased on the previous discussion of steampunk, I would classify this solidly as a gaslight fantasy. I am afraid that my inexperience is going to seep through here, but the best I can do is tell you what I liked and what I didn’t. Therefore, a review from me will not have the scope or depth of someone familiar with the trope. I have very little knowledge of the sub genre called Steampunk and its sister creatures. Don’t cl-okay, well, come back after you are down, okay?) No, I became interested in the book after spending far too long playing with the Soulless digital paper doll. I became interested in this book, not because of a blurb or someone else’s review or anything like that. Orbit kindly sent me a copy of your book for review. Jane B Reviews Category / B- Reviews / Book Reviews 19th century / Gail Carriger / gaslight fantasy / Orbit / Paranormal 26 Comments
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