I've mentioned before that the books I REALLY like have a certain formula: it's a series, typically has paranormal activity (witches, vampires, daemons, etc.), and among other things, there's a romantic relationship. SIDE NOTE: these books are not of your trashy romance variety...there's definitely some there, but it's not overly smutty.
Also, I've only read book 1 and 2 of the series (Soulless and Changeless), but I have the 3rd book queued up on my Kindle. The 4th book comes out this summer FYI.
Now that you have all the background, let me get into the books themselves.
I could really get into the plot-lines of each of the books, but I don't think I could do the plot lines justice without mangling the story and completely scaring you off from reading them. Instead, here is what makes these books so great.
The cast of characters are what make these books so fantastic and funny. Of course it starts with our main character...I wish all heroines could be as refreshing as Alexia Tarabotti. Besides being a 25 year old, unmarried, soulless lady - she isn't your typical heroine who swoons every time the wind changes direction and isn't afraid to take charge of a situation either. Then there's her posse of gay vampire friends with fang-lisp, dopey/strong-man werewolves, a vapid, silly best friend who likes ugly hats, and of course her strapping werewolf man friend and his bookish man servant.
Besides having really likeable characters, I also kinda fell in love the world that the author created. Vampires, ghosts, werewolves and other paranormal creatures all existing in Victorian London. AND then there's the steampunk / urban fantasy aspect of it all (see definition below). It may sound geeky and not something you could get into, but I was sucked into it pretty quickly.
It's rare for me to find a book that makes me laugh or snort out loud, but these books made that happen several times with the witty banter and commentary between the characters. Apparently, one ofthe author's goals was to spoof Gothic classics, and she definitely succeeded!
Random Fact: This series is considered part of the Steampunk genre. If you're like me, you have no idea what this is. The down and dirty definition (from Wikipedia) is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy.
What does Steampunk mean in this series (from Gail Carriger's website): There is not magic in this book. Scientists are trying to understand why vampires, ghosts and werewolves exist and "this results in steampunk gadgets and crazy theories centered on the existence of the soul." But please don't think that this makes the books hard to read/understand...if anything it makes them very light-hearted and silly.
RANK: A
I looooved this series! Despite the fact that the chick on the cover looks nothing like the buxom bluestocking I have pictured for Alexia.
ReplyDeleteI must be a few dork levels above you because I actually knew what steampunk was before reading this series. No doubt because of my extensive SciFi background. And I wear glasses.
My only negative is how easily whats-his-name got off the hook at the end for treating Alexia so badly. Booo. Maybe in book 4 we see her giving him a bit of trouble for it.
yay books!