Soulless
Ratings192
Average rating3.8
★ ★ ★ 1/2
This is simply not my kind of book, a fact I repeated to myself many times while reading this. But man, I was charmed by it. So charmed by it, that I didn't care if it was my kind of book or not.
Straightaway, we have our heroine, Alexia Tarabotti, describing her mother:
Mrs. Loontwill, as she was Loontwill since her remarriage, leaned a little too far toward the frivolous in any given equation. She was prone to wearing yellow and engaging in bouts of hysteria.
Awesome graphic novel.
I tried to read Soulless a few times in the past and didn't get engaged in the story (probably due to the fact that I tried to read it in french which is my second fluent language). This week I found the graphic novel in my local library and took all three novels with me (and read the first one in one sitting). The graphics were gorgeous and detailed and, for what I have read in Soulless so far, similar to the book itself.
I will continue to read the next two books in graphic novel form before I try reading the complete series in german and - if the german version also turns out to be not as suiting for my reading taste - in english.
A very fun and funny little book that got surprisingly spicy in sections. Although characters made a few dumb choices and missed obvious connections along the way I'd still give it 5 stars.
Much fluffy, entirely captivating, a paranormal romance steampunkish romp. #bookclub4m
The fun, frothy tale is set in an alternate Victorian London where vampires and werewolves have been integrated into society. The Bureau of Unnatural Registry is the organization keeping tabs on them and one 25-year-old spinster, Alexia Tarabotti keeps finding herself in their company. Alexia herself is one of the rarest of the unnaturals. She's a preternatural, i.e. one who has no soul, and thus she has a negating effect on werewolves and vampires when she comes in physical contact with them. When Alexia accidentally kills a rogue vampire – one that is not part of a hive – the plot gets into motion. Alexia herself is a wonderful character: smart, witty, forthright, self-concious about her dark skin tone, dead Italian father, and prominent nose; she is eager to have something to do. Preferably something to do with the BUR and the handsome head of the BUR the Earl of Woolsey, Lord Maccon, the land's hunky alpha werewolf. This story was very much fun, perhaps a little short on action but long on wit and with a healthy dose of erotica. I'm probably not the target demographic for this sort of thing, but I greatly enjoyed it and will no doubt scoop up the follow-up, Changless, when it becomes available next May.
One of my favorite things is when a book that seems to be loved by readers I respect lives up to the hype. This was definitely one of those novels, and I had so much fun reading it. Alexia is a fantastic heroine - smart, quick-witted, and strong, she's not a Victorian lady to be taken lightly. I found her internal struggles with self-esteem to be quite honest, and I appreciated the way she didn't take herself too seriously, but also never dismissed her own abilities. Carriger's cast of characters was SO entertaining - I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite, but Lord Akeldama certainly tops the list.
This book was a true joy to read - Carriger clearly loves language, and plays with it to great effect. Her writing is witty and sharp, and had me laughing many times. As an example -
“The vampire's eyes were open, and he was staring at her intently. It was as though he were trying to speak to her with simply the power of a glare.
Alexia did not speak glare-ish.”
Moments like this were found throughout the book, making it easy to turn the pages. There were a few times that I thought the author might have played a bit loose with Victorian convention, but I suppose when you create and England that has accepted vampires and werewolves, you have a bit of license to change up the rules. This was one of the most fun novels I've read this year, and I'm looking forward to more adventures with Alexia.
I loved this novel, so I grabbed the graphic novel (mostly because I was curious as to how they were going to jam all of the Soulless world into graphic novel). Well, they do. Not only that, but Alexia comes off as even more charming! As I always suspected: Ivy's hats are not that bad (so far). I really loved this and look forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed this book. For me, who has read plenty of paranormal romance novels, this one felt unique in that it was so smartly written. The big mystery wasn't much of a surprise, but the plot was fun and new. Mostly, I enjoyed this book due to the main character. She was sassy and brazen without being mean-spirited, and that felt refreshing. She was also incredibly smart, and I really appreciate intelligent female leads in my books, rare as they are.
I somehow didn't realize this was a werewolf book until I started reading, and I generally hate werewolves in books, so I was worried. But the werewolves in this book, although they are alpha male and definitely part animal, aren't controlling, abusive rapists. Hooray for that!
All this said, I think the book could've used more plot and much more science and a little less love story. I don't feel like jumping immediately to the second in the series because the story was so neatly tied up at the end of this one. But I'm sure I'll read it, maybe to revive myself one day after I suffer through a book with a female lead who faints a lot or something.
What a hoot! Unique blend of steampunk and supernatural, with extremely dry humor and a lively (if unsentimental) romance. Kind of reminded me of Amelia Peabody series, if Amelia had the unique ability to neutralize supernatural beings and if Emerson was a werewolf. I've heard the other books in the series aren't as strong so I'm reluctant to check them out, but this one is almost perfect by itself. Can't wait to read it again.
The e-book is currently 99 cents on Amazon and B&N, so it's a bargain. But even at full price Soulless would have been worth every penny.
Re-read July ‘17 dropping rating from 4 –> 3.5
Never got around to finishing this... omg last year? around the same time too, wow. Anyhow, I'm determined this year to read the rest of the series and have it done with once and for all.
The reason I think I can never continue with the series?
It is interesting and holds my attention when I read it, but I don't feel gripped or compelled to read the rest. Hopefully the second book will change my mind about this. I WILL START IT!
7/27/16 read the book again.... raise the rating from 3 -> 4*
I'm not sure what I found lacking the first time I read this book. I found it absolutely enchanting and funny. The dialogue is charming. I found myself laughing or wanting to highlight passages
I liked the characters and honestly I can't wait to read the next book to figure out how the story will continue. Such a fun world!!
Things I didn't like were how Alexia's family put her down continuously, making her self-esteem horrible. Given the time period it is supposed to be though I cannot fault it too much. I hope to see some improvement on this in future books.