Soulless by Gail Carriger

Book: Soulless

Author: Gail Carriger

Published: October 1^st, 2009

Pages: 357

Genre: Adult Fiction, Fantasy

**Reviewer Note: This book does contain adult content including several scenes of sensuality

...So Alexia, who abhorred violence, was forced to grab the miscreant by his nostrils, a delicate and therefore painful area, and shove him away. He stumbled over the fallen tea trolley, lost his balance in a manner astonishingly graceless for a vampire, and fell to the floor. He landed right on top of a plate of treacle tart.
Miss Tarabotti was most distressed by this. She was particularly fond of treacle tart and had been looking forward to consuming that precise plateful. She picked up her parasol. It was terribly tasteless for her to be carrying a parasol at an evening ball, but Miss Tarabotti rarely went anywhere without it…

Soulless by Gail Carriger is a wonderful piece of fiction that all should sink their teeth into. She has taken a wonderful piece of 19th century British history and molded it into a steampunk, urban fantasy with "vampires, werewolves, and parasols". I was enraptured by the book so utterly and so completely that I was at a loss when I was forced to put the book down. I started it yesterday at around 11:00 a.m. and finished the 357 page novel (with a sadness of heart) in the closet at 12:45 a.m. this morning. As I neared the end I tried not to think of the short supply of remaining pages as I wished the book could go on forever.

Might I just say that this book was absolutely and deliciously scrumptious! Miss Alexia Tarabotti is a most amazing and lovable character in my eyes as is her parasol. I adored all the characters including Lord Akeldama and the delectable Lord Maccon. I definitely wish I had found this book so much sooner than just recently. I probably wouldn't have discovered it at all if it weren't for one of my favorite book sites goodreads.com.

I decided it was worthy of five stars because Carriger has done me in with her story of intrigue that she forced me to read the darn thing all in one day. The characters were so excitingly lovable I wish I could live in their world whilst I fraternized with the haughty vampires and illustriously large werewolves. AND it was so refreshingly hilarious and original I thought Gail Carriger possibly wrote it knowing I was going to one day read it (although that is probably not the case).

I have 2 things left to say:

1. If this had not been a library book (and therefore my own copy) I would have kissed it all over for its scathingly lovable goodness. (AND)

2. I must find myself a silver tipped parasol!

5 out of 5 Kisses