Soulless
Book 1 of The Parasol Protectorate
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4.4 • 39 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
***Also available as a manga adaptation***
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history. Prickly, stubborn 25-year-old bluestocking Alexia Tarabotti is patently unmarriageable, and not just because she's large-nosed and swarthy. She's also soulless, an oddity and a secret even in a 19th-century London that mostly accepts and integrates werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts. The only man who notices her is brash Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish Alpha werewolf and government official, and (of course) they dislike each other intensely. After Alexia kills a vampire with her parasol at a party how vulgar! she and Conall must work together to solve a supernatural mystery that grows quite steampunkishly gruesome. Well-drawn secondary characters round out the story, most notably Lord Akeldama, Alexia's outrageous, italic-wielding gay best vampire friend. This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans.
Customer Reviews
Excellent
A great read. Definitely worth reading the whole series. Great for any age too.
Souless
I loved this book, it was given to me as a christmas present back in 2010 and I delayed reading it. Once I did i was hooked and waited in anticipation as each book was released in the series. So sad when it ended!! Although there will be a spin off series written soon.
If you love original ideas you must read this!
Dirigibles, tea, werewolves and bustles! Who could say no to the Parasol protectorate? I love the Victorian alternate earth setting of this book and the characters come to life so beautifully you find yourself strangely immersed from that first moment in the library.
I read this when it first came out (book) and was scrabbling for the second!