Book Review: Hide me among the Graves by Tim Powers

Title: Hide me among the Graves
Author: Tim Powers
Publisher: William Morrow, Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0061231544
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Pages: 528
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

This is the first Tim Powers novel I have read and can confidently say that may be I will read another one. I liked this one. I did not love it but I sure did like it a lot. The blend of fantasy fiction and historical fiction intrigued and that’s what prompted me to read this book. I am glad I did. It was a different sort of experience for me.

Hide me among the Graves is a very distant sequel to his book, The Stress of her Regard (you don’t have to read this one first). The book is about pre-Raphaelite painter Gabriel Dante Rossetti and poetess Christina Rossetti as they fight the Nephilic vampires banished by the Romantic poets Byron and Shelley. Interesting, isn’t it? There is more to it than this. Someone re-woke the Nephilim and Christina invited one of the vampires to her house, in the form of her uncle John Polidori, and now everyone is in danger – of not dying but of turning to a vampire. The Rossetti family is accompanied by an ex-prostitute, Adelaide, her lover and a missing daughter.

This is the plot and thus begins the Victorian journey of Goth and Darkness. Hide me among the Graves is a very fast read. One doesn’t have to think so much while reading it and once a while you need a book like this, amongst the literary reads. The characters are unlikely and you will not know what hit you as you read along. Imagine Christina Rossetti fighting a vampire – I love this kind of flights of fancy in books, the unexpected always lurking to take you by surprise.

Tim Powers’ writing is sharp and meant for readers who are into vampires but not of the pop kind. The book has famed poets and artists peeping from the pages and the reader can sense Powers’ love for the Classical. The secondary characters are also well-rounded and not ignored in the book, which is another plus for me when I read a book.

The setting of the book is brilliant – Victorian London – dark and cold, perfect for a book of this nature. Hide me among the Graves is a delightful read – it has the “secret fantasy” element that unravels itself as you go along and at the same time it mingles with the classical without getting too pedantic (though sometimes predictable). I enjoyed the book.

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Book Review: Mr. Bliss by J.R.R. Tolkien

Title: Mr. Bliss
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: Harper Collins UK
ISBN: 978-0-00-743619-4
Genre: Children, Fantasy
Pages: 83
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

J.R.R. Tolkien could have written a twenty-page story and we will still love that, no matter what. He could have scribbled anything after LOTR and we would have lapped it up, against our better sensibilities. Because, but after all, he is J.R.R. Tolkien.

While we have all read and loved LOTR, do try reading his eighty-three page story, “Mr. Bliss”. It is simply written and beautifully illustrated by the man himself. It is a very simple story of a man named Mr. Bliss and his unseemingly weird adventures as he heads out one fine sunny morning to buy a car. He is the owner of an exotic pet named Girabbit (of course the combination of a Rabbit and a Giraffe which is quite funny when seen illustrated) and is well-known for his collection of tall hats. He lives in a house built specifically to accommodate his hats. The book is about his first drive to visit his friends, The Dorkinses and how disastrous it gets. How he meets three bears on the way, is car breaks down, and how he has to also give lifts to Mr. Day and Mrs. Knight. The ending is quite sweet and all Tolkien fans will for sure relish this book.

The book also includes the originally written story in Tolkien’s handwriting, which is a treat. The illustrations are also included – the ones he began with for the book. Mr. Bliss came about as a story that Tolkien told his kids and for the longest time wasn’t in print. I am only too happy that it is now and people can read this short and fantastical story.

What I loved about the book is its simplicity. It is one of the understated, subtle and sweet books which are a rarity in today’s time. I would highly recommend this one to most Tolkien fans and also the ones who haven’t heard of him before (which is rather rare). Mr. Bliss will charm and warm your heart. A must read for both kids and adults.

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Book Review: Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

Title: Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years
Author: Gregory Maguire
Publisher: William Morrow, Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-054894-0
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 568
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

When Gregory Maguire started writing the Oz series, I am sure he must have known how big this would be and it turned out to be just that – one big success, rippling through with excitement and sardonic humour and tragedy in almost every volume. The last volume in the series, “Out of Oz” is as addictive as the rest. Gregory Maguire writes in a lyrical manner and that is what I love the most about his writing, besides his ability to infuse evil in Oz and the ability to scare you as well. The plot in this one is well-paced and very exciting. The war between Oz and Munchkinland is at its height and that is the core of the book.

In this book, we get to know Rain who is Liir’s daughter (this is not a spoiler). She is odd and wistful and I loved her character and how it shaped throughout the book. The other usual characters are present in the book – Glinda, Liir, Cowardly Lion and of course Dorothy, who is not making a cameo this time. Dorothy’s character has been extended and it is beyond belief what shape it takes towards the end and throughout. Some brilliant thinking from Mr. Maguire here.

Over the past three books, there has been a lot of build up to the characters and the setting and that’s why one can see and relate to this book and its track. With “Out of Oz” he brings all the characters (though briefly) to tie the story to its end. Dorothy is back after having killed Elphaba (Wicked) and as I mentioned her role is not limited in this book. The questions of home and loyalty are also well-tackled in this one.

The book is enjoyable even before the adventure begins and that’s the power of Gregory Maguire’s writing. It will but obviously make no sense to you till you read the other Wicked books. Not everyone gets a happy ending and not all are supposed to also. Loose ends are tied as expected (thank god for that) and also ones that the reader can infer on his/her own. For me I loved the conclusion. Gregory Maguire’s writing charmed me with this one even more so and I would recommend that you also read his stand alone works on his own take on fairy tales. A brilliant conclusion to a fantastic series.

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Book Review: The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I by Stephen King

Title: The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 978-0451210845
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Pages: 336
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5/5

I had heard a lot of The Dark Tower series when I first start reading them a couple of years ago. I don’t know what made me get back to it after finishing the sixth installment in the series. It is the book I guess that chooses the reader – the first time and again, that is a belief I can live with. I reread the book for a reason – at some level I wanted to search myself, to seek answers and though I didn’t end up finding any, the reread was fantastic.

Stephen King is a master of what he chooses to write, horror being his forte. He can also write just about anything –be it the emotional churn in “The Green Mile” or short stories of a different kind in “Everything’s Eventual”, he does it with ease and exactness and maybe that’s why we love him for what he does.

“The Gunslinger” has been one of my favourite novels of all time. It was inspired by a poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” by Robert Browning. The five parts of the novel were published in parts in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. I am surprised that no one lapped it initially.

The book tells the story of the Gunslinger, Roland of Gilead and his quest to catch the man in the black – first of his many quests to get to The Dark Tower. It is about his journey into the Old World, almost like a parallel universe, similar to the Old West. Roland exists in a place where time has moved on and he is continuing his journey to meet the man in black. Along the way, as he travels across the desert and then the snow-capped mountains he meets a variety of characters – Jake Chambers, the boy who died in his own universe (similar to ours) and sets out with him on the journey, Brown the farmer and Zoltan his crow, the oracle who tells him about the future to come and of course ultimately the man in black, who shares some more secrets of the universe.

The book is confusing in most places; however those get taken care of when you read more of the series, which you have to for the answers to unravel themselves. King has written a cracker of a series beginning with The Gunslinger, which he took twelve years to write. The Gunslinger is a must read for all fantasy lovers. He blends philosophy and the bigger questions of life with great ease into this one. A great read.

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Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publisher: Harvill Secker, Random House UK
ISBN: 978-1846555244
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

I am not the one who would willingly read novels from the fantasy genre. Somehow fantasy and I don’t go together. However, when I received a copy of The Night Circus, I knew this book was unlike any other fantasy book. In fact, I would say it charmed the pants off me. The Night Circus is a breath-taking book and I cannot help but gush and rant about it. It is that brilliant.

The story follows Marco and Celia, two young children pitted against each other by their older and clearly vaguely amoral guardians. A game is set up, a game to which the rules are unclear and the winner can take decades to determine.

These two young people are raised unconventionally, studying magic under their tutors’ philosophies, all the while knowing there will be a competition between the two of them some day. Enter impresario Chandresh Lefèvre, who has imagined something wondrous. He explains:

“More than a circus, really, like no circus anyone has ever seen. Not a single large tent but a multitude of tents, each with a particular exhibition. No elephants or clowns. No, something more refined than that. Nothing commonplace. This will be different, this will be an utterly unique experience, a feast for the senses. Theatrics sans theater, an immersive entertainment. We will destroy the presumptions and preconceived notions of what a circus is and make it something else entirely, something new.”

Their arena? But of course the Cirque des Rêves (The Circus of Dreams). But the plot focuses on more than just the battle between these two (which involves snow gardens, wishing trees and mazes) it looks at the dynamics of all the relationships that exist as a result of this game; and the effect the game has on the wellbeing of the characters.

Some characters flourish within the confines of the circus whilst others go decidedly downhill, struggling with the concept that their lives do not fully belong to them, that they are being manipulated in ways they could never have imaged. Poppet and Widget were by far my favourite characters, children of the Night Circus, they are gifted and not entirely what you would expect from normal children. I loved the way Bailey was fitted into the plot; it was subtle and very elegant.

The circus, it is said, “arrives without warning.” Not so this novel. There have been all kinds of pre-pub buzz and hype for this title. There’s a reason; this book is so special that almost all who read it take note. Ms. Morgenstern’s tale transcended the page and brought true enchantment to my oh-so-ordinary life. As it happens, one of the characters could be speaking for the author herself:

“I find I think of myself not as a writer so much as someone who provides a gateway, a tangential route for readers to reach the circus. To visit the circus again, if only in their minds, when they are unable to attend it physically. I relay it through printed words on crumpled newsprint, words they can read again and again, returning to the circus whenever they wish, regardless of time of day or physical location. Transporting them at will.”.

It’s amazing that this is Morgenstern’s first novel, the writing is haunting and fanciful; befitting of such an enigmatic circus. She handles the descriptions of the various circus tents and acts beautifully, it is never monotonous hearing about the circus, in fact, I wish she’d publish a whole separate book outlining each and every detail. She ties all the elements together with a grace that seems effortless.

Some have compared The Night Circus with Audrey Niffenegger and yes, I can see slight similarities given that both authors are visual artists. Others mention Alice Hoffman and yes, I can see some elements in common but Erin Morgenstern has created a unique world with the Cirque de Rêves and for those who are on the right wavelength she has provided a pathway to a singularly enchanting universe, one in which my inner child revelled. Highly recommended for all “reveurs”/dreamers.

Here is the gorgeous book trailer:

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Book Review: Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis

Title: Dancing Jax
Author: Robin Jarvis
Publisher: Harper Collins India
ISBN: 978-0007431700
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 576
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

If Stephen King were to write a book for young adults then I would imagine it would be something very much like Dancing Jax. Although Robin Jarvis suggests that he doesn’t see himself as a horror author, this book is as chilling as anything the great King has published. Reading it certainly made me feel the same as I did when I first read ‘Salem’s Lot, which was very nervous indeed. I don’t scare easily these days, and I totally love horror films, but both of these stories had me feeling on edge pretty much from the first chapter.

Tragic events are set to unfold in the small coastal town of Felixstowe. As a children’s book begins to circulate, readers find themselves so immersed in the tales of “Dancing Jacks” that they become the characters. Soon they are indoctrinating their friends into their new world, and those reluctant to join are forced. To some, “Dancing Jacks” appears nothing more than a badly written fairy tale yet to most it becomes a drug they need to escape their grey ordinary lives.

In “Dancing Jacks” life is vividly filled with adventure and everyone has a role to play and knows their purpose. It is easy to see the appeal; especially if you are destined to take on the role of a major character, but behind the joie de vie there is a chilling, evil feel which is reinforced with moments of real terror. Jezza aka The Ismus becomes creepier and clearly more powerful throughout and the heroes introduced begin to fall to the lure of the Realm of the Dancing Jacks.

Robin Jarvis’ novel grabs and holds, its content disturbing. Maths teacher Martin Baxter could scarcely be more ordinary, the last person one would expect to be a pivotal figure during what unfolds. But he ends up being an imperative figure anyway.

Jarvis skilfully depicts the alternative world full of colour, its inhabitants larger than life. Perhaps what unsettles more is his sombre portrayal of our own times – views likely to strike a chord with older readers. Examples? True education straitjacketed by Government initiatives, teachers working far harder to achieve far less. Politicians preoccupied with photo opportunities and image making. Media forever trivializing, obsessed with mediocrity, fawning on “celebrities” who are all show and no substance. Where are the worthy role models for the young? Fellows’ book had been waiting for these very conditions, its aims thus made so much easier.

I immediately liked Matin Baxter, a teacher at the local comprehensive – I loved the way his character went from seeing the stable, happy life he knew crumble before him and being powerless to stop it to somebody who had to try and stop it and possibly being the only person who could.

I loved the way the writing switches effortlessly between the characters views allowing us to see the story as a whole and to feel how the characters felt as the landscape and the people of the world around was changing. It felt truly creepy as you realised the extent to which the books power had spread.

I love the characters – many are so carefully crafted to seem so real that you will recognise people you know in reality – and special mention goes to the teenagers. So many authors write about teenagers based on a few reports on them in the Daily Mail, but Jarvis is clearly close to some; the language and attitude of them, from the normal ones to the awful ones, is spot on. It all adds to the frightening nature of the book, drawing you in and recreating reality for the reader. It doesn’t just feel real. There isn’t a snippet of text that doesn’t convince you it’s not actually happening all around you. It’s a delicious parallel between the book itself, in your hands, on your sofa, and the Dancing Jacks of the novel, sucking people in and carefully weaving a new reality around their own.

Loved it. Not read anything so freaky and creepy and scary in a long time.

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Book Review: A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five by George R.R. Martin

Title: A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five
Author: George R.R. Martin
Publisher: Harper Collins, Harper Collins India
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
ISBN: 9780007455997
Pages: 1040
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

I loved reading A Dance with Dragons, but I certainly did not always enjoy it. In fact, certain parts of the book are so dark they defy the imagination. Defenders of the darkness of the A Song of Ice and Fire series have often compared the books’ grittiness to the evil of our own reality. But the world that sprang forth from the mind George R. R. Martin is perhaps even darker than our own miserable planet.

Fans of George R.R. Martin’s entire oeuvre will recognize that Martin’s hallmark is a fascination with broken, corrupt, and decaying worlds. Throughout his fiction are found worlds that have once tasted grandeur, but have rotted away through the efforts of both time and humanity. The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is no different. Its lands are filled with ruined cities, extinct civilizations, and scattered peoples who squabble over memories.

Perhaps it is fair that some question why these books should even be called fantasy when they might just as well be labeled as horror? Some of the passages from A Dance with Dragons are far more horrific than anything Hollywood has produced, perhaps ever. But I totally disagree with the notion that fantasy cannot be horrific as well. Too long have we suffered fantasy literature that dwells endlessly in shining castles. Soon enough, the grand castles, gleaming swords, and sage wizards become bland without some truly horrific stuff to spice it all up. Martin provides us with the spices we all crave. They may burn our mouths when we eat them, but once we have tasted them, we crave them. Not everyone can handle spicy food, and not everyone can handle fantasy books filled to the brim with rape, torture, mutilation, cannibalism, and all the other unpleasantries of life.

Even if it can be a little dark, A Dance with Dragons is definitely the most magical and fantastical of the books so far. Bran’s portion of the story alone was wonderful to read and would probably have made for a great children’s fantasy if not for all the the violence. With the return of dragons to the world, magic and sorcery have been let loose, but never do they overwhelm the human elements of the story. Even the sorceress Melisandre misinterprets her visions and resort to cheap tricks to fool her audience.

Another valid criticism of A Dance with Dragons might be that it is not as tightly wound as the first three books were. But it is a criticism that is only valid if one does not consider the narrative structure of the series as a whole. The series began with almost every character of note gathered at Winterfell. Through the many infamous twists and turn of the books, the story has become shattered like a crystal vase smashed into the ground. One cannot give readers so much thrilling death and destruction as Martin did in the first three books without breaking a lot of vases. But what death caused, death can also cure. Many smaller characters died off in A Dance with Dragons, and the pace will probably accelerate through The Winds of Winter.

It is valuable to remember that Martin has always loved telling short stories set in his broken worlds. And he could not resist inserting some small stories for secondary characters into A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. The skeptic will use these as evidence that Martin has “lost control of his narrative.” I prefer to describe this tendency as “just plain awesome.” The Chicago Sun-Times once said that A Game of Thrones is “an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal.” Where A Feast for Crows was abound with the personal, it lacked the epic portion of the formula. A Dance with Dragons made the personal stories epic in and of themselves.

The book isn’t perfect. Martin uses some phrases and words too freely and repetitively. I don’t think we’ve seen the words niello, neeps, or serjeant before in the series, but they show up again and again throughout the book in multiple diverse contexts. The inner thoughts of many characters consists of the same phrases repeated many times over. It’s effective but definitely not subtle.

To be sure, those who scoff at the old chestnut that “The journey is more important than the destination” will surely dislike this book. A Song of Ice and Fire is in many ways like the river journey of Tyrion Lannister or that of Abner Marsh in Martin’s own Fevre Dream or that of Charles Marlow in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. That is to say, it is a journey into the darkness of the human soul. A Dance with Dragons is but a leg of that journey, offering scant resolution, but heaps of oppressive doom. The coming winter described so vividly in the novel is but a reflection of the descent of the humans of the novel into a self-imposed hell of hatred, fear, hunger, and death.

Martin’s storytelling skills are intact, at no point did I want to fling this across the room. It kept me reading for a thousand pages. That’s no mean feat. Some sequences are close to fantastic, all the stuff with Reek, Arya’s chapters, the brief glimpses of Jaime and Cersei. Tyrion remains entertaining and once Daenerys becomes a mover and shaker (plus one new character who the jury is still out on) things could happen rapidly. The potential is there. I care about what’s there and what’s missing. I want to know what happens with Bran, with Brielle, with Catelyn Tully and the Vale. I love the flashbacks we get and how Aerys and Rheagar and all the people we never saw feel like real characters even though we’ve only heard about them through the voices of others, how it feels like myth real people witnessed.

You can only hear the “modern Tolkien” comparisons for so long before you start to realize that people are expecting a masterpiece for the new century, when all you wanted to do was tell this nifty fantasy story. But we read and we’re here and for the most part, we’re sticking around until the end. So, just relax and tell the story and let it unfold. It doesn’t need to be perfect and huge and epic and all those things that high fantasy is supposed to be, just good.

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Book Review: Don’t Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon

Title: Don’t Breathe A Word
Author: Jennifer McMahon
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
ISBN: 978-0061689376
PP: 447 pages
Price: $14.99
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Don’t Breathe a Word is the third Jennifer McMahon book I’ve read. I loved Promise Not to Tell and was highly disappointed by Dismantled. So, this really could’ve gone either way for me. Not only because of my previous thoughts on her book, but also because I’ve been going through a bit of a reading slump lately, so it’s been taking a lot longer than usual for me to be impressed by a book. Luckily for everyone involved, I loved Don’t Breathe a Word (and am completely cured from my reading slump).

Don’t Breathe a Word is a novel that is VERY hard to classify because it has a little bit of everything. It’s a mix of horror, fantasy, psychological thriller, fairy-tale, and so many more things. Usually when an author throws everything but the kitchen sink in a book I get annoyed because very rarely is it done well. But in this book, it was done extremely well. I enjoyed all of the elements embedded in it and it didn’t make the book seem like the author couldn’t choose which direction she wanted to go in and just decided ‘to hell with it’. While all of those genres are my favorites, I definitely enjoyed the horror and the psychological thriller aspects of it.

This novel is creepy. Seriously, chill up your spine type of creepy. The weird thing is that Don’t Breathe a Word didn’t affect me when it got all dark and shadow-like at night, but it freaked me out during the daytime. I was alone in the house and getting a pen from my bedroom when I heard this huge, house-shaking type of grumbling sound. My first irrational thought was “Oh my God, it’s Teilo, the King of the Fairies.” I kid you not. I think I was so creeped out because we’re taught as little kids that fairies are these cute, sweet, yet somewhat mischievious magical creatures (Tinkerbell, anyone?). Yet in this book, they seem very malevolent and for some reason, that scared the hell out of me.

However, my absolute favorite part of the book (in that whole “what the hell? Can this be more disturbing?!” kind of way) were the family dynamics between all of the characters. It was seriously twisted. So much that I had no idea what the hell was going on most of the time and what imagined was not even half as bad as what actually occurred. In fact, that may have been more creepy than the evil fairies.

All in all, I highly recommend Don’t Breathe a Word. It’s creepy, twisted, unpredictable (and this is coming from someone who tends to predict everything that happens in these types of novels), and one hell of a page-turner. If you’re going through a particular brutal reading slump, pick this up. If you’re not going through a particular brutal reading slump, pick it up anyway. You won’t be disappointed.

Book Review: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington

Title: The Enterprise of Death
Author: Jesse Bullington
Publisher: Orbit, Hachette Book Group
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
PP: 464 pages
Price: $14.99
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

While both Jesse Bullington’s debut novel and this follow up take us on a madcap tour of supernatural and historical Europe, their protagonists could not be more different. The story of The Enterprise of Death concerns Awa, who is apprenticed against her will to a necromancer and subsequently finds herself caught up in his machinations. Awa is a Moor, a lesbian and a necromancer in her own right, any one of which would probably be enough to get her into a great deal of trouble in 16th Century Europe, and she’s joined in her adventures by real-life historical figures like painter and mercenary Niklaus Manuel Deutsch and even Paracelsus himself, not to mention larger-than-life figures like Monique the gun-toting soldier of fortune and Awa’s various undead allies and enemies.

Like The Brothers Grossbart before it, Enterprise isn’t for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. There’s necrophilia, cannibalism, syphilis, reanimated corpses, and corpse-eating monsters, to name just a few. But while Enterprise is often just as gruesome, macabre, profane, and scatalogical as its predecessor, it’s also much more human. While the titular Grossbart Brothers were great broad characters, the cast of Enterprise all seem more fully created and their pathos more deeply felt. It would be hard to find a hero in all of The Brothers Grossbart, but Enterprise is full of characters who, while deeply flawed, are also often genuinely heroic in their longing to do what’s right.

Ultimately, The Enterprise of Death, like so many great fantasy novels, is a story of friendship and acceptance. There’s a quest, as well, and magic, and monsters (just wait ’til you meet the Bastards of the Schwartzwald), but the friendships form the book’s beating heart. While the exploits of Awa and her companions are still leavened liberally with a gallows humor, Enterprise is seldom as laugh-out-loud funny as The Brothers Grossbart, but the genuineness and humanity of Enterprise more than make up for any deficit. And, y’know, a bunch of Ray Harryhausen-style skeletons running around don’t hurt a thing.

Book Review: Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger

Title: Soulless – The Parasol Protectorate
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit, Hachette Book Group
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
ISBN: 978-0316056632
PP: 384 pages
Source: Publisher
Price: $7.99

I’ll admit that I have no clue where to start when it comes to writing a review for Soulless! I can easily say that it was one of the most fun and imaginative books I’ve read this year, but there is just so much more to this book in addition to those details.

I loved the plot of Soulless. There was a perfect mix of romance, supernatural creatures, and mystery. Gail Carriger wove the different elements of Soulless together seamlessly. When I started reading Soulless, I was astounded – each element of the book is so unique and seemingly separate, yet this debut author found a way to them all together into a masterpiece!

The world that Gail Carriger has set her debut novel in is amazing. Alexia brushes shoulders with not characters typical of the Victorian era, but werewolves and vampires as well. I really enjoyed Gail’s unique take on the origins of werewolves and vampires. The supernatural aspect that really interested me though was Alexia’s own affiction: her lack of soul. When I first read the description, my mind immediately jumped to demon, but Soulless offers a whole new take on what it means to lack a soul…

This is also my first foray into reading steampunk, and I must admit, I’m now intrigued. Soulless explores the ideas of traditional steampunk, which is basically a world that people of the Victorian era envisioned the future to be. Gail’s steampunk is unique in that many of the advancements that occur are due to the presence of vampires and werewolves. Some popular steampunk books include: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Alexia Tarabotti is one of the most exciting and dangerous spinsters I have ever encountered between the covers of a book. She was simply so much fun to read! I was always waiting to see what trouble and inappropriate circumstances she would find herself in next. I especially enjoyed her verbal sparring matches with Lord Maccon. Two of my favorite characteristics of Alexia is her acceptance of her flaws and shortcomings and her confidence in her own abilities. Alexia is a smart, witty, and unique character that makes me proud to be unique as well! Alexia may be living in a time (and world) much different than that of those who will read her story, but she can still teach girls and women of a today a valuable lesson about being yourself, despite being told that who you are isn’t fashionable or correct.

The romance in Soulless was wonderfully written. Gail perfectly balanced the social norms of the time with steamy, fun romantic scenes. Despite the fact that they were occuring in Victorian times, the scenes seemed natural. The romance in the book all came together perfectly due to the supernatural aspect of Alexia’s world, which made the romance scenes more believable and intense!