Soulless was my introduction to Steampunk, a genre which has
held me hook, line and sinker. After reading this book, which was loaned to me
by a friend, I would definitely like to make further explorations into the
genre.
Alexia Tarabotti was a character I found frankly hilarious,
I don’t know if she was designed as such or if she became so accidentally, but
I couldn’t help giggling at her quirks. I loved her mannerisms as she did her
level best to fit into a Victorian London not so different than our own, but
with some quirks of its own.
The only fault I could find with Alexia was the emphasis
placed on her British-ness. It was a bit like a part of her had been written
using soaps as the only guide and it became a bit caricature-ish. The supposed
culture of ‘Oh he’s been shot, but maybe if we give him some tea he’ll get up
and be hunky dory again’.
I loved Lord Maccon, his completely bewildered
aggressiveness was fascinating to watch unfold. And pairing him with Professor
Lyall was pure genius. They’re a lot like a more balanced, but more hot headed,
Sherlock and Watson duo. Brilliant!
The story was as compelling as the characters who it
revolved around. Artificially created Vampires, who’d have thought it? It’s a
take on Vampires I’d never have thought of, even after watching the alternate
reality episode of Buffy where she never came to Sunnydale and the Harvest went
ahead leading to the building of a machine which basically milked human blood.
I was really content with the ending, although some of the
reasoning behind it I found aggravating. I think if it had been a stand-alone
novel I would have been more than happy, but I’m very glad the series is
continuing. I particularly liked the part where Ivy blushed.
All in all a brilliant story!
Rowen
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