Alexia Tarabotti doesn't care what you think. A review of "Soulless"

Soulless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am totally over vampire stories and werewolf stories--but the premise of this book intrigued me, so I got it. I'm glad I took a look, because it's a fresh approach to the genre (even bearing in mind that I'm reading it 9 years after its first publication). It took me halfway through to get a fix on the author's tone, but once I did I enjoyed it very much.

Speaking of tone, here's my take on that: this is a (mostly) light-hearted, witty book, almost as much a romance as it is an action novel, and it is as charming and as comedic as it can be with genuine bloody monsters about. And dirigibles.

Alexia is a fun heroine, a rule-breaker with a great deal of confidence and unrelenting stubbornness, which is what is needed for a female MC in an alternate-Victorian setting. I like that this is an action story, and she is not simply watching the action (as is found in some novels of this type). She is engaged, and her action is integral to the plot. She has a mystery to solve that she investigates on her own rather than waiting for others to act, and she makes progress using her intelligence and nerve. She prefers comfort and propriety, to a degree, but doesn't back down when things become uncomfortable or unpleasant. Even when the action becomes more than a lady of the period can deal with--even a plucky woman with a strong will--and other characters come to the fore, she still engages and makes a significant contribution. She's not window-dressing; she's driving the action.

Plus, it's a witty book. I seldom laugh out loud when I read, but I actually did several times. Like at this point:

"Mrs. Loontwill fainted.

"Alexia thought it the best, most sensible thing her mama had done in a very long while."

The naughty bits were also written with a good amount of humor. I thought it a good balance for the romance.

Partway through, before I had gotten properly dialed in, I had thought I would finish the book but not get the sequels. I've changed my mind, obviously--now I'm eager to find the rest. It looks like Alexia has a lot of interesting, exciting stories to live, and I'm looking forward to reading them.

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Not what I expected, but I liked it, so that's good

Tremontaine: The Complete Season One by Ellen Kushner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It didn't end up being quite what I thought it would be, but I liked it.

I expected it to be almost entirely a novel of manners fantasy, something between Austen and Moorcock. Maybe a little Gormenghast. There was some of that, particularly whenever we were in Duchess Tremontaine's POV, but that happened much less than I expected, and the society aspect was muted outside of a single fancy dinner. Kaab and the traders, with their Mesoamerican-style culture, were interesting and refreshing, but the clash of cultures and POV characters from many different levels of society made it more like a traditional fantasy than I expected.

All good. I like traditional fantasy, too.

A key feature of this novel (multi-part, multi-author) is its inclusiveness. Its characters are LGBTQ-friendly and sex-positive, which works very well without becoming heavy-handed or overwhelming the rest of the plot. Also, my favorite character, Micah, is clearly autistic or somewhere near that on the spectrum, and the author(s) do a good job of making her realistic and sympathetic and an integral part of the plot.

This is an enjoyable read, and I am looking forward to finding the second in the series, and looking for other things by the main author.

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