Changeless (Parasol Protectorate
Series, #2)
Author: Gail Carriger
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Synopsis: Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady
Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who
should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his
lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural
soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry
Queen Victoria.
But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.
She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.
But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.
She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.
Brought to
you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell Cadiz
Review: I ABSOUTELY LOVED Soulless, the first novel in
the Parasol Protectorate
Series and was excited to
FINALLY get some time to jump into the second novel of the series, Changeless. Alexia returns in a
world where the Victorian era meets Steampunk, filled with gorgeous and
chivalrous werewolves, flamboyant-clad vampires and dangerous murder attempts.
Alexia is still as bluntly honest,
determined, and feisty as ever. She doesn’t bow down to the normal standards of
the rest of society and refuses to allow any man to speak on her behalf, even
her own husband, the delicious Lord Maccon. She is one of the best female
characters I have ever read! Self-assured, wonderfully intelligent and wit that
could knock even the most powerful figure off his proverbial high horse, Alexia
steals the story the moment she comes onto the scene. She sucks the reader in
and makes you her best friend. I just can’t get enough of her!
Carriger’s prose is what makes the Parasol Protectorate Series so addictively awesome! The words read
at flippant-like pace and crackle with delightful humor, style, and sensuality.
The characters have distinctive personalities and each one is showcased just
so. Carrier creates an Austen-like atmosphere with tons of laugh out loud
moments and classic romances.
I was definitely happy to see my
loveable cast of characters return along with Alexia: her werewolf husband,
Lord Maccon, his second in command, Professor Lyall, Mr.Tunstell, Ivy, Alexia’s
best friend, Lord Akeldama, a vampire with very eccentric tastes and Biffy,
Lord Akeldama’s drone. There are also a few new characters that come into the
story: Lord Maccon’s old werewolf pack from Scotland, Major Channing, part of
Lord Maccon’s regiment and Madame Lefoux, a hat maker and gifted scientist.
One of my favorite aspects to
Changeless was Alexia’s new parasol made by Madame Lefoux. It was the James
Bond Victorian style type of weaponry with a bunch of compartments and gadgets.
The ride on the dirigible and fight scene where Alexia ends up in a pretty
funny yet scary predicament was a great scene.
Alexia returns to her mujah ways:
sleuthing and investigating since the supernatural crowd has lost their powers.
Something is causing the werewolves unable to change and the vampire unable to
remain immortal but no one knows who could be powerful enough to cause such a
change. To add to Alexia’s frustration, her husband, Lord Maccon, has to return
to Scotland to deal with his old werewolf pack. But she won’t be deterred; she
follows Lord Maccon to Scotland along with an entourage made up of Ivy, Madame
Lefoux, her maid Angelique, and her half-sister, Felicity. As soon as they
arrive in Scotland, Alexia and crew find themselves swept away in a bitter
battle between Lord Macon and his former pack, mysterious attempts on their
lives, and coming face to face with shocking secrets.
The pacing moved at pretty fast
paced without causing the reader to feel whiplashed and the suspense was done
gradually and subtly. The action scenes weren’t as many as I would have wished
but were still written with good detail.
Even though I had a lot of fun with
the second installment in the series, there were a few things that I became
frustrated from. Ivy, although she is a sweet and silly character and helps to
lighten some of the heavier moments in the plot, she just came off too ditzy to
the point of annoyance. Her character seemed to have lost all abilities at
actual intellect. I was also disappointed how little of Lord Maccon was seen.
He did have a few chapters where he was the focal point but he mostly kept
coming into the story to have sex with Alexia. He didn’t contribute as much to
the plot as he did with the first novel and I missed seeing his character as
much and seeing him butt heads with Alexia. I was also disappointed at how
little of Professor Lyall’s character was portrayed in the novel. He is one of
my favorite characters. I love his relationship with Lord Maccon and wanted to
read more scenes involving him. The middle of the book did drag a good deal and
even became a bit boring in certain areas due to the deep descriptions of the
Stempunk-typed technology.
The ending was both VERY surprising
and also quite INSULTING for Alexia. I couldn’t believe what the hell ended up
happening and felt both disgusted and angry on behalf of Alexia. But I also
NEED to know what will happen next since the ending closed so abruptly.
If you haven’t dived into the Parasol Protectorate Series yet, what are you waiting for?!
Go. NOW!
About the Author: Ms. Carriger writes steampunk urbane fantasy
comedies of manners to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate
Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently
acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. She then traveled the historic
cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She
now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by a harem of shoes, where she insists
on tea imported directly from London and cats that pee into toilets. Her Parasol
Protectorate books are all New York Times Bestsellers.
Where to
Find the Author
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