Soulless by Gail Carriger, narrated by Emily Gray

Rating

* * *

The book's description from the publisher's website:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring 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? 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.

This book was fun. Pure entertainment to while away boring and/or dull hours we all have here and there.

I'll admit I have some mixed reactions to it and I was having a hard time deciding how to rate this novel. Some things just don't make sense. For example, Alexia's soullessness. It does give her that one supernatural (or rather, preternatural) power of taking away other supernaturals' powers by a single touch (sadly, no shape shifting or immortality involved) which is an interesting introduction to the paranormal genre. However, character-wise, Alexia couldn't be farther away from my idea of a soulless person (a psychopath comes to mind). I understand that to match the light and amusing tone of Soulless, Ms. Carriger couldn't make Alexia a completely evil woman, with no moral compass. But not a single, teeny tiny sinister trait? That's a little bit of a letdown. Sure, Ms. Tarabotti is stubborn, with an independent and untamed spirit, and with an alpha (of course, duh!!!) personality, but it is kind of mundane, if you ask me. For that alone, I wanted to give Soulless two stars.

On the other hand, I truly enjoyed the light tone of the whole story. I liked the humor, I liked Alexia's and Lord Maccon's 'dance' around admitting their feelings and desire for each other (don't worry, I'm not really spoiling anything, as it's obvious from the beginning where their relationship is going). I also had fun with other characters, especially with Ms. Tarabotti's mother and half-sisters. You put them all in one room and you truly have a comedy of manners. Consequently, I did chuckle a few times and smiled almost all the time, while listening to Soulless. And the writing itself wasn't half bad either. It had a kind of a spring-in-its-step quality. For these reasons, I was ready to bump the rating up to four.

In the end, after hoping that Alexia would suddenly do something deliciously evil and not getting it, I got stuck in the middle. I did like it enough to not consider it a waste of time but not enough, I'm afraid, to read the rest of Parasol Protectorate books (well, maybe if I find them during one of my frequent library sales excursions).

P.S.

The label attached to this book the most is 'steampunk'. Personally, I didn't notice many steampunk elements in Soulless. There was maybe one appearance of a dirigible delivering the queen of vampires' drone to Alexia. Not much that I can think of besides. Maybe because it's set in an alternate Victorian England? Definitely more fantasy than science-fiction, with werewolves and vampires taking the center stage.

Narration

I chose the audible version of Soulless and I'm glad of it. The narrator, Emily Gray, does a fantastic job conveying the sarcastic spark in Alexia and an overall humor of the story. She switches between characters and accents seamlessly. I never was confused as to which character was talking. Above all, Ms. Gray has a pleasant voice, breathes life into the novel and makes the listening experience worthwhile.

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FTC: I bought a copy of Soulless by Gail Carriger.

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

The book's synopsis from the publisher's website:

Stephen King's second novel, the classic vampire bestseller 'SALEM'S LOT, tells the story of evil in small-town America.
 
'Salem's Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in 'salem's Lot was a summer of homecoming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to 'salem's Lot hoping to cast out his own devils and found instead a new, unspeakable horror.

A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved.

All would be changed forever: Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of 'Salem's Lot.

This is a rare novel, almost hypnotic in its unyielding suspense, which builds to a climax of classic terror. You will not forget the town of 'salem's Lot nor any of the people who used to live here.

I liked 'Salem's Lot. That's it. I just liked it. I didn't love it and I didn't fall head over heels for it, which is what I expected my reaction to be. I think that all the positive things I had heard before I read it made my expectations impossibly high and that was one of the problems. I kept hearing how scary it was, what a piece of classic horror it was and then it wasn't scary for me at all, didn't have that atmosphere of reality that I always find in King's books. By that I mean, no matter how impossible a story Mr. King tells, he somehow always manages to make it seem very probable indeed. And that's what makes his books scary for me. With 'Salem's Lot, I just didn't get that vibe at all. I suppose that the book didn't scare the pants off of me was my main source of disappointment. Otherwise, it is still a fine, gritty vampire tale.

The characters in 'Salem's Lot are developed beautifully. We already (it's one of the author's earliest novels) encounter King's signature scene with multitude of personalities. The beautiful thing is, you never get confused as to who is who and who did what. Some of the people there were simply bad without any supernatural influence and I wished a little that some horrible end would meet them but that didn't happen. I suppose in real life justice rarely does arrive and Mr. King simply tried to imitate this nitty, gritty reality of ours as closely as possible to make the whole vampire story seem possible as well. The writing is of course superb. I write of course because I never expect anything less from this writer. He really knows his craft. Sentences are clean, sharp and to the point. You will find no beautifying or overly longish paragraphs with unnecessary descriptions of every minute thing in here. Which makes 'Salem's Lot a pleasurable, quick read despite its length (roughly 550 pages).

If you're looking for some nice, traditional vampire action, this read is a must. Just like Stoker's Dracula, even if 'Salem's Lot is not the best of King (and it's just my humble opinion anyway), it belongs to the vampire canon that needs to be on the shelves of any self-respecting horror and the Undead fan.

Disclosure: I bought 'Salem's Lot.

May Reads

I have decided to change the format of this monthly post a little bit by adding my plans for the upcoming month to the summary of the month behind. I have found that if I actually write or verbalize something, I tend to stick with it or at least make a greater effort to fulfill my plans than if I just thought about what I'd like to do.

This is what I managed to read last month:

1. The 13th Reality. The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner - YA/ fantasy - it's a very nice, creative and fast-paced series for middle grade/young adult audience but The Maze Runner is much better.

2. New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro - contemporary American fiction - I thought I'd like this book a lot more than I actually did. The beginning had a lot of 'reading between the lines' humor that I enjoyed but towards the middle I started thinking that the story wasn't going anywhere and it indeed stalled completely towards the end. I just dislike the books that leave me wondering what the purpose of them was at all.

3. Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith - YA/thriller - a very exciting, dystopian (not post-apocalyptic) beginning of a new series for teenagers. Tons of non-stop action, not a dull moment in there and i just can't wait for part two, supposedly coming up late this year.

4. The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott - historical fiction/post-revolutionary Paris/19th century

5. Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein -magic realism/Native American fiction

6. The Passage by Justin Cronin - horror/ dystopian/ vampires

7. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok - Asian fiction/ women's lit.

8. Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth - paranormal thriller - I am very thrilled that this awesome, new series entered the book market. Mr. Farnsworth came up with a brilliant idea of a 140-year-old vampire and a secret agent to the president of the United States, Nathaniel Cade. He was bound by an oath to serve all presidents of our country and to fight the evil that humans don't even believe exist, not to mention know how to battle themselves. Cade just got a new sidekick to work for him, Zach Barrows, a young White House employee climbing the ladder of success. 

This pair turns out to be quite funny and I am looking forward to all the new installments. I like Nathaniel Cade, the vampire but I just adore Zach's character. He adds a lot of humor to the story and you will find yourself rooting for him. This book has been compared to The Dresden Files, but i actually think that besides the paranormal component, the two are quite different. But if you are a fan of Dresden, you will definitely like Blood Oath.

Audio books:

1. The Castaways by Erin Hildebrand - contemporary American fiction - it was okay, I liked it enough to finish it but I have to say I will probably not be picking this author's books up again. Reading about privileged couples, who just have to come up with problems to make it seem like they are just like everyone else is just not my cuppa' tea.

The best picks for the month of may are Blood Oath, Girl In Translation & The Passage. Lots of vampires this month but since they are one of my favorite characters to read about, I'm not complaining. Also, with the three books, I got very lucky to find very likable characters: Zach from Blood Oath, Kimberly from Girl In Translation, and Amy from The Passage.

As far as most disappointing reads, there weren't any really but New World Monkeys was the one I thought I would like but didn't in the end. I just wish it went somewhere interesting or meaningful. Instead, I got a whole lot of nothing.

Now, as for my plans, I decided to read one chunkster a month. I have tons of them on my shelves and they are usually my favorite kind of books but because there are also so many other books I have committed to read, I am always afraid to reach out for a large tome because I know it will take me at least five to six days to finish it. Not anymore. So in June, I will be reading either No Angel by Penny Vincenzi which is 626 pages long or A Suitable Boy by Vikram Chandra which is as chunky as they come (1349 pages). I'm looking forward to reading either one. 

Last but definitely not least, I know that I have been a bad blogger as far as commenting on your posts guys. With a four-month-old, a translating job, reading for pleasure, reading and reviewing commitments, and running this blog, it's just so difficult to find enough time to visit and comment on all my favorite blogs (there are around 100 of them). I am truly, very sorry if you haven't seen me around your blog recently and want you to know that I'm not some stuck-up blogger who thinks other blogs are not important. I'm not, I do visit your blogs and read as much of what's being written as my time allows but there just isn't enough time in the day to leave meaningful comment and engage in conversations as much  as I'd like. I hope you'll forgive me and be patient until the time that I have this whole routine of my life under control.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that almost everyone has heard about The Passage by Justin Cronin by now. At least  the people in the booking world have. And for good reason now that I’ve read it myself. I’m not kidding when I say, I have been waiting for this book my whole life. Well, maybe I’m over the top a little bit :), but The Passage is such a book that will make you feel like this is it, you have found what you were looking for in the reading department.

Project NOAH was supposed to make U.S. soldiers invincible. The virus found in the jungles of Bolivia turns humans into powerful, indestructible beings but it also kills them shortly afterward. One scientist, with the help of U.S. Army is determined to make this deadly virus work for humans, not against them. The experiment conducted on twelve death row inmates takes a tragically wrong turn when the twelve subjects, who are now fully functioning virus carriers and no longer humans but vampires from your worst nightmares, escape and devour every living creature in their way.  Soon, the human species faces extinction and the only person that can save people from this fate is a six-year-old girl, Amy with the help of an FBI agent, Wolgast and a nun from Sierra Leone, Lacey.  Will Amy succeed and will humanity persevere or will the consequences of  trying to tame what cannot be tamed be finally too high a price to pay? Well, you just have to read The Passage to find out :).

I think I already made it pretty clear that I loved this book. I will say it again though, just for the effect, I LOVE THE PASSAGE!!!!! I have been on the lookout for mean, nasty and bloodthirsty vampires for the longest time. I will be honest with you here, I got really sick of the noble, out-of-this world beautiful creatures who drink blood only to survive but really are our best friends. This is not what you’ll find in The Passage. The vampires, or virals as they are called by some, are some mean SOB’s whose hunger takes over every other instinct and who are nearly indestructible. I guess I have a mean streak in me but I really enjoyed myself reading about them.  This book is actually pretty scary and I don’t say it lightly. I have read my shares of horrors and not much can scare me but Mr. Cronin did a pretty good job doing just that. I suppose, it’s mainly because all the time while reading The Passage, I kept thinking how the story might not be as far fetched as it seems on the surface. That possibility plus awesome action that stops only to allow a reader to take a short breath kept me literally on the edge of my seat. I swear to you, I had The Passage-related dream every night while reading it.

The Passage however, is not all vampires, action and nightmares. It is also a novel with some beautiful writing, sometimes almost lyrical prose that you normally wouldn’t look for in a horror novel. That’s why I even hesitate to label the book and categorize it in any one way. It’s a study of characters, of what people are really made of, it’s a scary look into what our future might be (whether the cause are vampires or some other nasty things we dabble in unnecessarily) , and finally it’s an enthralling ride that will take you places you never thought you wanted to go until you got there and will put in your path people you’ll love, hate and feel sorry for until you’ll realize you don’t want to part ways with any of them. And guess what, you won’t have to. At least not for long because The Passage is actually book one of a trilogy (YAY!). I am very happy that there gets to be more of Amy and a few other people that I can’t reveal here. Let me just say that I was very happy with the way things ended for now. Thank goodness, the ending was just as good as the whole novel and didn’t ruin the experience for me (it sadly happens more often than I care to admit). That’s that, I won’t sing any more praises and will just ask you to go and dive into The Passage yourself.

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I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, Ballantine Books.

2-in-1: Nefertiti & Dark Desire

Both books today are audio books. Both narrators are ones that I will listen to with enjoyment any day. However, the books differ on every other level, the genre, plot, character development and writing quality.

1. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Nefertiti is my first Moran’s book and also one of the very few books about ancient Egypt I have read so far. It tells the story of fifteen-year-old Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet as they are entering the scene of the court of Egypt. Nefertiti is married off to Amunhotep, the next pharaoh who is thought unstable and a danger to Egypt’s future. The sisters’ lives will be forever changed as they both have to find their ways amidst the treachery, the lies and the danger of Egypt’s court. Nefertiti is becoming loved by the people but also seems to share her husband’s mad vision to get rid of Amun, Egypt worshipped god and to instead worship Aten, until now a minor deity that Amunhotep wants to elevate to the position of the one and only god of Egypt. As Nefertiti’s life changes seemingly for the better, her sister’s life brings her unhappiness and misery because Mutnodjmet does not yearn for the power and wants to spend her days away from court and its machinations.

As I said, despite loving historical fiction, I don’t actually know a lot about that period in history of Egypt. For that reason, I cannot speak on Ms Moran’s historical accuracy or lack thereof. However, I did enjoy the novel for its plot which was very captivating from the very beginning. As with many HF books, there are a lot of characters present. While the main ones, Nefertiti, her husband, Mutnodjmet, Vezir Ay (Nefertiti’s father) and couple of others, do develop pretty nicely and we get insight into their personalities, there is also a score of people (such as Mutnodjmet’s body servant or her mother) that I would have liked to see have more depth. I chose to read this book in an audio format and this is one thing I am glad about. Cassandra Campbell, the narrator, does a great job performing. As a matter of fact, her voice had captured my attention even before the story did. All and all, it was a very entertaining read and I will definitely be reading the other two books by Michelle Moran, The Heretic’s Queen and Cleopatra’s Daughter.

2. Dark Desire by Christine "White Hot Heat" Feehan

There isn’t a lot in a way of plot in this book. It is part two in the Carpathians’ series. This time it’s about Jacques, the brother of the prince of Carpathians Mikhail. Jacques is captured, tortured and buried alive in a wall by cruel vampire hunters who seem more bloodthirsty than a vampire would. Jacques refuses to die and his will to live is fueled by the need of revenge and a psychic contact he accidentally establishes with Shea, a miracle-performing young doctor. Shea has been living with a strange blood disease her whole life and her decision to become a doctor came from her desire to find a cure before it’s too late for her and people like her. Until one day she has to give up her career and run from the same vampire hunters that tortured Jacques. For some strange reason (really not that strange because Jacques is calling her to him), she ends up in the Carpathian Mountains and rescues Jacques from certain death. Now they have a lot to learn and overcome together as it turns out they are life mates (meaning one cannot live without the other) as mortal danger is lurking in the woods.

Okay, if you read my review of part one to this series, you know I didn’t like it one bit. However, I was willing to give it another chance because I liked the whole premise about those powerful Carpathians who are vampires but claim to be just a completely separate species. Anyway, Dark Desire does get a little bit better, not so many over-the-top sex scenes and even the female character, Shea is a lot more likeable and believable than Raven from Dark Prince. However, as you maybe noticed from the alias I gave Ms Feehan, the language still remains pretty horrendous, with tons of repetitions and the ever present absurd phrases in the nature of ‘white hot heat’. I was entertained by the book but not for the reasons that were intended by the author. I simply had to laugh at the bad use of language and a very one-dimensional story. It was either that or cry because Ms. Feehan is a bestselling writer with millions of fans all over the world and still don’t see why. It was again an audio version and once again I did enjoy the narrator, Juanita Parker who did breathe a lot of life into this story and made it interesting enough for me to listen to the end.

2 in 1: Morrigan's Cross and The Age of Innocence

Because I am slightly lazy nowadays and my brain refuses to do more than is absolutely necessary, I decided to just write two quick reviews in one post instead of separate posts with elaborate opinions of each book. The two books were both very different but almost equally enjoyable.

Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts is a first book in the Circle trilogy. It was my first experience with Nora’s writing and from what I understand the fantasy genre this book was written in is also her first foray into paranormal. The gist of the book is that six people with different skills (a magician, a witch, a vampire among them) get together to train and prepare for the battle against Lilith, the queen of vampires. Whether they win or lose will decide the fate of the whole world. It’s pretty much in everybody’s interest that they win. Otherwise, humanity will be taken over by evil, bloodthirsty vampires.

I actually found myself weirdly interested in the story and the fates of main characters, especially Cian and Hoyt. Twin brothers whose lives were brutally changed when Lilith turned Cian into a vampire. Now, centuries later they are part of the Circle fighting the evil forces. Considering that the writing isn’t very profound and the whole premise is in truth rather simplistic, the longer I stuck with it the more I liked it. I could tell that fantasy was probably not the strongest forte of Roberts’ but reading was quick and entertaining. If you are looking for something easy to read during these lazy summer evenings and don’t really want to get emotionally invested in the book, you’ll probably like Morrigan’s Cross. I would especially if you’re like me and from time to time need to relax your brain and delve into a pleasurable fantasy with a hint of history and a nice romance plot without the over the top sex scenes.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton is obviously completely different. It is a classic in American literature and yet I have just recently gotten to read it. And what a shame that I waited so long. I think that partly to blame is the movie made in the ‘90s that against my better judgment I watched before reading the book. I didn’t like the movie and therefore when I finally decided to read Ms. Wharton’s book I was very surprised at how good it was. The book is a satirical portrayal of the New York’s upper society of the late 19th century. At the forefront is Newland Archer, a product of the society who considers himself well versed and in favor of all that his family and all others around him hold dear. That is until his cousin, Ellen Olenska, comes back from Europe after a failed marriage and with a baggage of experiences that all welcoming her back would rather not know about. All of a sudden, Newland finds himself dealing with feelings towards Ellen that should have been directed instead towards his fiancée May Welland.

The Age of Innocence is a real treat. It’s very funny if one happens to like the sarcastic humor which always has a deeper purpose than simply providing entertainment. The book’s timelessness is the fact that the shallow values and superficiality of 1870 New York still is alive and well today. In reality, Ms. Wharton had probably no idea that what she criticized over a hundred years ago would be thriving in upper social classes so many generations later. The people then preferred to live in blissful ignorance of others’ emotions and feelings. Opinions mattered only if they were one and the same and in accordance with what was acceptable. The word ‘individuality’ probably did not have a spot in their dictionary and denial was at the top of the game. Only the right clothes mattered, the right dinner invitations, the right occupations and the right entertainment. Anything outside of the generally accepted cannon was scorned upon and if one didn’t follow the rules, they were shunned from the society. It actually reminded me greatly of The Real Housewives of New York and NY Prep kids. Granted, the times and the generally accepted mores are different but the core of it remains the same.

'Stakes & Stilettos' by Michelle Rowen

Since I started reading romance fiction I have realized that there truly is an abundance of different sub-genres within the romance category. And I have also been lucky to read romances that I really like. Every time I read one, I exclaim at the end, “That’s my favorite!”. I indulge myself in the hot, steamy ones and I love them but then I read a book like Stakes & Stilettos by Michelle Rowen which is the opposite of hot and steamy, and I love it too! Go figure.

Stakes & Stilettos is a paranormal romance. The heroine, Sarah Dearly, is a new vamp on the block with an honor of having drunk the blood of not one but two master vampires. She really wants to be a normal vampire girl, lead a love-filled life with her 600-year-old boyfriend Thierry, find a job that’ll allow her to be financially independent, and besides the fact that she is now immortal, be the cute, happy-go-lucky girl she’s always been. You know, it’s pretty much the regular, realistic dreams we girls have at some point in our lives. Unfortunately, all these plans will have to be put on hold when it turns out Sarah inadvertently made an enemy in high-school. This enemy is now an evil witch with a vengeance. And she is really bent on hurting Sarah, so much so that she turns her into a nightwalker, the most evil of the evil vampires that used to be blood-thirsty (pun intended), cold and ruthless killers. Oh, and there’s also the mysterious, Zorro-like vampire, who calls himself Red Devil, is a legend among vampires and seems to be saving Sarah’s life time and again. We soon find out that there’s a catch to it as well.

I absolutely adored Sarah Dearly. As her name implies, she really is a darling. She is very funny, sometimes quirky, a girl I would want to be my friend. All and all, Sarah is a vampire-next-door type of girl. She is also devoted to Thierry, despite the fact that others find him detached, cold and over-protective. The romance between the two is actually very tasteful (oh, those vampire puns), no overly hot sex scenes here, but that makes the book so much more relatable and just right. Ms. Rowen really knows how to balance the romance, the paranormal and the mystery elements. Not to mention, she is quite skilled at making readers laugh. Stakes & Stilettos is, in my opinion, a perfect romance book to entertain a reader at any time of the day. It’s light, funny, with endearing characters and a just-right touch of mystery.

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Special Thanks to Hachette Book Group for providing me with a copy of this book.

Makes sure you visit Michelle Rowen's website for more paranormal fun.

CHALLENGES: 100+ Reading Challenge