Book two of the series continues to be playful, mischievous, wonderfully detailed about Victorian life, and full of supernatural creatures and clever plotting.
I loved the first book in Gail Carriger's five-book (plus a prequel short) Parasol Protectorate series, Soulless. I also included it in the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love. But after raving about it for two years it seemed time to stop letting this second installment languish on my unmanageable to-read list and get on with it!
The series takes place in 1870s London, and in book two as in book one, the immensely appealing, practical, fearless character of Alexia Tarabotti (now married to Lord Maccon, a werewolf) navigates danger and helps achieve justice by using her smarts, eschewing societal tradition and limits on women, and demonstrating her ability to neutralize the supernatural abilities of werewolves, vampires, and other creatures.
She is a preternatural--a human without a soul--serving on Queen Victoria's somewhat secret advisory committee, which affords her a certain power, and she is also the Alpha female of her husband's pack, which affords her a very different one.
When her husband disappears, Alexia tracks him to Scotland, where all manner of badly behaving creatures await, she needs her incredibly handy parasol, her unshakable nerve, some savviness, and the armor of the latest fashions in order to fight off danger, uncover dastardly plots, discover the power plays at work, and save her own life.
This installment involves technology of the time, ancient Egyptian artifacts, revelations about Alexia's mysterious father (and about her husband's centuries of history that predate her), more racy moments and attractions, and dirigibles!
I am in for all of these books and laughed out loud at the dialogue, Alexia's abrupt manner, and the delightful oddities in Changeless.
Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book?
My only issue here is personally logistical--my library doesn't own a copy of the next book in the series, Blameless.
Carriger is the author of many series; this is the only one I've dug into so far.