Book Review: CHANGELESS by Gail Carriger
May. 15th, 2013 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jpskewedthroneThis is Gail Carriger's second book in the Parasol Protectorate series, a sort of steampunkish series with werewolves and vampires thrown in for kicks. I enjoyed the first book. It's a different take on the urban fantasy series, certainly unique, and the writing is solid and smooth. There's also some humor thrown in, so while the atmosphere is dark, befitting that time period and the content of the book, there's some levity and lightness as well. A nice balance.
The basic premise of this book is that Alexia Maccon, wife to Lord Maccon, a werewolf, is "soulless," meaning that she essentially counters the paranormal. So when she touches her husband, he is mortal and his werewolf side is subdued. She can also dissipate ghosts and make vampires mortal as well. But suddenly, there appears to be a force in London with the same powers, covering an entire area of the city. Lord Maccon heads out to investigate, and Alexia does as well. But before they can figure out what's going on, the phenomenon ends, appearing again in Scotland. Both Maccons head off separately to find out what's going on--is it a weapon? a natural occurance?--while confronting Lord Maccon's past in the process.
I enjoyed this book, probably moreso than the first, mostly because the plot here is much more focused. The first book had to introduce us to the world and how it worked; this one just dives right in and it makes the reading smoother. The plot unwinds at an easy pace, and the usual biting humor based on the strict decorum of the time period is fun. We get introduced to a few new and intriguing characters, get to see more of Lord Maccon's pack, and we find out more about Lord Maccon's past.
Overall, a good book. I'd be more enthusiastic, but the plot, while interesting, never really grabbed me in a chokehold and refused to let go. It was entertaining and held my interest, but didn't do much more than that. So in the end, it was a fun read, certainly something I'd recommend--especially for those who are looking for something slightly different in the urban fantasy field--and I'll certainly be reading the next book in the series . . . but it wasn't "OMG you must read this!"
The basic premise of this book is that Alexia Maccon, wife to Lord Maccon, a werewolf, is "soulless," meaning that she essentially counters the paranormal. So when she touches her husband, he is mortal and his werewolf side is subdued. She can also dissipate ghosts and make vampires mortal as well. But suddenly, there appears to be a force in London with the same powers, covering an entire area of the city. Lord Maccon heads out to investigate, and Alexia does as well. But before they can figure out what's going on, the phenomenon ends, appearing again in Scotland. Both Maccons head off separately to find out what's going on--is it a weapon? a natural occurance?--while confronting Lord Maccon's past in the process.
I enjoyed this book, probably moreso than the first, mostly because the plot here is much more focused. The first book had to introduce us to the world and how it worked; this one just dives right in and it makes the reading smoother. The plot unwinds at an easy pace, and the usual biting humor based on the strict decorum of the time period is fun. We get introduced to a few new and intriguing characters, get to see more of Lord Maccon's pack, and we find out more about Lord Maccon's past.
Overall, a good book. I'd be more enthusiastic, but the plot, while interesting, never really grabbed me in a chokehold and refused to let go. It was entertaining and held my interest, but didn't do much more than that. So in the end, it was a fun read, certainly something I'd recommend--especially for those who are looking for something slightly different in the urban fantasy field--and I'll certainly be reading the next book in the series . . . but it wasn't "OMG you must read this!"
