REVIEW: CHANGELESS BY GAIL CARRIGER (BOOK 2 IN THE PARASOL PROTECTORATE SERIES)

Published by Orbit, 2010. Paperback, 374 pgs

     Carriger is wonderfully consistent! As with her first novel Soulless (review found here) , the writing is witty and snappy from page one. Tarabotti has climbed the social ladder with her marriage to Lord Maccon (an esteemed Werewolf), and her hobnobbing with Queen Victoria. In this installment, something or someone is making werewolves and vampires "Changeless" in certain territories, meaning they are unable to shift from their human to animal form, leaving them vulnerable to attacks that would otherwise not be fatal. Alexia's position as muhjah is meant to act as a legislative peacekeeper between the vampire and werewolf agenda, and provide opinions and guidance to the queen. As the back cover describes, this book takes her investigations to Scotland "the backwater of ugly waistcoats". She is trying to find out what this condition means for England, while also tracking down her husband who has hurried off with no explanation.

      Old characters are back in all their glory- particularly Ivy Hisselpenny with her ugly hats and a new love interest. The reader gets a few brief details on Tarabotti's deceased father, as well as some backstory on her husband Lord Maccon. I enjoyed this one just as much as the first, perhaps more because now I'm even further invested. This one also ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so that will hopefully be enough prompting for me to swiftly move onto book three, Blameless.

REVIEW: THEODOSIA AND THE STAFF OF OSIRIS (BOOK 2) BY R.L LAFEVERS

Published by Sandpiper (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2008. Paperback, 387 pgs
Review of book one in this series- Serpents of Chaos
       I'm so excited to get back to Theodosia's world, with her witty humor and demure black cat, Isis. The Serpents of Chaos are wreaking havoc again- and it's up to Theodosia and Lord Wigmere (leader of the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers) to eradicate them once and for all. Another secret society becomes involved in the mysterious mummy case for good measure. Theo is also aided once again by her friend Sticky Will- the pickpocket from book one.

      The side story of Grandmother Throckton's search for a proper governess for Theodosia was super entertaining, especially with there being a slew of applicants before a match was found. As with many adult characters in this story, the ones who don't outright ignore her are hateful and she's forced into a battle of wits to move forward with anything. That part of the book started to get me a bit down. It's handled in a semi-comical way, but like the first installment, she's a total latchkey child as her parents go off gallivanting. Very little thought goes into leaving her food or a chaperone. Most of the other adult figures are openly hostile or form thinly-veiled insults about her being a bother or too smart for her own good. Poor Theo! Good grief. I wanted to grip all the adults by the ears and scream at them, or do worse to others (like her parents, they could have an unfortunate accident and she'd probably be better off in the care of ANYONE else).

     I love the simple fact that Theodosia knows her way around a library. She is a bit like Matilda in her forced underage self-sufficiency and solitary quest for knowledge. Theo also seems like she could be the daughter of Alexia Terrabotti from Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. Theo and Alexia are head strong and resourceful, and have a similar sense of humor and manners. They also have very vocal opinions on unnecessary nonsense. I would preorder a mashup novel of those two characters immediately!

     This book was just as strong as the first, even though I missed Isis a bit. However, as I saw a fellow Booktuber (Allyson) mention on her channel, the cat makes appropriate entrances throughout, making the book feel realistic. To throw her in at other random points would feel forced and contrived. This reader is just a little odd in her feline obsession. I could read any story where cats randomly jump in with no bearing on the narrative- and I'd be just peachy. I highly recommend this book to any middle grade readers or adults who love museums, Egyptology, Archeology, CATS, cheeky young heroines, and mysteries on the lighter side.

REVIEW: SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER

Published by Orbit, 2009. Mass Market Paperback, 373 pgs.

      I went into this with a bit of trepidation. I have a bad track record when it comes to vampire novels. The Sookie Stackhouse books and Twilight were a struggle for me. That, combined with the positive hype from YouTube, made me nervous. Quite pleased that this was a total blast! I love the character of Alexia Tarrabotti- an assertive spinster who is well-read, enjoys her tea and a good meal, carries a Parasol, demands proper manners from her male companions, and just happens to be Soulless. Being Soulless means she can neutralize those with an over-abundance of soul, namely werewolves and vampires. The relationship she develops with a werewolf was one of my favorite narratives throughout the story, and I usually don't like romantic elements in books. I appreciated how cheeky Carriger was with her supernatural creatures- infusing witty humor into most of the story. Tarrabotti's family was such a funny crew, and I loved the inclusion of Queen Victoria. Also, Gail Carriger's author blurb is fantastic and worth a look! Overall, this was super fun and there was a great setup for the other books in the series. I look forward to reading Changeless soon!