Proper Urban Fantasy

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, you can't miss Gail Carriger's debut, Soulless. This is book one in her Parasol Protectorate series (trilogy?) and it's fabulous!

Imagine if vampires, werewolves, and ghosts were part of everyday society. This is exactly what Carriger has done. Her book takes place in Victorian London, but it's a London that's been influenced in every way by the paranormal beings that are a part of it. It's a smattering of Steampunk with a little bit of romance and a mystery all blended together to make a great read!

Alexia Tarabotti is a spinster at 26 and a woman with a secret. She's a preternatural and is able to nullify other paranormals' powers with her touch. But as a proper lady in a proper society family, it is most important that this news does not make itself known to the general public.

When Alexia is attacked by a vampire and accidentally kills him, she becomes involved in a mystery she can't help but try to solve on her own. But doing so under the constraints of societal norms, which dictate what a proper woman should and should not do, least of which is become entangled in a murder and worse, could prove to be a bit of a challenge for anyone of lesser skills than Alexia.

Soulless is fun and funny, not to mention wholly original in my humble opinion.

For extra fun, check out Orbit's Victorian Dress-Up Doll created to go with the book.

Well, by now the reunion activities are at an end. I'll have to let you all know how it goes when I return, but I'm really looking forward to catching up with some of my old high school buddies. And, one of them who won't be at the reunion, has just had her first kid so I'll be visiting the new mom and baby as well. Fun! Hope you all had a great weekend and got some reading done. I'll be hanging with the JJs for a couple more days and will post when I get back.