BY AMY PHILLIPS

 

Through the trudge of romances involving vampires, werewolves and their other supernatural allies comes Gail Carriger's 'Soulless' - a 299-page tale involving Alexia Tarabotti who is a witty, sarcastic character who does not possess a soul.

Not only is she impeccably dressed, always equipped with her trusty parasol, and desperately after a decent cup of tea, she finds herself constantly on the receiving end of danger from the supernatural. This is not surprising since she is their greatest enemy.

Those without souls can touch the supernatural and turn them "human" until that connection is broken; which is how Alexia accidentally finds herself in a library alone after killing a vampire – a breach of one's etiquette – and annoyed that the treacle tart had to suffer a similar fate.

Set in an alternate Victorian society, in which the supernatural are widely accepted in everyday life, we follow Alexia as she tries to unravel the mystery as to why factions want her dead all of a sudden, and also why Lord Conall Maccon continues to hover around her with an air of impatience.

This book is a very entertaining read; the first in a series of five called "The Parasol Protectorate" that had me laughing aloud, intrigued by the characters and genuinely interested in their wellbeing.

Not only are the main story plots exciting, the side plots are also well-rounded and entertaining in their own right. The characters, from the ditzy but lovable Ivy Hisselpenny to the outlandish and flamboyant Lord Akeldama, are all effective in contributing just that little bit more to series that could easily have fallen down the stereotypical plot road.

I implore a little less reading of Twilight, and a lot more reading of Soulless and I'm sure people can understand that not every 21st Century romance story involving the supernatural is quite as dreadful as one might think.

 

This book was published by Orbit and is available to buy for £7.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out.