Soulless

Written by Gail Carriger

Narrated by Emily Gray

Buffy meets Jane Austen in the first book of this wickedly funny NYT bestselling series about a young woman whose brush with the supernatural leads to a deadly investigation of London's high society.

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Soulless is the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Sep 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781549140655

Gail Carriger

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small-town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms Carriger then travelled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She now resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported directly from London. Find out more about the author at gailcarriger.com.

[Bren · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Miss Tarabotti is a woman of the upper class in Victorian English society. She is well-mannered but hates everything and everyone who does not adhere to the etiquette, manners, and fashion that good society demands. She is considered an old maid by herself and society for being a woman with "uncommon" beauty and a strong personality.

But Miss Tarabotti is not just that; she is also a preternatural being. She has an unorthodox relationship with werewolves and vampires, who by nature should be her natural enemies, yet she goes much further than that. Her upbringing compels her to try to be involved in all matters related to the crown and these supernatural beings.

To say that I liked this book would be an understatement; it is a refreshing, light, and fun story.

It has all the elements of steampunk, fantasy combined with the Victorian era, romantic yet not cloying, along with a very peculiar sense of humor and is really well written.

I was very surprised because I didn't know anything about this series or the author. What can I say? I've become a fan, and I will soon continue with the series. (Translated from Spanish)