Changeless

Soulless ended with Alexia becoming Lady Maccoon after marrying Conall Maccon, as well as muhjah to Queen Victoria. Muhjah being the traditional preternatural advisor to the monarch, alongside a hiveless vampire and a packless werewolf. Changeless begins with her husband disappearing off to Scotland after his old pack. A strange lack of supernatural ability in London. And Alexia following Conall to Scotland on the trail of whatever caused the temporary supernatural-less-ness. And she travels on a dirigible. How very steampunk!

Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2010/10/30/changeless/ ( )

http://teensniper.tumblr.com/post/44826096795/150-books-in-2013-20 ( )

Ending nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo why would you do that now I have to read the next one. ( )

I enjoyed this book very much, but it had some similar problems to the first book in terms of affected language. In this case, the tone seemed more natural, but there were some glaring mistakes that an editor should have caught.
- "coup de grace" does NOT mean the same thing as "coup" ("a notable or successful stroke or move") - a coup de grace is "a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal." Not something that Ivy Hisselpenny's mother would be pleased for her daughter about achieving, socially or otherwise.
Vague spoiler - Gretna Green is a very logical place to go to elope, if you are in England, because it was for many years the most convenient place to access Scotland's laxer marriage laws. HOWEVER, if you are already in Scotland, going to Gretna Green to elope is ridiculous.

I'm sure there are other similar inaccuracies that I didn't notice - and I also suspect that the portrayal of Scotland and Scots people is problematically reliant on stereotypes, going by the prevalence of haggis jokes.

All that said, however, the characters were still endearing, the conflict interesting, and the repartee funny. I especially liked the inclusion of additional queer characters and themes, and the steampunky alternate science. Just enough scientific detail - enough to pique the interest and not so much that it got boring or clunky. I will definitely stick with the series for the next book. ( )

Alexia Tarabotti has moved from the social wilderness her spinsterhood, unfortunately dark complexion (courtesy of her Italian father), her overly-endowed figure and her status as a preternatural (also know as curse-breaker or soul-sucker) had condemned her, to the centre of society by her transformation into Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, wife to the most powerful werewolf in England.

Gail Carriger uses this transformation to continue to twist steampunk Victorian tropes into something new and wryly amusing while still fundamentally human and engaging (even if the "humans" are, for the most part, werewolves and vampires).

There is rumbustious, satisfying and frequent marital sex, above and beyond the call of duty. There is an ancient curse that afflicts only the supernatural. There are big, hairy Scottish men in pretty tartan skirts. There is a hatshop that is more than it seems and a cross-dressing French milliner who makes Alexia's skin tingle in the most surprising way. There are parties to unwrap Egyptian mummies and long-standing werewolf feuds up the Highlands of Scotland. There are dirigibles, bizzar communication devices and weaponised parasols.

"Changeless" charges along like Alexia Maccon herself, powered by good-humoured confidence, buoyed by a loving, sexually satisfying marriage and focused on sorting out the whole curse thing with the minimum amount of fuss.

The whole thing is great fun, right up to the final chapters, when facts emerge, the reaction to which sweeps away the very foundation of Lady Maccon's world.

"Changeless" is a remarkable achievement in sustaining a humorous tone despite dealing with serious matters, while delivering a plot that continues to surprise and characters that grow more vivid by the page.
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