I have finished the last of my final papers (ignoring my thesis chapter, for the time being) and have decided to finally update this blog with a Book Review!!
Today, I will be reviewing The Parasol Protectorate series, by the amazing Gail Carriger, who has two blogs: her author blog and her fabulous fashion blog called "RetroRack" (for the well-endowed woman).
The Parasol Protectorate is a steampunk/Victoriana urban fantasy series that's targeted for adults. There are five books: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless. I bought the boxed set on Amazon.com and ended up reading the series in an entire weekend a couple of months ago.
The Parasol Protectorate Series, on Sale, here!
I was hooked. And loved it. I'm an avid fan of steampunk literature and fashion, so this series was a delight to read... now onto the review!
Plot Summary: This is a whole series, so I won't summarize all of the books, but rather, recap the intention of the series. Alexia Tarabotti is not your typical Victorian woman: she is intelligent, well-read, clever, and lacking in a soul. Her soulless state is unusual, but not unheard of, in a world where vampires and werewolves are some of the highest ranking members of British society. The series follows her adventures with a loyal set of friends and her husband, the irascible and charmingly Scottish Lord Maccon. I know this is a horridly vague summary, but the series is so delightful, and all of the books are related, so I really don't want to give anything away.
Thoughts: As you can guess, Dear Readers, I love this series. I love how whimsical it is, I love how Carriger blends the steampunk aesthetic with urban vampire fantasy (which is a not-so-secret literary weakness of mine). The writing style is easy to read, not overly complicated, and the characters are wonderful. I will mention that the characters Lord Akledama, an effete and charming vampire lord, the Professor Lyall, the Beta wolf to Lord Maccon's Alpha, and the dramatic Ivy Hisselpenny, with her fabulous array of hats, are some of the most entertaining characters I have ever read on a page. While Ms. Carriger's writing is not the most sophisticated, nor complex, she makes no pretensions to have her series be other than what it is: a fun read, that engages the readers, and maybe inspires their love of steampunk fashion and literature.
Ms. Carriger has mentioned a few times that the series is a "comedy of manners." It certainly is that. Her research into the mannerisms and behaviours of the Victorian world is impeccable, and she even gets the details of certain aspects of Victorian life, like British imperialism, to be so accurate, that the reader can actually believe that the story truly is taking place in the late 1800s.
Rating: 5/5 Stars. I just like this series so much, that I'm willing to overlook the minor flaws that are there. It's absolutely cheesy. Yes. It's true. But I love it. A lot. If you couldn't tell.
Onto other things!
My lovely readers... I bought my first corset! It's shiny, and beautiful.
While the curve of the corset is not quite as exaggerated as the one in the picture.... isn't it preeeetty? I bought it on sale from corset-story.com. I had to get it a size larger than I would like, but that's because I'm not a really squishy person, and there are some things an overbust corset should just not squish into non-existence. Maybe next time I'll get an underbust....
I could talk about my papers, buuuttttt... really, who wants to read about that? In a few days I'll either post about some of the books I'm reading for my thesis, or the outfit I'm wearing to a Christmas party. Not sure which, yet.
Ciao, my darlings.
Love,
Nicolette
No comments:
Post a Comment