Soulless by Gail Carriger is my first foray into the Steampunk genre and I now know that I’ll be seeking out more to try. This isn’t going to be my usual review. Mostly because as this WAS my first Steampunk read I am unsure how to approach a review. The alternate history, Victorian Era, romance, early machines such as the Dirigible and even the characters themselves were a wonderful mix of ideas and ideals.

Miss Alexia Tarabotti is not the normal Victorian Bluestocking. She is also a spinster and a preternatural. Meaning she has no soul and has the ability to negate other supernatural creatures, making her able to turn werewolves and vampires human as long as they remain within her touch. At a Ball she is accosted by a newly made Vampire who has no idea of the social niceties he has broken, nor exactly WHAT Alexia is. When Alexia accidentally kills him before gaining any information on the creature, she is swept into a mystery with the very handsome, quite eligible, Investigator of all things supernatural, Lord Conall Maccon. Never the mind that he is a werewolf himself and that he and Alexia share verbal barbs that may hide an attraction that soon comes forward. Lord Maccon is determined that Alexia is not only in danger, but a danger to herself because she insists on interfering in his investigation. And he happens to be correct! The two must not only solve the mystery of the disappearing vampires and werewolves, but what to do of the attraction neither is able to deny any longer and bring both to a satisfying conclusion. Do not be deterred, there is, of course with all the books I choose to read, a HEA. Getting there is not only fun, but a fantastic tale!

I adore the character of Alexia, she is a strong, opinionated woman whose intelligence and wit is a a burst of brightness in the coldness of London Society. Lord Maccon plays the Alpha with gruffness and seems genuinely befuddled in his handling of his attraction to Alexia. The secondary characters are charming -Ivy , Professor Lyall, Lord Akeldama and even the silent Floote. Alexia’s family seem a necessary foil to her intelligence and give credence to her long suffering delusions that she is nothing but an unwanted Spinster among her family. I wanted to smack her mother, the author brought her foolishness to life so well. I look forward to the next book in this delightful series titled Changeless, due for publication May 2010.

You may find more information about this book and it’s author at: http://www.gailcarriger.com