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Loading... Changeless: 2 (The Parasol Protectorate) (edition 2010)by Gail Carriger (Author)It was ok, I guess. So far, I find this series fun but on the shallow end of things. Which is okay! Not everything has to be super thoughtful! I do think, though, if you're going to do alternative-historical fiction where it's our world but with supernaturals... we do need to think about how that would affect society, and at various class levels. It exists in the world, and maybe it's because of our viewpoint characters but they're rather... limiting? Privileged for sure? Maybe a sense of situational irony where they're not as aware of things? Anyway, there is an interesting mystery here, of why there's an area that nullifies supernatural powers (and exorcises ghosts- seemingly permanent?) and the implications of the why could've had more time on it. Instead, we get banter between characters and... I guess that's ok? I dunno. I'm going to read the rest of the series because I'm intrigued by the worldbuilding, but I'm not compelled by these characters yet. Changeless, the second book in Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, picks up some undefined time after the end of Soulless. A new threat emerges, sending Alexia’s husband, Lord Maccon (a werewolf), disappearing in the middle of the afternoon, leaving Alexia to try and piece together what in the name of the devil happened. Changeless, like its predecessor, entertains through sharp wit, dry commentary, and an unusual array of paranormals, not the least of which is Alexia herself–a “preternatural” who (more or less) nullifies paranormal abilities. However, while in the first book we had Alexia worrying about why Lord Maccon, Conall, was doing his best to seduce her at every possible chance, in this book we have…actually pretty much the same thing. Only now they are married, so Alexia only puts up the barest hint of objection (usually only because Conall tends to try and seduce her in public). The marvelous thing about Alexia is that she is a very even-minded and calm individual. It takes quite a bit to really shake her, and she recovers her poise quickly. As for the threat that sends Conall gallivanting away, and then has Alexia following him to engage in her own adventures (like the dirigible!) so she can track him down and give him an earful, I admit to some confusion. I have a feeling on a re-read it will make more sense, since many of the details are more or less mixed together with the emotional aspects of the novel that took a lot of precedent at times. At times the plot seemed to deviate off course, focusing an awful lot on how ill Alexia kept feeling, but by the end of the novel the importance of that matter is fully explained. Or at least, it’s given a fair explanation that leaves room for a more in-depth discussion in the third book (Blameless). My only complaint was that it seemed like we kept getting explanations about the alternative London world that Alexia exists in over and over again. Several times, someone mentions Alexia’s odd state, and the effects thereof, and I was ready to smack someone over the head if I heard any more about how greatly disappointed her family was with her. All of this was given ample time and consideration in the first book, and you can’t go into this book without first reading Soulless, so I didn’t feel there was any need for the points to be dragged on in this sequel. The end, (the denouement, that is that is) made me more than a little mad, as well. Not at the author, but for Alexia. Without giving off spoilers, suffice to say allegations are made against her that anyone who had spent any time in her presence would know are ludicrous, but nobody listens to her. Rational thinking seemed to have flown out the windows, and the excerpt from Blameless (included in the back of the book) doesn’t speak well of how it all goes. I don’t know how she will forgive anyone, honestly–I would just as soon kick them all to the curb and tell them to get over themselves. Carriger delivers another entertaining and amusing novel that should interest several different genres of readers; historical romance fans (she does her research, and she does it well), paranormal fans, and fans of witty heroines who don’t cave in under pressure. In contrast to the first book, this was a total miss for me. It doubled down on the 19th century "enlightened" culture silliness way too much and forgot to care about plotting at all. It basically stultifies the unique quirky writing style as the main attraction and suffers from the same weaknesses the first book does but much worse. For me, it misses that sweet spot the first one nailed by yards that stretched my willingness to suspend disbelief much further than usual. And after all that mystery and mortal danger everyone just shrugs off, on the last 10 pages we get a staggering gut-punch of true emotion that doesn't fit whatsoever with the silly attitude the rest of the book displayed so grossly and what's worse is that all that hurt is ultimately just a cheap cliff hanger. I am sad that the author didn't seem to realize what exactly made the first book such a huge success while writing this one. It somewhat seems like a bad imitation of the original. I love this series. Don't love the cliffhanger ending, but considering I have Blameless in my possession, I'm not too concerned. In the 2nd book of this series, we find out a lot more about Lord Maccon and his origins. Alexia finds out a lot of things about herself. She finds herself questioning friendships. She makes a new friend, and loses one. We learn that one of her sisters is truly horrible, though the other one is too. And Ivy...well...Oh, and wait till you get to the end! This book had Scottish werewolves wearing kilts, so like ... that's all I needed from it. Hell yeah four-star that shit. Good mystery, interesting characters, bit of a disappointing solution, BUT BUT THAT FUCKING ENDING? I don't know, I am not thrilled about it so we'll see how the next book turns out. Alexia is back in the follow up to the delightful Soulless. Now Lady Maccon and mujah, she finds she has a whole new set of problems to deal with - starting with the regiment camping out on her front lawn and a mysterious humanizing effect that turns supernaturals human. And then there's her wayward husband, her tag-along sister, and Ivy's hats to deal with. But she does get a lovely new parasol and a dirigible ride out of the bargain. Too bad it seems someone is out to get her... More corsets, dirigibles, werewolves, and steampunk goodness than you can shake a parasol at. Eagerly awaiting the next book! As good as the first in the series, which is not always a given. This volume gets even more steampunk, with descriptions of complex communication devices and a dirigible ride. The plot is intriguing and Carriger introduces several new and interesting characters. The ending was a big surprise, and also sets us up nicely for book 3. I can't wait! I am going to be honest. I think that out of the Gail Carriger books that I have read yet, this was my least favorite. It felt as if there was too much superficial things happening around (I wanted to slap Ivy every time she spoke to be honest). But I am happy that Vieve is in this book! I also was ticked off by the ending of this book and found myself complaining to my coworker about it (not because of the writing, but because a character made me upset!). Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars The second book was just as great as the first. I was iffy about this one as part of what I loved about the first book was the romance in it. Turned out that I had nothing to worry about though. The book was captivating and hilarious throughout. The mystery was great and there was just enough romantic angst to keep me happy. That ending is mind blowing. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. initial feeling= 5 writing= 4 readability= 5 plot= 5 originality= 5 predictability= 3 ending= 5 interest= 4 Originally reviewed here at Anime Radius The first book of the Parasol Protectorate series, Soulless, had held much promise for me as a reader but only scored a C rating for a multitude of flaws, partly a growing pains sensation of having to introduce such a wide universe of supernatural steampunk Victorian London in so many pages. I had indicated in my previous review that its sequel, Changeless, was one I would be looking forward to in anticipation of seeing Gail Carriger earn her popularity and acclaim by fans and reviewers alike. Now that I've read the second book in the Parasol Protectorate series, I can now say one thing: it was totally worth getting through Soulless to read this book. In fact, by the time Alexia was beating the everloving bejeezus out of a petulant werewolf soldier, I was pretty much in love with this book and thinking myself a proud tea-drinking member of Team Alexia (and Team Akeldama for the win!). I think if you join now, you get a spiffy badge and a free parasol (weapon accessories not included; contact Madame Lefoux for an appointment ASAP before everyone else gets wind of it). If the second book is a marker of the places this series can go, then I look forward with fangirlish eagerness to the further adventures of the Parasol Protectorate. In this book, Alexia and her core gang of merry supernaturals (and the occasional mere mortal) are truly at top form, embroiled in more drama than ever before, from Ivy's romantic entanglements to Alexia's husband problems. People who are fans of his wolfness Lord Maccon may be disappointed: he appears briefly in the first chapter, runs out to take care of business, and is not really seen until the dirigible lands in Scotland. That's quite alright - it gives Alexia more of a chance to shine solo, show why she is the perfect protagonist for this series. She's headstrong and dead set on getting things done her own way - that is, by wielding a parasol like a champ and answering the evils of London with her signature sharp wit - and if you don't love Alexia by the end of this book, you'd do best to stop reading the series 'cos Alexia is the life blood of the books and especially Changeless. She might just yet rocket to the top of my most favorite fictional heroine list if the third book manages to top this one. There were several things tackled in Changeless that were truly memorable, one of them being the steampunk elements of the book. In my previous review, I had complained about a lack of essential steampunk and felt what little there were seemed more like window dressing than actual elements. However, my fears of this being a steampunk book without merit of holding that genre tag have been completely blown away. In this book, there's cogs and gears and magnificent steam-powered science. The dirigibles and the aethographer, which are so SP in essence, are essential plot points and don't seem tacked on in the slightest. Add to that Alexia's wonderful new parasol, and the series has finally come into its own as a steampunk work - although I kinda like referring to it as teapunk, for obvious reasons. Another issue tackled by the series is, surprisingly enough, a topic not exactly laid out in the open in Victorian times: sexuality. It isn't overtly addressed until the end of the book, but astute readers will certainly have their suspicions over the leanings of a certain character - and this time, it isn't the flaboyantly fabulous Lord Akeldama. And personally, I love Carriger for including more LGBTQQI characters in her work, especially since the Victorians weren't exactly known to be nice to those parts of society and I'm sure Miss Carriger will treat the issue of such characters in Victorian society with the respect they will deserve. The fact that the LGBTQQI characters do not suffer from flat personalities and are treated as worthy additions to the character roster feels my bisexual cisgendered heart with glee and squee. The very end of Changeless is possibly the most incendiary and thrilling part of the book, and when you read it, you will be hopping mad at certain characters and be frantically searching for your own copy of Blameless - and no, it's not out yet, but it will be out in September of this year. Books that invoke that sort of reactions in readers? Always a top pick in my mind. If Soulless was the necessary stepping stone to set up the main story and cast of characters, then Changeless is the book that makes the series into a spectacular must-read for all fans of books looking for something out of the ordinary. After all, there are steampunk books, and there are supernatural books, and there are Victorian comedy of errors . . . and then there is Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, which if it's not on your bookshelf right now, it should be. 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/ |
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