Changeless by Gail Carriger

*Warning: There be minor spoilers ahead!*

Book Summery:
Alexia Tarabotti, now Lady Maccon, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears -- leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwaters of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only a soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it. -goodreads.com

My Review:
Again, this took me a while to get into before I fully enjoyed it. Although, I believe the delay was caused not due to getting accustomed to Carriger's writing style, but rather distractions in my day-to-day life, which did not allow me the proper amount of time to get settled into my "reading mode." However, once I was granted such time and lack of distraction, I found myself fully enveloped in the world of Lady Maccon and her companions.

Again, my favorite aspect of Carriger's writing are her characters. Alexia is a strong female lead, who is both an interesting and humerus narrator. I did sorely miss ProfessorLyall's predominant presence in Changeless, as he is one of my favorite characters. We do see quite a bit more of Ivy Hisselpenny and her many hats. We are also introduced to the french inventor Madame Lefoux, who is a wonderfully colorful addition. A bit more is revealed about Lord Maccon's past, which proves to be quite interesting as well.

Overall, once I was able to sink my teeth in, I found Changeless quite enjoyable. There is a bit of a mystery woven throughout the plot that makes for a truly interesting read. I enjoyed the dialog and interactions between the characters. Furthermore, Ms. Carriger has enabled me to enjoy steampunk more than I had ever anticipated I would. I can barely contain my anticipation for the third book in the series Blameless (rightly named, I think), which is due to be out this coming September. For those interested, other scintillating reviews for Changeless can be found at Jawas Read, Too! and Smexy Books. :)

My Favorite Quote:

"Really, Alexia, language. You sound like a fishmonger's wife!" said Miss Hisselpenny. "What's going on? Did your parasol just emit something? How untoward of it..." (p. 325)

Cover Art Commentary:
I really love the cover art of these books. They are both beautiful and original like the stories they contain.

Overall Rating: