I believe I reviewed Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series in an earlier post. This is the first book in the Divine Miss Gail's new Finishing School Series for YA readers. It's set in the same world, but earlier than the PP books and you encounter some familiar faces in their youth.
The heroine, Sophronia, is my kind of girl. More interested in how things work and the world around her than is considered proper, she is 'banished' to finishing school after an incident involving visitors, a trifle, and the family dumbwaiter. An attack by air pirates as she is on her way to school makes Soph wonder just what kind of school this is.
She finds out pretty quickly. This school isn't just about learning nice manners and gentility. The girls also learn the finer points of espionage, battle with the air pirates again, and learn how to coexist with vampires & werewolves. And Sophronia adopts the cutest mechanical dog, Bumbersnoot. Reading about him made me want one of my own.
I can't say much more without spoilers, but suffice it to say that it's a worthy addition to my library. I'm looking forward to book 2, due out much later this year, and the sequels to the Parasol Protectorate that are also forthcoming!
God Save the Queen, and lord help everybody else. This was a thumping good mashup of alternative history with a dollop of steampunk and a lot of supernaturals. Xandy, the heroine, is a half-vampire daughter of a vampire aristocrat, and a member of the Royal Guard serving the undead Queen Victoria. She's just been told by the Goblin Prince that her younger sister has been committed to Bedlam. Her other siblings relctantly confess that they knew, and as they plan to go visit, they're told that their sister has committed suicide in her cell. Xandy refuses to believe it and digs into the circumstances. What she finds shakes her world to the core.
Did I mention that her mentor/would-be lover is Churchill? Yes, THAT Churchill, only he's a vampire. And the Scottish Alpha werewolf (who has a mutual hate on with Church) has taken to courting her? And the goblins are fascinated with her, for reasons that only become clear at the end of the story? Heh.
Fans of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series will probably enjoy this one as well. It's a bit grittier, but still a good read. Can't wait for the remainder of the trilogy to come out!
Presenting the Two Lumps (http://www.twolumps.net/) for your reading pleasure. I can't believe I haven't reviewed this series before. The picture above is book 1- I think we're up to 7-8 volumes now. The thing that makes this comic different from others featuring cats is that in this one, THEY ACTUALLY BEHAVE LIKE CATS. Granted, there is a good deal of silliness, mayhem, and filking (Mel Hynes is a filk goddess) in addition to the cat behavior and that's what makes this series so much fun.
The primary characters are Ebeneezer (aka Eben, or Bennie) and Snooch. Eben is the smart/evil kitty, and Snooch is the generally amiable but dumb cat you can't help but adoring. How close do they come to true felines? Let me put it this way- I now call my Greymalkin "Snoochie-cat". They could be brothers if Snooch was real. (in a sense he was- Hynes & Grant based the characters on Mel's real life cats. I suspect I would have loved them)
How much do I love this series? I read it online (new strips posted M/W/F!) AND I own all the print collections. It's THAT good.
From Goodreads:
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
My Opinion:
I can't believe I hadn't posted a review of this book before now! LOVED it. My friend Jessica had bought a copy and I spotted it on her table before dinner at her house one evening. I picked it up, read the blurb on the back, and knew I wanted to read it. Jess, showing what an awesome friend she is, offered to loan it to me before she'd even had a chance to read it herself, but I couldn't do that to her. So I went straight to the bookstore after dinner and bought my own copy. I devoured this book in one sitting- Alexia is my kind of girl, opinionated and not afraid to show it, with a fondness for tea and sweet treats. Fighting off an attacking vampire, she accidentally kills him and now has to deal with werewolf Lord Maccon who Queen Victoria sends to investigate the matter. Further interaction as Alexia insists on being a larger part of the investigation than Maccon is happy with, an education in the matter of vampire society, and a series of attacks make this a thumping good read. The sequels are fun too! The next book in the series is due soon, and while I'm sorry it's the last Alexia adventure, Gail Carriger is NOT abonding her entertaining world. There are two more series to come, with new characters, and I suspect a few familiar faces will appear.
