Changeless by Gail Carriger

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Less than a year after the publication of her debut novel, Soulless, Gail Carriger has already provided readers with the second book in her Parasol Protectorate series, thereby firmly placing her high on my list of favorite authors. It also helps that these book are so delightfully fun to read, offering a fresh take on the world of vampires, werewolves and the supernatural, all within the setting of Victorian London.

Alexia is enjoying her new status as Lady Woolsey, with all the perks it has to offer (especially those that take place in the bedroom) when her new husband begins exhibiting strange behavior, culminating with his sudden disappearance to Scotland. At the same time, a strange new phenomenon has suddenly affected London’s supernatural creatures with mortality, and it’s Alexia’s job as Muhjah to get to the bottom of this new threat. Alexia’s investigation leads her to Scotland, where she makes some new discoveries about her husband, her absent father, and her own powers as a preternatural.

First off I want to say that based on the blurb on the back of the book, I was expecting certain events to take place which never actually do, and at first this distracted me somewhat from the story itself. The description of Changeless makes it sound like the plot centers on Alexia’s search for her missing husband, which it does not, so I just wanted to begin with a warning that the description on the back cover is not an accurate portrayal of the events in the book.

Changeless does start off a bit slow, as we accompany Alexia on her errands and listen in on her interactions with various friends and acquaintances. In this manner we learn about the current threat to London’s supernatural and we meet some new interesting characters who will accompany Alexia on her adventures. Though it’s when Alexia sets of to Scotland that the story really picks up, and the reader discovers the extent of the mystery in which Alexia is now involved.

Changeless offers readers the same wonderful writing and witty humor which were present in Soulless, though this book discusses in a bit more depth some of the steampunk elements in this world, particularly the aethographer, a contraption used to relay messages over far distances. We also get more of an insight as to what Alexia’s soulless status might mean for her, as well as for others. And I was particularly pleased that Changeless provided an explanation for the relevance of goggles to steampunk, which is something that I've been wondering about for a while

I had just finished a couple of rather heavy fantasy novels when I started on Changeless, and it was just what I needed. It was a fun and fast read that was thoroughly engrossing, but also provided enough depth and ingenuity to give it substance. And towards the end, the story rushes to a climatic finish which had me tightly gripping the book’s pages, and which was only forgivable because the third installment of the series will be available in just a few months. Otherwise, I would not have been at all happy.

Changeless was a very satisfying sequel to Soulless, and I can barely contain my eagerness for the final installment in the series. I will admit that I assume that these books will generally appeal more to female readers than male, due to the strong focus on romance, though I do know of some men that have enjoyed them as well. But if you are someone who enjoys books with strong female characters, humorous dialogue, romance and some light steampunk, then I highly suggest you give this book a try. Though if you have not yet read Soulless, I recommend you do so first.