Review: Changeless by Gail Carriger

Title: Changeless
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: The Parasol Protectorate #2
Pages: 374
Publisher: Orbit Books
Genre: Steampunk
Source: Bought

Goodreads Description:
Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, 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 to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

My Review:
Changeless begins shortly after the first book in the series, Soulless, leaves off. Alexia Maccon (previously Tarabotti) has been married for a few months, as well as employed as the muhjah to Queen Victoria (For those of you not in the know regarding Steampunky Victorian politics, the muhjah is one of 3 advisory positions for the queen, each held by a different class of supernatural/preternatural creature.) The couple's lives have been anything but sane, but things get even worse when suddenly every supernatural within a given area becomes mortal. Conall leaves to head north to his ancestral Scotland without even informing Alexia, so his darling wife takes to the skies via dirigible to chase him down and hopefully solve the mystery plaguing London's supernatural set. 

This book grabs you right from page one and doesn't let you go until the very last sentence...not even then because you are left with such a terrible cliffhanger that you are sure to be thinking about it constantly until you find yourself a copy of the next book. Nevertheless, the beginning half of Changeless, takes place in London and is full of the witty, scandalous Alexia that we know and love. She manages to make the acquaintance of Madame Lefoux, an ingenious inventor who may or may not be even more scandalous than Alexia, due to her penchant of dressing in men's clothing. I really loved her character, because she can match both Alexia and Lord Akeldema in outrageousness and she makes for a hilarious counterpart to Miss Ivy Hisselpenny, Alexia's frivolous and ditsy best friend. There was such a collection of characters that were so very different! It seems that sparks are inevitable and that is definitely the case. From two upstanding if silly females, to some of the most inventive and intellectual minds of the times, to the most brash and beastly of werewolves, the cast is certainly both versatile and volatile.

The style of this book is in the same type as the first one. It is very witty with tons of irony, puns, and general banter that make for a lot of laugh out loud moments. I typically read while eating lunch and I think the staff at the restaurant think I am clinically insane because of my manic laughter over the last few days. To understand the true hilarity of this book and it's fellows, you really need to see some of the dialogue and quotes that make this series so great.

There was currently far more hairy masculinity in her life than any Englishwoman should really have to put up with on a monthly basis.

"The ruffles contain various hidden pockets and are fluffy enough to disguise small objects." She [Madame Lefoux] reached inside the wide ruffle and pulled out a little vial. "Poison?" asked Lady Maccon, tilting her head to one side. "Certainly not.Something far more important: perfume. We cannot very well have you fighting crime unscented , now can we?" 

-"Honestly, Alexia, I do not mean to be boorish, but do you realize that your underdrawers are exposed to the night air, not to mention the public view?"
-"Ivy, I am hanging on for dear life to the side of a floating dirigible, leagues up in the aether. Even you must admit there are some instances wherein protocol should be relaxed." 
 Those were just a few of the seriously laughable pieces of the story. I hope you enjoyed them and they encouraged you to start the series, because I can't remember a book that made me giggle so much.

I am giving this book 5 Keys. I read it in almost one sitting...or I would have if my kindle battery hadn't died and I couldn't find the charger...It was fast paced, funny, and full of adventure. Lady Maccon is an entirely original and unique main character. She is like nothing I've ever read before. You are sure to adore her prickly exterior, excellent wit, and true love for her furry hubby. Like I said about the first book, if you are at all interested in the steampunk genre, this series is an excellent first taste. The gadgetry in this book was far better described and explained than the first one, and all the characters really seem to be coming into their own. Whether that "own" is a wife of a lord, or a ridiculous hat owner...well...we can't really escape that ahah.