Soulless by Gail Carriger

I'm a sucker for a woman who knows how to wield a parasol. They really are under-rated weapons.

As soon as I saw the cover for Soulless, I wanted to read it. You can read about the cover of the book on Carriger's blog. The blurb on the front claims the book is "a novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols." Are you hooked yet? You should be!

I've read a lot of urban fantasy. Soulless is easily, hands down one of the most original books that I've read in the genre. The story is set in Victorian London. Alexia Tarabotti isn't your typical urban fantasy heroine. She's not running around with her mid-rift exposed ready to kick some ass. She's a lady. True, she might be considered a spinster, and everyone might find her a bit odd, but she's a lady. Her only weapons are her parasol and her tongue.

The dialogue in the book is top-notch. It reads very Victorian without really being so. The banter between Alexia and Lord Maccon is perfect. If this book were an old Hollywood movie, you'd easily be able to picture Hepburn and Tracy playing them, bickering back and forth in the most delicious way. The dialogue really gives you a feel for the characters to the point that they come alive for you. I found myself laughing out loud a lot.

Soulless is the perfect blend of mystery, comedy of manners, and urban fantasy. Carriger has created a vivid world for her characters. She's able to establish her world quickly, and the characters move through it with an ease that I don't often find in the first book of a series. Her alternate take on history is brilliant. The reason for the US splitting with England had me in stitches.

Here's a quick synopsis... Alexia, a soulless spinster gets attacked by a vampire at a party. The kills the vampire, and before she knows it, she finds herself in over her head. Strange vampires are appearing, and werewolves are disappearing. Throw in a a handsome and disheveled werewolf for Alexia to spar with, and a flamboyant, gossip loving vampire and you have a recipe for hilarity.

You owe it to yourself to pick this one up. It's funny, fresh, and completely original.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong was the first urban fantasy author I read, and the first to get me hooked on this genre. I always really look forward to her new releases, and always tear through them in two days. Luckily, she puts out enough material that I never have to wait long for something new!

Frostbitten is the 11th book in her Otherworld series, and marks the return of Elena Michaels as narrator. For those of you not familiar with her series, Armstrong alternates between different female narrators for her books. In many ways, Frostbitten is a return to form for her. Her last 3 Otherworld releases have been different from her previous ones. Personal Demon and Living with the Dead had more than one narrator, including (for the first time) some of the story from male point of view. Men of the Otherworld was a short collection about the men of the Otherworld.

In Frostbitten, Armstrong returns to her first narrator, and returns to telling the story from just one point of view. It is a testament to her talent that the 11th book in her series is still as fresh as the first. Each different narrator has a very distinct voice and point of view.

I'll confess, while Elena the werewolf is a fan favorite she's my least favorite narrator. Elena can be angsty. That doesn't change in this book. It's not that I don't like Elena, she's just not my favorite. However, this book did make me warm more to her character. The angst works well, and really helped me relate to her in a way I hadn't before.

Quick plot synopsis:

Elena is chasing a mutt that might be involved in several human murders. She ends up in Alaska and quickly finds herself in over her head. There's a pack of mutts to contend with, missing local girls, and something strange in the forest. While dealing with all of this, Elena also has to deal with part of her human past. It's seeing Elena trying to reconcile that part of her life with her present life that really warmed me to her.

Kelley Armstrong knows how to write an action packed book. There are plenty of fight scenes and twists to keep you entertained. It's not all action though. While she's great at writing action packed books, she's also amazing at being able to straddle the line between action driven and character driven. The Elena books (Bitten, Stolen, Broken, Frostbitten) are some of the most character driven in the series. It's easy to see why she wanted to write another book from Elena's point of view.

The book works well as part of the series, but could also easily stand alone. My only (very minor) gripe with the book was that the other characters from the series hardly make an appearance. It works very well, and I totally see why Armstrong chose to not have them around, but I still missed being able to check in with them.