Changeless

This second book in the series uses more of the mystery genre than romance. And there's more steam-punk in this one.

This book has some janky places (a bit confusing in the action). But these books are light and entertaining.

I read the first book more than a year ago and had some trouble finding back into the story and the justification of various characters, but otherwise I liked it quite well.

I'm a big fan of Madame LeFoux. I'd like a series about her adventures and her various inventions.

Lord and Lady Maccon continue their odd life of paranormal bliss. But something is causing the pack to stop changing, and it isn't Alexia for a change. More sass, more bickering, and suddenly Alexia is off to Scotland in a dirigible to track down her husband at his ancestral home.

We get the expected steampunk elements tied neatly to the paranormal. Good stuff! Danger, deception, and plot twists abound. And we get a surprise ending that will get you to move book 3 up your TBR list, so well played, Carriger, well played. 3.5 stars because I didn't love it quite as much as book 1, but still very enjoyable.

Changeless is the second in the Alexia Tarabotti series of novels by Gail Carriger. And if you didn't enjoy the first then this isn't going to suddenly change your mind. It's very much a continuation in tone and content.

Which is to say that it's light, frothy and written as a sort of pastiche comedy of manners from the Victorian period. Although the emphasis this time is more on the mystery and a little less on the romance aspect. Don't worry it's still there though.

The change is perhaps inevitable. After all Gail Carriger did marry off her two central characters in the previous book so there's going to be a different dynamic as the relationship evolves. Unfortunately I'm not sure the mystery element was strong enough to completely make up for the shift.

We do however, get a great new female character in the form of Madame Lefoux a "hat designer" with many hidden talents and a preference for male clothing. Carriger hints at an attraction between her and Alexia which sits a little oddly given the strength of the central relationship already in play but does let her keep the fairly high sex quotient which the series aims for.

The mystery itself is centered around the supernatural set suddenly finding themselves human again. Something or someone is causing it. And having started in London it's now heading up to Scotland. Alexia naturally gives chase (via dirigible) at which point the assassination attempts begin.

There's a noticeable increase in the steam punk elements during this book. The first basically just threw the supernatural into the mix. Now we have alternatives to the telegraph and various other contraptions being mentioned. The series straddles Urban Fantasy, Steampunk and Paranormal Romance quite effectively. The mystery component just doesn't have depth though and I was left with the feeling it could have been solved much earlier if Alexia had actually used the common sense and practicality that the author and all the other characters keep telling me she has.

So all in all I'd call it a step down from the first book but it's carried along by its fast pace and the fact that Alexia Tarabotti is a really fun character to read about.