Heartless
(The Parasol Protectorate, Book 4)
Author: Gail CarrigerPublisher: Orbit, 2011Genre: Historical Fantasy/ Steampunk
Buy: Amazon ♥ B&N ♥ TBD
Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband’s past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux’s latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia has barely time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.
Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf’s clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama’s second best closet?
My Review:
Alexia cannot catch a break, not even when she is pregnant! Of course if she did we wouldn’t have another thrilling continuation to The Parasol Protectorate series. Making deals with the vampires to save her infant-inconvenience is the least of Alexia’s problems. When a ghost appears and gives a cryptic message about an assassination plot against the Queen, Alexia has no option but to waddle around London searching for clues.
Alexia cannot catch a break, not even when she is pregnant! Of course if she did we wouldn’t have another thrilling continuation to The Parasol Protectorate series. Making deals with the vampires to save her infant-inconvenience is the least of Alexia’s problems. When a ghost appears and gives a cryptic message about an assassination plot against the Queen, Alexia has no option but to waddle around London searching for clues.
Miss Carriger’s comical use of “proper” vocabulary is what distinguishes her writing. She makes full use of it to describe Alexia’s large state of pregnancy, the wolf pack’s quick reactions to producing food at all times less they rouse the wrath of their Alpha female, and, as always, Lord Akeldama’s propensity for embellished pet names.
Though the story is develops at a clear steady pace, at the beginning I kept wishing for more hedgehog zombie action. The clue finding, the shocking mystery solving, and the final chase through the streets of London made up for it. The conclusion was unexpected and I can’t wait for Timeless!
