Changeless

Gail Carriger's series starring Alexia Tarabotti is slowly, but surely winning me over to steampunk. Changeless, the second in the series, is an absolute mad-dash, romping adventure that takes our heroine by dirigible to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands.

Something is happening in the ranks of the supernatural. Vampires are losing their ghastly pallor and their fangs. Werewolves can no longer take on their hairy, four-legged shape. One would think that Alexia, a preternatural (born with no soul) were holding everybody's hand. Have scientists harnessed the power of the preternaturals to make supernaturals mortal...and has this power been turned into a weapon? Or have returning regiments of soldiers brought back some disease that affects only the supernaturals? And what does all this have to do with Lord Maccon's (Alexia's husbands) former pack in Scotland? In addition to all this, someone does not want Alexia to make it Scotland...and does not want her finding any answers. Will she survive the poison in her dinner? Or the attempt to throw her off the dirigible?

Carriger kept me on the edge of my seat as I kept reading to discover the answers to these and other questions. Alexia is a marvelous main character--headstrong, smart, witty, fearless and able to wield a parasol in battle like nobody's business. Watching her face down everyone from an offended army major to the Beta werewolf of her husband's former pack is a delight. The suspense is high, the action is gripping, and repartee scintillating. And, with the cliff-hanger ending that Carriger has given us, I am now waiting with bated breath for Blameless to be available from the library so I can find out what happens to Alexia and her Lord Maccon.

Three and a half stars out of five.