VICTORIAN AND SUPERNATURAL?

Soulless: The Manga
by Gail Carriger

illustrated by REM
Yen Press

          The life of a spinster in Victorian London isn't an easy one on the best of days, but such a life becomes infinitely more complicated when said spinster is "soulless" - a preternatural bridging the gap between the natural and supernatural worlds. Miss Alexia Tarabotti has this unique distinction, and when she is assailed at a formal gathering by a rove vampire, an encounter that results in the death of the half-starved creature, her circumstances become exponentially more complicated indeed! Now caught up in an intrigue with life or death stakes, Alexia must rely on all her talents to outmatch the forces conspiring against her, but it may be the man who has caught her eye - Lord Conall Maccon - and their budding flirtation that truly drives her to her wit's end!

I have never read a Gail Carriger novel; I've only heard of her, and seen some of her work on Goodreads. When I discovered this manga, I was mildly shocked: she writes manga? Once I did a little research, I found out it was an adaptation of her novel, which made a lot more sense. 

I went into this novel knowing virtually nothing-didn't read the synopsis or genre tags. Surprisingly, I was not confused by the plot when I was reading. Each manga volume, there's three, is an abridged version of the books, five in total. (This manga adaptation is a blessing because I do not have the energy to read 300+ pages, five times mind you.) Each volume prefaces what will occur, some background information, and significant terms you will need to understand the story. However, there are some terms I had to google, maybe because I wasn't paying enough attention to the series, or because it lacked explanation. It felt like they expected people who read the books to also read the manga.

I found Alexia Tarabotti an intriguing character from the beginning-wow, what an introduction, and a fellow parasol-enthusiast! She is sassy, blunt, and fun. She is a "special snowflake," to some extent, because she's the "first female preternatural in seven generations," and the story revolves around that circumstance. Lord Conall Maccon, who's a werewolf and Alexia's love interest, is rakish and cheeky. Hilarity, and scandal, ensues when these two are together. Although I find them charming, I was caught off-guard by the smut... I should have checked the genre tags-live and learn.

The world is fascinating. It's set in Victorian England, my favorite time period, and there are supernatural entities! There's politics between vampires and werewolves, and Queen Victoria is involved. There is also a hint of steampunk. What is there not to like? If you enjoyed Penny Dreadful, I think you would like this series because they share many plot elements. The art is beautiful: the characters, the clothes, the settings. Although they are English characters, they have a Japanese style. I love the flounce, the shape, the aesthetic, and the corsetry of Victorian fashion.