by Gail Carriger, 357 pages Alexia Tarabotti is just a little too Italian (that complexion! that nose!) and a little too headstrong to attract a respectable husband--and she's not getting any younger. She tries not to let this worry her, especially as she'd much rather be out there doing something than sitting at home being a proper "lady." After all, certain segments of the population aren't getting any older, either, what with vampires, werewolves, and ghosts integrated into society and into Queen Victoria's government. Not one to judge others by their outsides (having been the object of much judgment, herself), she's made close friends with the most outrageous (and clever) of the vampires and something not exactly friendly but still engaging with a certain handsome boor of a werewolf who also happens to be one of Victoria's chief unnatural investigators. After narrowly escaping an oddly random vampire attack at an otherwise tedious ball, Alexia decides that if she can use her own unnatural gift (thanks to her paternal genes) to make herself useful to Queen, country, and cranky werewolf, she may not so much mind the prospect of spinsterhood.
The dry, snappy banter and narration in this paranormal / steampunk / mystery / romance series has won me over. What it lacks in emotional depth and development (though it can still be surprisingly touching at moments), it makes up for in pointed remarks, thought-out world-building, and fun. Carriger obviously knows and loves her setting and her characters' voices and uses them to good effect. It's hard to read these and not giggle. (I'm also excited, because the series is coming out as an author-approved, manga-style graphic novel--woot!)
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