Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries: Volume 1

by Hey-jin Jeon (story) and Ki-ha Lee (art), 149 pages

A dead man in a locked room reads as suicide to the untrained eye, but not to unladylike aristocrat Lizzie Newton.  And she refuses to keep quiet about it, drawing the attention of the inspector who takes on the case.  Can she prove her theory as well as change his opinion of a woman's value to science and truth-seeking?

The case here is not as interesting as the characters looking into it, but unfortunately the majority of the page-time is devoted to excessively re-iterating the facts of the murder and its revelations.  I'd much rather find out more about Lizzie's past and the circumstances of her steward / fiancé.  The former's not afraid to stick her finger in the bullet-hole of a corpse's head to test a hypothesis and the latter's clearly got reasons for leaving the law, his former field, for what amounts to a servant's position.  I like the inspector, too, as long as he doesn't just exist to give Lizzie someone to explain her theories to as a stand-in for the reader.  The mystery aspect is fine as long as it's kept in check, but it gets a little out of hand this volume.  We'll see if the next one gives us a little more character insight / development and a little less repetitive sleuthing.

Parasol Protectorate: Book the Fifth: Timeless

by Gail Carriger, 386 pages

Persons of significance express suspicious interest in the infant inconvenience and send Alexia and crew off to Egypt.

In this final volume of the paranormal-steampunk series, secrets and lies are exposed, bathing is vehemently opposed, and the unnatural world order changes with the times, though fought--somewhat literally--tooth-and-nail. I'm sad it's done! But I'm happy to hear she may be working on a companion book / series featuring the infant inconvenience's exploits. Woot!

Soulless

Gail Carriger, REM (art and adaptation), 228 pages

Headstrong Alexia Tarabotti worries more than she cares to admit that spinsterhood may very well be in her future. But when she gets caught up in a rogue vampire case that lets her be useful to Queen and country (and a certain handsome if infuriating werewolf), the prospect of not settling down for a secure life of domesticity and social calls loses its ominous edge. Adventuring and putting her quick mind, silver-tipped parasol, and unique unnatural ability to good use sound rather exciting to her, actually. Much to the werewolf's displeasure.

Yay, the manga adaptation of the first Parasol Protectorate book is out! And, yay, it's about as much fluffy fun as the novel. The art's a fine fit and everybody looks like themselves, although Alexia's a little tinier-waisted than expected and looks about to spill out of her scandalously low-cut bodice most of the time. Otherwise, though, I'm quite pleased, as it's rare for an adaptation to work out so nicely and maintain as much of the original's personality. I look forward to the next one.

The Infernal Devices: Book Two: Clockwork Prince

by Cassandra Clare, 510 pages

While also trying to prevent a coup and reeling from multiple betrayals, Tessa and the Shadowhunters search for the mastermind behind a clockwork army plot before he completes his preparations and launches an attack. Meanwhile, Will attempts to fix his own problems on the sidelines, unaware that he's got more than one obstacle to overcome.

Argh, with the love triangles, already! And why do I always like the third wheels so much! I complain, but I still enjoy this series, and this universe, so I'll just have to wait for the next book and see how it all turns out. My memory of the still-in-progress sequel series is foggy enough that I can't remember what sort of hints were dropped as to the outcomes of these conflicts, so things may work out or they may not....

The Parasol Protectorate: Book Four: Heartless

by Gail Carriger, 385 pages

Alexia has returned home to England, her council position, and her castle full of hairy werewolves, but she's getting quite tired of having to fend off the now constant attempts on her life. Why can't the blasted vampires just let her alone? Are they really so afraid of the impending addition as all that? And is it just her, or are they not the only ones out there making trouble?

Revelations about any number of people close to her give Alexia reason to pause, blink, sigh, and shake her head. Some also cause her to go on perfectly legitimate verbal tirades--and not all of them directed at her exasperating husband (for once!). Nicely balanced comedy and drama once again take the reader for a pleasant ride through a paranormally steampunked Victorian world where cutting barbs and social slights can be nearly as effective as a well-aimed parasol (Alexia's custom-made one shoots various poisons, projectiles, and an electromagnetic disrupter field). The next volume comes out in the spring (and so does the first graphic-novel adaptation, I think), so I won't have to wait too terribly long to have another fun, chuckle-filled evening spent curled up in my reading chair.

Shirley

by Kaoru Mori, 195 pages

This is a collection of unrelated short stories about Victorian maids Shirley, Nellie, and Mary as they find comfortable homes, watch their young charges grow up, and deal with loveable aging pranksters.

Written before but collected and published after Mori's similarly-set, now classic series Emma, these are a nice glimpse into the author's developing interests and skill as much as they are a snapshot of an era. It's all a bit idealized, I'm sure, but I still love Mori's vision of the period and its society. Besides all the wonderful historical detail, she also has a habit of creating strong, independent women in charge of their own destinies in a time that was not always encouraging. Shirley's mistress is a perfect example of this. She lives on her own (with the new addition of young Shirley to help with the housework), runs a café frequented by flirtatious old men, and is frequently nagged by concerned relatives about her ever more likely spinsterhood. But she looks at her options, makes her own choices, and is happy. I don't know if Mori will ever return to any of these characters' stories, but I'd happily read them if she did.

Lady Julia Grey mystery series

by Deanna Raybourn, 1,762 for these 4 titles

I previously reviewed Silent in the Grave, the first novel in this Victorian mystery series. Since then I have read the next four in the series. The Lady Julia Grey novels have a strong first person narration, which means all of the action is seen through the main character's eyes. Since Julia herself is forthright and adventurous this works well most of the time. She teams up with Nicholas Brisbane, a private investigator, when her first husband, Lord Edward Grey, is murdered. While on the surface these have a lighter tone, Lady Julia and Brisbane find themselves delving into the darker side of Victorian society, so it's not all tea and roses. The characters travel from London to the Middle East and from there to Darjeeling, a British outpost on the Indian border with Sikkim. These travels give an exotic flavor to the stories, which adds interest to series. Lady Julia comes from a long line of aristocratic eccentrics, so her family is full of characters who liven up the stories with their antics. This series reminds me quite a bit of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, mixing adventure, history and witty social commentary in with the mystery elements. I'd favor Amelia Peabody over Lady Julia, however, because of Amelia's son Ramses Emerson---now there is a hero to savor----I think of him as Victorian version of James Bond. But that's another series.....

Parasol Protectorate: Book Three: Blameless

by Gail Carriger, 355 pages

Left without the protection of her pack, Alexia takes her exoneration into her own hands and travels to the continent for answers from the people responsible for her secretive late father's existence and who have striven more than anyone else to see unnaturals wiped from the face of the earth--the Knights Templar.

Italy's almost as bad as Scotland, as far as her compatriots are concerned, but Alexia has to admit she likes the food. Hee. Again with the chuckles and social commentary, but with more action this time as Alexia is quite literally on the run from murderous pursuers. Not that the people she's running to are much safer.... This volume, like its predecessor, only wraps up one or two current plot points and lets the big one cross over into the next book. I like me some continuity and series-spanning story arcs, so this is quite satisfactory.

Parasol Protectorate: Book Two: Changeless

by Gail Carriger, 374 pages

Alexia Macon (née Tarabotti) may now be the lady of a castle full of werewolves and the newest addition to the Queen's unnatural advisory council, but she still has to find time for tea with her friend Ivy (whose taste in hats is as abysmal as her personality is warm and melodramatic), her ridiculous family, and chasing unsightly regiments off her front lawn. The last thing she needs is to have to run after her spontaneously absent husband--to that backwater, Scotland, no less! and on a dirigible!--when he fails to inform her of the rather important details of his current mission. Something is mysteriously dispelling unnaturalness (vampires and werewolves temporarily return to being human--and mortal--and tethered ghosts are exorcized) and suspicious eyes turn to Alexia and her innate nulling abilities. If she's going to get to the bottom of things, and get her workaholic husband back home to civilization where she can keep an eye on him, she'll have to brave far deadlier dangers than airsickness and country "manners."

Book Two is even more fun than Book One and ends on an unexpected, except in 20/20 hindsight of course, cliffhanger. With its aether-based airship and communication technologies, this installment ventures further into steampunk territory. Alexia picks up a new admirer--or threat?--in the person of a genius French inventor / haberdasher who turns heads and raises eyebrows in her trousers and top hat. The new character additions work nicely, as does the shaking up of other relationships to either comedic or dramatic effect, and keep the story and its inhabitants open to growth.

Parasol Protectorate: Book 1: Soulless

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!)

Clockwork Angel

by Cassandra Clare p. 479

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read. I don't usually read YA fiction or fantasy fiction (besides Tolkien and the Harry Potter series). What drew me in was it was set in Victorian England. I'm a sucker for almost anything Brittania related and especially in the 1800s. I liked how in this unlike many recent supernatural series vampires, werewolves, and witches are not just moody, but are actually unsavory Downworlders back to their bad, old supernatural selves. Tessa Gray the heroine is likable and has uncertainties and grows more brave, unlike your usual heroine who starts out as a bold soldier. She is unsure that women are even capable of being warriors at the beginning. There is the intriguing group of demon hunters who are kind of part angel and human called the Shadowhunters. The surprises in the plots development were well hidden I did not guess they would occur. Though there were many things about Tessa's background and her relationships with two of the Shadowhunters who are very different and Will and Jem, but it just makes me want to read the next book that comes out next month.

Kel

Silent in the Grave

A Lady Julia Grey Mystery

by Deanna Raybourn, 509 pages

Somehow I missed this historical series when it debuted back in 2007. So far I've read this one and the third one (when I couldn't wait for volume 2). I am liking it well enough to read a few more.

This first line definitely perked up my interest:

To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.

That hook gives you a taste of the tone of the book, which has a wry sense of humor throughout. In fact, I think the witty style captured my attention more than the mystery itself.

When Lady Julia Grey's husband dies at a party in their own home, she blames Edward's death on his physical infirmities. Her husband's inquiry agent, Nicholas Brisbane, tells her that it was murder, but Julia thinks Brisbane is just a bounder trying to capitalize on Edward's death. A year later evidence turns up which leads Julia back to Brisbane, and the two of them set about trying to find out who the killer is.

The sense of danger intertwines with a growing attraction between Julia and Brisbane. Though the mystery is solved at the end of the book, the relationship between the main characters is not. Of course not!

I haven't read the second book yet, so I don't know what happens between Julia and Brisbane after the events in volume one. I am happy to read Silent in the Sanctuary to find out!

Black Butler: Volume 5

by Yana Toboso, 176 pages

Let the curry battle begin! Sebastian uses Ciel, Soma, and the house staff as guinea pigs as he employs trial and error to make a curry that can beat Agni's. But who will have the final say at the competition?

I know Ciel is sick of curry long before the competition's conclusion, but it still makes me hungry. :) And watching an increasingly surprised and irate Sebastian counter too-honest-for-his-own-good Agni's repeated attempts to turn himself in makes me giggle. The silly clearly outweighs the dark in this volume, although there are definitely hints that the next one may swing some distance in the other direction. I mean, there's a circus in town. With clowns. Gothic, Victorian clowns. How is that not scary?!

Black Butler: Volume 4

by Yana Toboso, 192 pages

An English noble family is murdered, their home burned to the ground, and their young son missing. A few months later, he mysteriously returns with an eyepatch, a cold seriousness too great for his age, and a mysterious, disturbingly efficient butler at his side.

Ciel Phantomhive's family has been in Royal service for generations, dealing with the sundry elements of the English underworld so the surface of good society continues to run smoothly. Sometimes this involves tracking down gruesome serial killers with both other worldly and uncomfortably close connections. Sometimes it involves determining that opium den proprietors prove more useful as informants than as prisoners of the Yard. And sometimes, apparently, it involves babysitting naive, spoiled Indian princes with their own surprisingly skilled manservants. Ciel half-heartedly agrees to help Soma and his faithful retainer Agni discover the fate of the prince's favorite nanny, who was spirited away by an English businessman, but only because the case appears to be connected to his latest mission from the Queen, which is to investigate a series of attacks on British merchants and soldiers recently returned from India. As things get more complicated, the boys realize that in order to resolve the mystery and make things right they'll have to pit their servants against one another in an all-out competition...to create a curry worthy of the Royal Warrant.

Black Butler is a strange combination of the darkly disturbing and the really rather silly. From the first volume, you realize the silly is necessary to soften the disturbing, and the balance of the two has worked well so far. This volume is no different. Obviously, setting up a curry-cooking war is going for comical. But the contrasting glimpses of Ciel's memories of his parents' deaths and the immediate aftermath, as well as Agni's history before Soma offers him redemption, and the titular butler Sebastian's cruel but spot-on lecture to Soma about the prince's blindness to anything not himself are all clearly in the serious column. As unnerving as it is, I like not being able to completely relax because I don't know when things are going to turn one way or the other, and that's because whichever way they do turn doesn't feel forced or arbitrary. I want to read more so I can see deeper into Ciel's sad history and the ominous soul-securing contract that binds Sebastian to him, and then take comfort in the shenanigans of the boy's other outlandish, though more human, household staff and the otherwise cold Sebastian's uncharacteristic fondness for cats. The skilled art, with its period detail and clearly individual characters, just draws the reader further into the mystery.

Having watched the two seasons of the increasingly dark animé, and having read that it diverges greatly from the manga a few volumes in, I am looking forward to seeing where it all leads (and where it's all been).