Parasol Protectorate Review

The Parasol Protectorate consists of four books. Below are reviews on the four books. Please keep in mind that there are spoilers in the reviews!

This book was so much fun. It is some sort of combination of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles and a Johanna Lindsey novel. In other words, fun fantasy (in the order of vampires, werewolves, and ghosts) and "sexy times." The book is perfect if you are looking for a fantasy-romance book on a dark and stormy night. Oh, did I mention it is steampunk too? That's right, alternative history where the supernatural are living among us out in the open. It is a grand old time. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.







This was another enjoyable little read by Gail Carriger. I was a little concerned that the second book in the series would be a let down after the first; however, this book also provided a grand old mystery. I was a bit disappointed that this book didn't wrap up all the loose ends and that the book ended on quite a large cliffhanger! I get the impression that the first book was so popular that she was offered a series deal and that is why the first book wraps up so nicely and this one (blasted all!) has a cliffhanger. I should explain that the first two books were available in e-book form from my library, but I need to interlibrary loan request the last three in the series, so I am frustrated that I am going to be hanging off this cliff for a while! 

With all of that said, I enjoyed meeting the new characters and getting better acquainted with those that we met in the first book. There was very "sexy times" in this book in comparison to the second one, but I would still call this a fantasy-romance novel versus just a fantasy novel. I must admit that I was frustrated with how the book ended, because I felt that a particular character was acting out of character, but I can appreciate this being a way to open up the third book in the series, Blameless. My best recommendation for someone who is reading this book is MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE REST OF THE SERIES ON STANDBY!



Just finished another adventure with Alexia and the gang. I really enjoy these little adventures with werewolves, vampires, ghosts, soulless, and dirigibles. This adventure found Alexia on her own (and her band of merry adventurers) in Italy trying to figure out how she was able to become pregnant with her werewolf husband's child. I must admit that I didn't really follow the explanation of too much soul, too little soul, and how one measure's souls. (These things are important for understanding how a soulless individual can become pregnant by someone who is dead [e.g., werewolf, vampire, or ghost].) Oh well, I figure that there are two more books in the series and I will figure things out then. Because Lord Maccon wasn't in this book as much, the book was much more fantasy-focused than romance/fantasy-focused. Although I continue to enjoy these books, Lord Maccon's bullying ways is starting to tire me. If Alexia was my friend, I would not stand for her husband to be yelling at her as he does. I don't care, if she is "just as feisty as he is." This is not a healthy relationship. Of course, the antagonistic but romantic relationship always seems to work in romance novels.



I am coming to a close with the Parasol Protectorate. As always, this book was a quick read and lots of fun. I do feel, however, that each book ends with more loose strings than the last. I wonder if Gail Carriger did that with intention or not. I do hope that everything gets tidied up in the last book. Gail Carriger is at work on a companion series that I imagine is about Alexia's daughter, so I am sure that the book will not wrap up completely. However, I would like to end the series feeling like the characters' issues were resolved.












Alexia Maccon's adventures have come to an end. I must admit that I enjoyed this series very much; however, I found the latter books to be missing some of the spark that Soulless had. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the series until the very last page. Everything was relatively neatly tied up in the end. Gail Carriger is working on a new series that appears to involve Alexia's daughter Prudence, so I am excited to find out how Alexia carries on after her adventuring days end. 

My main gripe about this series is that it started as romance/fantasy and slowly yet surely ended as a fantasy series. Now I greatly enjoyed the series as a fantasy series; however, the first book seemed to make certain promises in regards to the romance arena and those promises were swiftly broken come the second book (and even more so in the latter books). Outside of this gripe, the book series was fun.

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