Reviews

Heartless by Gail Carriger

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lcgerstmann's review against another edition

4.0

I have loved Alexia Tarabotti/Maccon for the last 3 books, in all her soulless practicality, but to have our heroine running around saving London and the Queen and having some quite taxing adventures, all while being 8 months pregnant, was truly amazing! This book started off at a slower clip than usual but more than made up for it with an action packed, and of course, hilarious ending. Quite a few weird things transpired in this book that I am still pondering over, mainly involving an adoption, a swarming, a birth, an outing of the sexual orientation variety and a best friend gone insane. Nevertheless, the expected wit and quirk that makes these novels so lovable was ever-present and did not disappoint..and finally the Parasol Protectorate was officially formed! Go agents Puff Bonnett and Ruffled Parasol!

skybalon's review against another edition

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4.0

Not my favorite of the series but fun none the less. I'm not sure I completely buy the motive of one of the main characters, but it is not so out of bounds to ruin anything. Well worth the read.

itisallmydoing's review against another edition

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I devoured the first three books years ago and saved the fourth as a dependable read, but I did not find myself sinking into the world or caring much at all, and so I have given myself permission to end my time with the Parasol Protectorate.

mrydstrom's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

paradoxically's review against another edition

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4.0

I really love these books. They're funny, they have good plots, and the characters are pretty much all awesome. The dry wit these books have makes for a great read, and Heartless does not fail to deliver.

Alexia is heavily pregnant in this book. She's eight months or so along and has ballooned in size. Her being so heavily pregnant does affect what she does and how she does it, but she still trucks along at her own pace and is very determined to do what needs to be doing. It's great to read how her pregnancy limits her and yet it's not the end of all things. Alexia pretty much just registers how pregnant she is and goes off anyway. I've always loved her character and this love doesn't change a whit in this book.

There's a lot of focus on secondary characters in this book: Lord Akeldama, Biffy, Professor Lyall, and so on. I thought this was great because Carriger manages to make each of her characters distinct and you can't help but like each and every one, no matter how different their personalities may be. Biffy is having a terrible time being a werewolf (and Lord Akeldama isn't taking it so well either), and you can't help but hope that everything will just work out for the both of them. You find out more about Professor Lyall and his past and it's truly fascinating stuff to read, especially when it strikes so close to Alexia as well.

The plot rolls along at a merry pace. The characters find out there might be an assassination plot against the queen. Alexia goes about trying to uncover whether or not this is true, and if so, by who and how. The actual mystery of who, when, where, how is a bit slow as Alexia is encumbered by her pregnancy, but the book makes up for it with interesting glimpses into the secondary characters. The end speeds past you once you get into the nitty gritty of why everything is happening and, hm, I enjoyed reading it very much, but I'm not entirely happy with how things were laid out in the end.

At the same time I'm a bit leery at how things will go along in the next book.

Spoiler

I'm not overly fond of children characters, but seeing as how the author handled the pregnancy well, I'm hoping Carriger will pull through.

Still, a very fun book, as always. 4 stars.

daffodill37's review against another edition

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3.0

Ok I really enjoyed this one. I was a little confused about the threat, it didn't make a lot of sense but other threads from previous books started to come together in this one. It was enjoyable to build upon character's arcs. Looking forward to seeing how this one ends.