The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
lyndz_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
This book was hilarious. I wasn't sure that I would like it considering that Conall was being so difficult about her pregnancy. I ended up really like Floote and I am dying to know what is up with Alexia's father. I am really happy in the end though that they worked it out.
dontanam's review against another edition
3.0
I will always remember this book as the one I was reading when I found out Paul Walker died.
booksandcatsgalore's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lcgerstmann's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I love this series, particularly the fast paced, witty, and over-the-top characters and style of writing! However, in this third installment, some of my favorite characters have very little "screen time" . Although I enjoyed getting to know some lesser characters better, especially Floote and Professor Lyall, I missed the dynamic between the main character, Alexia and her husband, Conall, a grumpy yet sexy werewolf. And of course, because of only a brief appearance from Lord Akeldama, I just had to take away stars from my rating. I still laughed and wanted to drink tea and am eagerly awaiting both the manga version of Blameless and reading book #4!
I love this series, particularly the fast paced, witty, and over-the-top characters and style of writing! However, in this third installment, some of my favorite characters have very little "screen time" . Although I enjoyed getting to know some lesser characters better, especially Floote and Professor Lyall, I missed the dynamic between the main character, Alexia and her husband, Conall, a grumpy yet sexy werewolf. And of course, because of only a brief appearance from Lord Akeldama, I just had to take away stars from my rating. I still laughed and wanted to drink tea and am eagerly awaiting both the manga version of Blameless and reading book #4!
skybalon's review against another edition
4.0
The series continues to if not improve, continue at its current high quality level. As the series progresses the author is a little less concerned about telling a self contained story, so this book would not stand alone very well, but for anyone following the series this is well worth the read.
pandorasxbox's review against another edition
4.0
A bit of warning: I'm on the tired side, but I feel compelled to ramble about this book before going to bed. Therefore, this is probably not going to be well written or coherent.
I adore these books. They're funny and clever and highly imaginative with characters I can't help but adore. Although neither Changeless or Blameless quite captures the same magic that we got in Soulless, I still enjoyed reading them. That said, there were quite a few things in Blameless that rubbed me the wrong way.
First of all, I wasn't pleased with certain character interactions, or rather lack thereof. Part of what was so appealing about Soulless was the interaction between Alexia and Connall. Gail Carriger does such a wonderful job building up their relationship, and the books always manage to become more compulsively readable than they already are when the pair of them are together. Except here, they're not. You get a good amount of each character, but not together. I understand that that's the point of the book, but it would have been more gratifying to see them reunited a little bit sooner. Secondly, I found the overall lack of Lord Akeldama dissatisfying. My interest in the book in general was waning in general up until Biffy was reintroduced- I admittedly really like that storyline, and didn't see it coming (as I did the idea of the pregnancy in the last book). It makes me more excited for the next book- given Lord Akeldama's and Biffy's new roles, they'll play a more prominent part, and I have a hard time imagining how that could be a bad thing. Finally, Madame LeFoux... I can't help but feeling that her character was mishandled here somehow. First of all, she actually came across as somewhat... pathetic. She got knocked out twice that I remember, and overall her efforts to protect Alexia were somewhat lacking. It's kind of hard to describe, but something was just missing. Additionally, I didn't quite like the way in which her relationship with Alexia was downplayed. There was some innuendo to the fact that she's attracted to Alexia, but the fact that Alexia ever felt anything toward her is downplayed. That was an interesting aspect of the last book, and it made me sad to see it lost. I like my characters to have complicated relationships, damnit. Floote was a major upsides though. You can never have too much of Floote.
Another thing that bothered me was the science that was incorporated. This is steampunk and some nonsensical science is to be expected, and I do enjoy it. The problem here is that there was too much of it and it came across as annoying rather than charming. It often left me feeling confused and with the sense that it really was just nonsense. It's sad, because on of the really cool things about the Parasol Protectorate is that the world is explained in scientific terms, but I feel that this was handled far better in previous books than in this one. Ideas about aether and the nature of the soul should have been interesting, but it came out as scientists talking science because they are scientists and that's what they do. It just doesn't work for me, and it really detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
I also felt that this book focused a little bit too much on action, and it didn't fit quite as well into the story. There were too many scenes that were essentially chase scenes or fight scenes, and overall wasted opportunities for wit. That's not to say that they were entirely devoid of cleverness- they had some. Just not enough to justify all of them: so many lost opportunities there.
On a completely unrelated note, the cover model kind of irks me. Alexia frequently described as a larger woman. She has no qualms about how she looks, and her size is part of the reason her husband so attracted to her. It's unbelievably refreshing to see that. Meanwhile, the cover model just strikes me as much too thin to be Alexia. It's nitpicking, but it bothers me nonetheless.
I adore these books. They're funny and clever and highly imaginative with characters I can't help but adore. Although neither Changeless or Blameless quite captures the same magic that we got in Soulless, I still enjoyed reading them. That said, there were quite a few things in Blameless that rubbed me the wrong way.
First of all, I wasn't pleased with certain character interactions, or rather lack thereof. Part of what was so appealing about Soulless was the interaction between Alexia and Connall. Gail Carriger does such a wonderful job building up their relationship, and the books always manage to become more compulsively readable than they already are when the pair of them are together. Except here, they're not. You get a good amount of each character, but not together. I understand that that's the point of the book, but it would have been more gratifying to see them reunited a little bit sooner. Secondly, I found the overall lack of Lord Akeldama dissatisfying. My interest in the book in general was waning in general up until Biffy was reintroduced- I admittedly really like that storyline, and didn't see it coming (as I did the idea of the pregnancy in the last book). It makes me more excited for the next book- given Lord Akeldama's and Biffy's new roles, they'll play a more prominent part, and I have a hard time imagining how that could be a bad thing. Finally, Madame LeFoux... I can't help but feeling that her character was mishandled here somehow. First of all, she actually came across as somewhat... pathetic. She got knocked out twice that I remember, and overall her efforts to protect Alexia were somewhat lacking. It's kind of hard to describe, but something was just missing. Additionally, I didn't quite like the way in which her relationship with Alexia was downplayed. There was some innuendo to the fact that she's attracted to Alexia, but the fact that Alexia ever felt anything toward her is downplayed. That was an interesting aspect of the last book, and it made me sad to see it lost. I like my characters to have complicated relationships, damnit. Floote was a major upsides though. You can never have too much of Floote.
Another thing that bothered me was the science that was incorporated. This is steampunk and some nonsensical science is to be expected, and I do enjoy it. The problem here is that there was too much of it and it came across as annoying rather than charming. It often left me feeling confused and with the sense that it really was just nonsense. It's sad, because on of the really cool things about the Parasol Protectorate is that the world is explained in scientific terms, but I feel that this was handled far better in previous books than in this one. Ideas about aether and the nature of the soul should have been interesting, but it came out as scientists talking science because they are scientists and that's what they do. It just doesn't work for me, and it really detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
I also felt that this book focused a little bit too much on action, and it didn't fit quite as well into the story. There were too many scenes that were essentially chase scenes or fight scenes, and overall wasted opportunities for wit. That's not to say that they were entirely devoid of cleverness- they had some. Just not enough to justify all of them: so many lost opportunities there.
On a completely unrelated note, the cover model kind of irks me. Alexia frequently described as a larger woman. She has no qualms about how she looks, and her size is part of the reason her husband so attracted to her. It's unbelievably refreshing to see that. Meanwhile, the cover model just strikes me as much too thin to be Alexia. It's nitpicking, but it bothers me nonetheless.
rachelelizabethlee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
gretski's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
daffodill37's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed Alexia's little adventure. Was sort of hoping for a solid "Alexia, I'm sorry" from Lord Maccon but will have to put up with what we got. Looking forward to seeing what's happening with our boys back in London.