Guest Review from EggJosh: Soulless

Alrighty, so this time around, I'm talking about the manga adaptation of Soulless by Gail Carriger. I'm not a huge manga guy, but it still appealed to me on some level. So, let's get to it, and break down what did and didn't work in this book.

The Art
Being in the style of a Japanese graphic novel, I shouldn't comment on how it looks visually. Personally, I liked it. Being that the intended audience is clearly female, the art style tends to lean towards some of the "pretty boy" manga I'm at least slightly familiar with. There are plenty of effeminately drawn male characters; not typically my thing, but it fits with the paranormal romance feel of the story. The characters all looked very nice, and I liked the simplistically drawn 1-page side story at the very end as well. I feel that I have to mention the sheer amount of man-ass in this book. Since there's werewolves involved, there's plenty of male nudity, with strategically placed items to cover up dangly parts. Its accidentally kind of humorous the lengths they go to in order to cover up naughty bits.

"Yes, Basil! Nice rack!"

The Characters
The main character, Alexia Tarabotti, is a preternatural, meaning she has the unique ability of nullifying supernatural powers. She's a decent protagonist. Nothing really stands out about her. She's considered a "spinster" for being slightly too old to be single by Victorian standards, and has to try to keep up appearances while being wooed by the far more interesting Lord Conall Maccon, a werewolf who heads up a paranormal task force. Maccon and his sidekick have all the best lines, and his efforts to get Alexia are the best part of the story, compared to the murder and kidnapping plot.

The StoryAs I mentioned, the plot revolves around the appearance and murder of a rogue vampire. The story is nothing special, but the complications that arise from Alexia's efforts to "act normal" while still being a super useful, bad-ass vampire-killer are quite entertaining. There's also a humorous running gag about a hedgehog. The best part of the story is the interactions between the characters. Yes, there is plenty of action, but Maccon trying to court Alexia, as he would a female werewolf is great.

Final VerdictObviously I'm not the intended audience for this book, being a heterosexual, male non-manga-fan, but it didn't bore me. I read it in one sitting, and didn't regret doing so. If you can get it from the library, or borrow it from a friend, I say go for it. 3 stars