This review is for the entire box set of novels: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and Timeless.

The strengths: witty turns of phrase, the humorous dramatic irony between the point of view characters’ obsession with Victorian propriety and fashion faux pas in the face of mortal peril, the romance plots, the overall whimsy.

The mixed: The romance plots only really work when there is romantic tension, which is considerably lessened when the romantic leads in the first novel get together. After that, they may have their tensions and occasional dramatic separations, but it doesn’t carry the same frisson. If I were rating only the first book, I’d give it 4 stars, precisely because it works so well as an action romance. It even has, dare I say it, erotic moments, though not explicit.

In the later books there are romances between secondary characters, but we only really get the outside view. I’d probably be pretty happy reading books dedicated entirely to the romance plots of those gay paranormal couples. But I understand that’s not what these books were trying to be.

The action plots on the other hand are never as strong. They work as action-romance quite well, but when they take center stage they can’t quite carry the whole structure as well, and often rely on surprise reveals.

The fashion descriptions are fun in small doses, but sometimes left me confused about what I was supposed to imagine. I understand there’s a manga adaptation, which I bet would be fun for that.

The weaknesses: After the first book, Alexia does not grow as a character. In the first book, she finds confidence in herself and her power, but after that, she’s changeless. She has adventures, makes amazing discoveries, is betrayed, becomes a parent, and still, she does not change. She’s a fun character, I mean, I read 5 novels about her, but without character growth it feels unsatisfying. The other elements aren’t strong enough to make for that. And they could. I’m not a stickler for character growth as an absolute requirement: Bertie Wooster doesn’t grow but we forgive Wodehouse because the humor carries the books.

My recommendation: Definitely read Soulless. Read the rest if you enjoy the witty language, or just can’t get enough of supernatural steampunk.