Book Review-- Timeless

 Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5) by Gail Carriger

Paperback, 386 pages

Published March 1st 2012 by Orbit

ISBN 0316127183

Audio Read by: Emily Gray

Genre: Steampunk, fantasy, PNR

New or Re-Read: New!

Series: Parasol Protectorate #5, the last of the series

Where I heard about it: NBC

Why I read it: Started series for PNR Discussion

Setting/Time frame: London, Egypt 1890's

Spoilers?  There is going to be some for the series, but as usual, I will try not to.

 

FIVE STARS!!!

 

Where should I begin. Well, the first thing I will do, as I type up this review will be to pour myself a nice cup of tea and configure my thoughts. This review is mainly on this book, Timeless, but also about the Parasol Protectorae series as a whole, seeing as this book is the last book in the 5 part series. The one bonus about starting a series late on  is that you don't have to wait for the next book to come out and I think that helped make this series a new favourite of mine.

Timeless begins a few years after Heartless, with everything going as it should in the Macoon household. Prudence, the lively daughter of Alexia and Conall who we met at the end of the last book, kind of steals the show in this book. While still a toddler, she has all the characters wrapped around her grubby little fingers and I don't think they could be any happier about it. Prudence turns out to be Metanatural, meaning she steals the supernatural abilities of people when she touches them. So if she is touched by her adopted father Lord Akeldama, he becomes human and she becomes a little monster.... I mean vampire. The realtionship between the three, yes three parents and this precocious girl is delightful and fun.

Alexia is unchanged in her character, other than now she is a doting mother. Which was a relief to say the least. The book didn't feel like it had a multi year gap between one installment and the next, but flowed rather nicely from one book to the next. Carriger did a fantastic job on that throughout the series, but most notedly in this last book.

It was nice to have more Biffy and Lyall in this story, and while I saw their storylines coming, it was interesting and well done. Their story didn't over ride the over all story, but rather played nicely to it.

 

I was glad for the only minor appearance of the misses Loontwills, as I find their characters grating.

 

The story was well rounded and was over so quick, that it's hard to believe this was the last in the series. It was a fantastic conclusion to this witty and fun series.

There were a lot of quotes that I loved, but as I was listening to this book, all the quotes I loved happened while driving in the car. Apparently I am not allowed to make notes while driving, so I couldn't mark them down.

However, one of my favourites, especially as a tea lover much like Alexia, was something like....

"I have grown attached to Lord Maccon, almost as much as to my tea, and I would harldy like living without it as I would without him".... or something to that line of thinking.

 

As far as the series goes, I was a little apprehensive at starting this series, as it was my first in the steampunk genre. I ended up really enjoying that aspect of the stories, and never found it to be too overwhelming.

 

If you love this series and haven't checked out the following, shame on you. There is a positively delightful way to spend many hours on the internet playing dressup with Alexia on here. Apparently there is also a tea time Iphone app, which, I would love, but am without an iphone.

There is also some more expected from this world of Gail Carrigers creation. Prudence will recieve her own series, which is due out next year. There is also a finishing school series that will also be coming out next year. It takes place 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe. I will be quick to pick these up once they come out!!!!