Soulless is set in an alternate history version of Victorian era Britain where werewolves and vampires are accepted as functioning members of society.

Alexia Tarabotti is a woman with several critical problems: she is still searching for a husband, her late Italian father complicates her social standing in a rigid class system, and she has no soul.

The fact that she is "soulless" leaves her unaffected by the powers of supernatural beings which only further complicates her life when she accidentally kills a vampire that had attacked her.

In their August 2009 starred review, Publishers Weekly said of Soulless that "Carriger debuts brilliantly with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history."

Her "[w]ell-drawn secondary characters round out the story" and that "[t]his intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans.

[10] Rob H. Bedford reviewed Soulless for SFF World noting "Carriger does an impressive job of drawing the reader into the story immediately" but found it "a frustrating read" due to "the repetitive aspects of the novel".