Friday, March 2, 2018

Prudence by Gail Carriger


12799420
Series: Custard Protocol #1 
Genre: Historical Paranormal Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Paperback- 357 pgs
Orbit - March 2017 

Rating: 4/5

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones?

Once again Gail Carriger kicks of a delightful series with a delightful set of characters and adventures. In this first book we follow the next generation as we pass the torch from Alexia to her daughter. International travel is once again on the table as Prudence takes on India and the perils of travel. Prudence is a little more reckless than her mother (I know I was surprised too) and she takes on the world in a whirlwind fashion. There is a lot going on, but it happens at a leisurely pace for the most part.

One of the things I like best about Carriger's series is her ability to integrate real history and her paranormal elements. India and Britain had a difficult relationship to begin with, but Carriger adds her own flavor to things. We also see some of the results of the bargains from the end of the Parasol Protectorate Series sixteen years down the line. The continuation and consistency is excellent. I really enjoyed the small glimpses of the old guard, but we never dwelled on them and jumped into the new story very quickly.

I imagine there are Easter Eggs in this story for the careful reader, but I am still trying to puzzle them out. I read this book in chunks that were spaced very far apart so in my mind the start of the story is a little fuzzy. I would have liked a little more clarity in regards to the resolution though in honesty I don't know if my confusion was because my gaps in reading or the author's text. Even so, the whole thing is delightful, entertaining, and fun. I can't wait to read volume two.


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