Review - Competence by Gail Carriger

Series: Custard Protocol #3

Genre: Historical/Urban Fantasy 

Age Group:Young Adult

Paperback 

Source: Purchased

Published 

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Rating: 4/5

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions:

Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?

Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez?


And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

While I’ve been enjoying the Custard Protocol Series, I wasn’t expecting this third book to completely steal my heart.

Our main character, Primrose, is Lady Captain Pru’s opposite in almost every way, but she and Pru are some of the truest friends I’ve come across in books. There were two particular scenes so full of friendship and sisterhood they made me cry. Thank you Ms. Gail for writing two girls who are friends and sisters above anything else.

There is also a delicious slow burn f/f romance on page that I adored. For the first time we switch between the different perspectives of Percy and Prim. This is a nice balance. The twins have very distinct voices and have very different ideas. While this is predominantly Prim’s story, Percy is a fun character to follow.

As always, Carriger’s stories are about the character so the plot meanders a bit and isn’t the main focus of the book. In fact, as always it is a little nonsensical. I adore it anyway. The focus on our characters, their relationships and friendships is what keeps me coming back for more.

My Last Review - The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

June Wrap Up (2019)

This month has been full of rereads. I reread a lot of Mercy Thompson and some Tamora Pierce too. I think my brain needed something familiar and I wanted something I knew I would enjoy. So it was rereads and new books from favorite authors!

Review -The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas

Series: The Elemental Trilogy

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

Hardcover - 436 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published - October 2015

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Rating: 4/5

In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort…

Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?After the first two books, I was so anxious to find out exactly how Titus and Iolanthe would pull off this mighty feat of defeating the Bane. In the end I think this is a very satisfying ending. There is love, loss, and closure.

Sherry Thomas does a nice job wrapping this series up and answering a lot of my questions. There were a few moments that were very convenient. For instance a lot of information Our Team needs comes from just the right person at the just the right moment. Overall though, those moments were balanced out with good action and some unanswered questions at the end.

Once again the romance between Titus and Iolanthe is well balanced. I love how they are both intelligent and powerful. There were a few tropes in their relationship that bothered me, but they often work through those and talk about them.

Throughout this series I’ve noticed out characters rarely explain their world to the reader. I understand they are both from this magical realm so , in a way, it would be awkward to have them explain things they know. However, it is confusing as the reader at times.

Once again I recommend this series to young adults and readers that are new to fantasy. The writing style is easy and the romance swept me off my feet. Sherry Thomas blends the romance genre and fantasy together so well. This series is not epic high fantasy, but it doesn’t try to be.

Awesome conclusion. Will read more from Sherry Thomas soon.

My Last Review - Competence by Gail Carriger