Friday, July 5, 2019

Review - Competence by Gail Carriger


Competence (Custard Protocol, #3)
Series: Custard Protocol #3
Genre: Historical/Urban Fantasy 
Age Group:Young Adult
Paperback 
Source: Purchased
Published 

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.

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