Review - Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger

 

Series: Finishing School #4 (Finale)

Genre: Historical/Paranormal

Age Group: Young Adult

Hardcover: 326 pgs

Source: Purchased 

Published: November 2015

Add it // Buy it

Rating: 4/5 

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sootie Soap nearby. She would rather thwart dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored.

Who can she trust? Royal werewolf dewan? Stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way. Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster.  

This final book in the Finishing School Series is delightful for many reasons. Not just because it wraps this series up in a fantastic way. (I can always count on Gail Carriger to give us an ending I will delight in even when she scares me first) Something about the way her books and series wrap up is just perfect. In this particular series she also links this series into her Parasolverse and sends the reader off into The Parasol Protectorate Series artfully. It is a bit of a wonder to watch as Ms. Gail wraps up the loose ends here and dangles a few tidbits in front of the reader to entice them to continue forward. Whether you've read the next series (like me) or not, it is tempting to jump into Soulless right after finishing. (See what I did there?)

The girls are at the end of their training and not only are they versed in these skills we actually get to see them use it. I really enjoyed seeing their skills and Sophronia's quick thinking once again. The story is quirky and fun while balancing historical accuracy  I really enjoyed the writing style and it is fast paced. I mentioned before I thought the love triangle was unnecessary and this remains true.

Overall this series has been a lot of fun and my favorite part was the characters. They are a really interesting group and I am excited to hear more about them as Gail publishes short stories about their lives. 

My Last Review ⇒ Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

#AllHallowsWeek Review - Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger

Series: Finishing School Series #3

Genre: Historical Fiction Steampunk Paranormal

Age Group: Young Adult

Paperback - 298pgs

ATOM - 2014

Rating: 4.5/5

Sophronia continues finishing school in style - with a range of deadly defences secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Her fashionable choice of weapons comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland.

But when Sophronia discovers they are being trailed by a dirigible of Picklemen and flywaymen, she unearths a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos. With her friends in mortal danger, Sophronia must sacrifice what she holds most dear - her freedom. 

My main complaint about book two was it felt like a holding pattern and we didn't make a lot of progress in the big picture plot. This book definitely changed that. There are a lot of exciting twists and turns throughout this novel and, as I've mentioned before, I find Carriger's writing style and world builiding delightful.

Carriger continues to focus on the girls working together to outsmart their enemies both near and far. As they get older they are worried about boys and marriage, but the focus on on their ambitions. I really like that part of this story.

The love triangle fails a bit in my opinion. Throughout the books I felt like only one of Sophronia's suitors is a serious contender. The other fell flat to me. I don't know if this was a problem with the writing and plotting or if I personally failed to see the appeal in the other character from the start. 

I highly recommend this series as a fun and fast paced read.

Review - Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

Series: Finishing School #1 

Genre: Historical Science-Fiction

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: Purchased

Paperback - 307

Add it // Buy it

Rating 4/5

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia Temminnick is a great trial to her poor mother--her atrocious curtsy is an embarrassment to the family name. So Mrs. Temminnick enrolls her daughter in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies certainly learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

It is well known at this point; I love Gail Carriger. Her books are fun, fast-paced and full of adventure. This particular series, thus far, is less paranormal centered than the Parasol Protectorate. I'm not complaining though. I enjoyed this first book very very much.

Sophronia was excellent. She was a tad immature at moments, but overall she had great spirit. So much spying, friendship and tea!Carriger celebrates everything feminine and femme fatale in the kickoff to the Finishing School Series.

Toward the beginning the narration style is a little awkward. Compared to PP the writing felt simplified at first, but seemed to get better as the book went on. The witty and snarky were still there, but this story had an element of silliness that didn't fit quite right in a story about the wickedly clever ladies. Just like PP though, this series has a diverse cast of characters as well as a delightful mix of steampunk and history.

Honestly I'm anxious to check out how the girls in this school will grow and change in future books. The foundations of these characters was good. They were a tad flat, but I became quite attached to them during the course of the story.

Overall it was great.

My Last Review - The Queen of the Tearling