Review: Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger

Waistcoats and Weaponry (Finishing School #3)
By Gail Carriger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: When one of her closest friends receives disturbing news from home, Sophronia is set to do whatever she can to help. And so Sophronia and friends journey to Scotland, a trip that finds them on board a mysterious train carrying even more mysterious cargo. As an intelligencer in training, Sophronia is determined to discover the train’s secrets, as well as who is behind its existence in the first place.

Review: Another Finishing School novel, another fun, delightful read! Thanks to Gail Carriger’s distinctive writing style, these books are just so addictive. They never fail to make me laugh most heartily, and occasionally out loud. With Waistcoats and Weaponry, I found one line so hilarious that I actually pounded my fist on the table while cackling with laughter. Every time I start one of Carriger’s books, I know one thing for certain: I shall be amused!

This time, Sophronia, Dimity, and Sidheag go on an adventure outside the airship that is Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. Sidheag receives some bad news from Scotland and wants to return home to the Kingair werewolf pack at once. The three girls, along with Soap and Lord Felix Mersey, wind up on a mysterious train that demands further investigation. This turns into one of the most, if not the most, dangerous missions that Mademoiselle Geraldine’s recruits have encountered thus far. It’s thrilling but also sobering, as one character’s path is altered irrevocably.

Fans of Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series will be interested to see some of the Kingair pack’s backstory filled in here. I love any and all connections between that series and this one, especially the references to a certain werewolf lord and a certain vampire lord. I also love how strong the friendship between Sophronia, Dimity, Sidheag, and Agatha has become. Sidheag’s troubles are her friends’ troubles, and it’s touching to see the other three girls rally around her.

The love triangle between Sophronia, Soap, and Lord Mersey makes a move toward the forefront, and I have to say, I didn’t really care for its effect on Sophronia and Soap. Lord Mersey has always come across a little too suave for my liking, so this book didn’t change my feelings toward his character all that much. Soap, on the other hand, broods quite a bit in the novel, and jealousy over any interaction between Sophronia and Lord Mersey does not suit Soap at all. As for Sophronia, learning to perfect the fine arts of eyelash fluttering and longing looks may be part of her intelligencer training, but she’s rather heedless in her usage of them on the two boys. It takes a good while for her to realize that they’re not playing a game here; there are genuine feelings involved all-around. It’ll be interesting to see how the romance aspect resolves in the last book.

Love triangle aside, Waistcoats and Weaponry was rollicking good fun to read. Having binge read the first three Finishing School books now, I’m pretty bummed about having to wait for Manners and Mutiny. I’m really going to miss these characters in the meantime because I’ve grown so accustomed to spending time in their wonderful world of espionage, mechanicals, supernatural beings, Victorian manners, and, of course, tea. One can never forget the tea!

All in All: Waistcoats and Weaponry is every bit as enjoyable as its predecessors and has left me eagerly awaiting the conclusion to the series.

Review: Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

Curtsies and Conspiracies (Finishing School #2)
By Gail Carriger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Sophronia is excelling at her studies in all things espionage at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, so much so that her friends start giving her the cold shoulder. As if that weren’t enough to cope with, Sophronia finds herself the center of particular attention from Lord Felix Mersey, one of the visiting students from Bunson and Lacroix’s Boys’ Polytechnique. Someone also seems intent on harming the Plumleigh-Teignmott siblings, and Sophronia is determined to uncover the culprit.

Review: This is my seventh excursion into Gail Carriger’s wonderful Victorian world of steampunk, vampires, and werewolves, and I never want to leave. Ever. I have entirely too much fun when I’m ensconced in the pages of her books, and Curtsies and Conspiracies was a riot to read from beginning to end. I don’t often find myself laughing out loud while reading, but let me tell you, I LOL-ed my way through this one.

The plot here is beefed up a bit from Etiquette and Espionage. Sophronia, always on alert for something amiss (which is why she’s an ace intelligencer in the making), fears for the safety of her dear friend Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott and pieces together a nefarious scheme that only Sophronia, of course, can thwart. Her escapades on board the airship that houses Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality and later in London feel more cohesive than they did in the previous book. That’s not to say that there aren’t a few plot details that could have benefitted from some further fleshing out, but on the whole, the plot stays on course.

The character development in Curtsies and Conspiracies is spot-on. I love Sophronia as a heroine, even more in this novel for showing flaws that bring more of a balance to her character. According to her first school evaluation, she’s prime intelligencer material, but she needs to work on her social skills. Sophronia quickly feels the harsh truth of this when the other girls start ignoring her because she’s too good for them. The sting of ostracism especially hurts coming from her friends Dimity, Sidheag, and Agatha. Sophronia also gets a little overzealous with a mission that results in some serious consequences. The latter incident, which turns out not to be entirely Sophronia’s fault, still leaves her feeling guilty and with a new appreciation for not throwing all caution to the wind all the time.

Romance takes a step to the forefront in this book and even displays signs of heading into love triangle territory. So far I’m not put off by it because I have so much trust in Carriger’s skills. Just for the record: Team Soap!

I can’t emphasize enough how delightful the humor in Carriger’s books is, and I especially enjoyed Curtsies and Conspiracies. The characters’ various idiosyncrasies combine with Carriger’s vibrant prose to make these novels very addictive. You can’t wait to see what sorts of capers these characters will get into next, and that’s exactly my sentiment toward the next installment in the series.

All in All: I’m totally in love with the Finishing School series. I also love the references to Gail Carriger’s adult Parasol Protectorate series, but even without those, Curtsies and Conspiracies is an amazing read in its own right.

Review: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1)
By Gail Carriger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Ebook
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: When Sophronia Temminnick’s mother decides that her daughter could benefit from more than a few lessons in refinement, Sophronia is sent off to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. Almost instantly, Sophronia learns that her new school interprets the meaning of “finishing” in an entirely different manner. Her studies include covert information gathering, poisoning, and weapons concealment, all of which she is expected to master along with perfecting her curtsy.

Review: I make zero effort to hide my enthusiasm for Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate novels, so it was a no-brainer for me to check out her YA Finishing School series. Etiquette and Espionage takes place before the Parasol Protectorate, but you absolutely do not need to have read the latter to enjoy the former. Fans of Carriger’s adult books, however, are sure to be thrilled by the connections that are made between the two series.

I love, love, love the Victorian steampunk-meets-paranormal world that I was introduced to in the Parasol Protectorate novels, and being able to return to it in Etiquette and Espionage was a pure joy. Plucky heroine Sophronia gets to attend a school that is on board an airship and has an adorable—and mechanical—pet dog named Bumbersnoot. Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality also boasts a vampire and a werewolf among its faculty. Add this obviously venerable educational institute to the list of fictional schools I wish I could attend (still waiting for owl post to deliver my Hogwarts letter, dammit!). I’d also have to find a way to sneak into Bunson and Lacroix’s Boys’ Polytechnique because it’s a school that trains evil geniuses. Seriously, this is the school’s specialty. It’s that kind of quirkiness, which is passed off so casually in Carriger’s novels, that makes me laugh my arse off and marvel at her creativity.

Off-the-wall character names are another staple of this universe, and I could barely suppress giggles over appellations such as Mrs. Barnaclegoose and Lord Dingleproops. I also had a hearty chuckle at Dimity and Pillover Plumleigh-Teignmott, although the Plumleigh-Teignmott siblings turn out to be quite steady allies of Sophronia’s, especially Dimity, a fellow student at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s. “Sophronia” isn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill name, either, but its uniqueness certainly suits its bearer. Even before her recruitment for Mademoiselle Geraldine’s, Sophronia isn’t the average fourteen-year-old Victorian young lady. Her super curious mind often leads to trouble, but that’s why she fits in perfectly at a school that teaches the fine art of espionage.

I’d seen a couple of reviews mention that this book felt a bit middle grade-ish, but I didn’t think so. I will say that it is a tad light on plot. Sophronia’s adventures sometimes seem episodic rather than part of a larger arc. In a different novel, this most likely would have bothered me, but I was too amused by the humor in Etiquette and Espionage to dwell on the thin plot details. This was a delight to read, and I can’t wait to carry on with the rest of the books in the series.

All in All: Gail Carriger works her magic yet again, this time kicking off a YA series with a very solid start!