Book Review: Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger

Manners & Mutiny
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Finishing School (Book 4)
Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (November 3, 2015)

Description: If one must flirt...flirt with danger.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster--in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.

What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

My Thoughts: This concluding volume of the the Finishing School series is as action-packed as the earlier volumes. But in this episode stakes are higher and costs are greater.

Sophronia is sure that the evil Picklemen have a dastardly plot involving the mechanicals in mind. But she is unable to convince her teachers of this. This leaves Sophronia and her colleagues Dimity and Agatha to foil the plot.

They do have some assistance from Soap who is now a werewolf and who still loves Sophronia. She can't see a future for them because of their vastly different social positions. She isn't quite sure how to deal with his love and devotion. But Soap is a persistent character who knows Sophronia's heart better than she knows it herself.

I love the combination of manners and mayhem that is persistent throughout this series. It is all right to be an assassination as long as you manage to keep everything in good taste. Wardrobe is chosen as much for style as it is for its ability to conceal a variety of weapons that no young intelligencer would ever be without.

If other fans of this series are like me, they will heave a satisfied sigh as they come to the end of this book and this series.

Favorite Quote:

"Oh, la, I'm positively parched." Agatha grabbed Felix's arm and sailed smoothly away, angling toward the punch.

Felix could do naught but follow.

It was, Sophronia had to admit, a perfect extraction. Agatha had hidden depths of shallowness. Or she was a better study than anyone thought, and merely needed a different personality to bring out her abilities. Or she had partaken too freely of the absinthe-spiked punch.

I bought this book. You can buy your copy here.