CBR BINGO: Love This
I have been a huge Gail Carriger fan now for a decade. Yep. That’s when she started rolling out her “Parasol Protectorate” series. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those books and pretty much adore the “Custard Protocol” series (of which this book is the last of). Sassy, witty, stylish romps served with the perfect cup of tea.
This is the 13th book (plus a handful of novellas and short stories) in Carriger’s alternate Victorian London full of vampires, meta and pretnaturals, were-younameits, loaded parasols, ladybug dirigibles and puffs and puffs of steam. If you haven’t read these books, go forth with my blessing. What are you waiting for?
I’m not going to reveal too much of the plot for those of you who are ensnared by Carriger’s books and totally on board the Spotted Custard already. Too many juicy tidbits that I don’t want to spoil.
Rue’s little pack of lovely misfits has a new addition: ship’s doctor Arsenic Ruthven. Once she is hired and installed on the Spotted Custard, and certain shotgun nuptials have taken place, the gang are off on another adventure. Hunting down a missing spy and another new shifter species in Japan is the perfect way to introduce Dr. Ruthven to the day to day operations of the airship. Lots of crew member flirting over tea and the inevitable cultural faux pas that leads to cross bows and the need to summon a werecat.
Carriger brings together all three of her series (Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol and Finishing School) beautifully here. Characters from each appear in this book and it was nice to revisit some that we haven’t seen in awhile. I don’t know if she is putting this world to bed, but her afterword (which made me a little teary so don’t forget to read it!) certainly sounds like she is. If so, I already miss it.
Those of you who read all of her books will get the “Finishing School” connections even more so than I did. I read the first book and didn’t find it as interesting as the more “grown up” books. I want to go back now and re read the first “Finishing School” book. I feel like I need to complete that bit of this saga. I think I owe Carriger and her world at least that.