Review: Waistcoats & Weaponry

Book three of the Finishing School series
By Gail Carriger
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy
Read my review of Curtsies & Conspiracies

The penultimate book in the Finishing School series is witty and exuberant.  I love spending time with these characters, and Gail Carriger finds a way to trap all of the best ones in a small space together (wearing terrible disguises).  At the same time, while it has the best character interaction yet, the plot is a let down.  There are some vague intimations as to the ongoing supernatural struggles, but very little is actually figured out.  WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY felt like filler before the end, aside from one major development.

I don't necessarily think focusing more on the characters is a bad thing.  Because the Finishing School series is set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate series, there isn't much mystery as to how the power struggle works out.  What Sophronia chooses to do with her life, and who she chooses to live it with, is a mystery.  On that level, WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY more than delivers.

It is always hard to review one of the latter books in a series, especially in a series that revolves around secrets.  Needless to say, if you are a Finishing School fan, you won't be disappointed.  If you aren't a fan, I recommend starting at book one (ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE) or at least book two (CURSIES & CONSPIRACIES).  In a book with this much character payoff, you need the setup.  I do recommend starting this series if you enjoy spies, steampunk, ridiculous disguises, convoluted plans, and girls determined to make the best of their options in life.  This series is excellent frothy fun.

Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies

Book two of the Finishing School series
By Gail Carriger
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy

I found the idea of Gail Carriger's Soulless series intriguing, but the execution was lacking for me.  Especially after the first two books.  However, I kept hearing that her Finishing School series was much better.  Thus, I gave it a try.  I have to agree.

The second book, CURTSIES & CONSPIRACIES, finds Sophronia being ostracized after she scores the highest on their spy skills and etiquette test.  Determined not to let it get to her, she keeps spying on her own time to discover what's really going on at her school, beyond the whole training-young-women-secret-skills thing.  She's particularly intrigued by an apparent plot against her best friend, Dimity.

 Another ripple comes when the school takes a trip to London, accompanied by the boys of Bunson's (a school for mad geniuses).  It's highly unusual, and Sophronia is determined to get to the bottom of things, all while flirting politely with Lord Mersey.  I feel that the love triangle is overused in YA, but I do like both points of this triangle.  Soap is of lower social status, but Sophronia respects his skills and he respects hers.  Lord Mersey is to be a duke, which makes him act rather entitled, but his attraction to Sophronia is honest and he has no desire to squash her eccentricities.

At the same time, Sophronia's focus really isn't boys.  It's putting the pieces together.  Doing so also makes her think more about what her future means.  Who will she work for?  How will she know she's doing good?  She's being made into a tool, and if she's not careful, she could be wielded in ways she does not approve of.  Carriger doesn't flinch from depicting the darker side of spycraft.

If you're looking for a steampunk series with humor, adventure, and romance, give the Finishing School a chance.  The third book, WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY, comes out tomorrow.