Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5) by Gail Carriger

Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5)
by Gail Carriger

5/5

407 pages

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

What an excellent conclusion to this series.  I'm so sad it's over!  Thankfully, there is a series after this one which features her daughter.  Onward!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Tessa Gray finds herself in the Shadowhunter world where demons are real and the Shadowhunters protect the humans from them. This is a re-read for me and it's one of my favorite trilogies. I'm slightly obsessed/in love with Will Herondale and I really enjoy being in this world.

Rating: 5/5

Pages: 481

Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger

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.

By this point, we all know I enjoy these.  I have to admit, however, that this one is my least favorite of the four.  It does wrap everything up in a nice bow, but I just didn't feel as invested in the overall mystery.  

Overall thoughts - unique, fun series and good for all ages.  :)

4/5

337 pages

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger

Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style—with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. 

No one suspected what—or who—they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.

This is book three of the Finishing School Series.  I continue to enjoy these and have already started the fourth and final book.  So far, this is my favorite of the series as the characters are far enough along in their espionage training for some life-altering things to happen to them and around them.  I'm also amused by the techniques the ladies use (like vocal affectations and demure flirting) to manipulate and melt the men around them to learn their secrets.  Some things never change. :)

4/5

320 pages

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Summary: "Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia 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 learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they 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." 

If you read my review of Soulless, you may have already realized this book is by the same author.  And while I certainly enjoyed Soulless, I wasn't driven to continue that series.  When I found out that Ms. Carriger also wrote a YA series set in the same world, I decided to give it a go.  I went in wary, however, because MANY adult writers struggle to also write YA.  Not so here!  This book was a pleasant surprise.

The characters are whole and have unique voices.  I enjoyed the overall formal-but-silly feel of the book and found the central mystery a great story arc.  The real stand out qualities of this novel lie with Sophronia, the school, and its teachers.  There is a very Harry Potter feel to the whole thing.  It is intriguing to watch young girls learn how to manipulate others and gather intelligence using only those things available to women of the Victorian Age - handkerchiefs, fans, sewing scissors, etc.

Overall, I enjoyed this very much and have already started book two. :)

4/5

336 pages 

Summary: "Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot - one with dire implications for both super-naturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card." - Amazon

Book two of the Finishing School Series by Gail Carriger.  I enjoyed this novel just as much as the first.  That being said, I'm not sure I will continue with the series right away.  The tone of these novels is so different, and I think I'm realizing that while I enjoy them, I cannot devour them one after another.  I need a break.  And I'm sure when I do get around to reading books three and four, I will be ready.

4/5

320 pages