Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger

Summary from Goodreads:

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!

Review:

I unfortunately only own book 1, and the rest I’ve gotten as library books. I feel such a bookish need to own all of these books. I want to re-read them whenever I feel like it. And I know I will need to re-read them soon. They are some refreshingly unique, hilarious, smart, witty, and wonderful. I can list all of the positive adjectives I can think of and still not quite vocalize just how spectacular this series is.

Reading this book, this week, was definitely like reconnecting with old friends. I missed these characters and it was so nice getting to see them all again (though there was one friend in the group that was MIA). I know that she needed to be where she was, but I still missed her.

As far as this particular story went, it was just what I was expecting from another Gail Carriger book.  I loved the plot, which I can’t divulge without seriously spoiling things, but I love what was at stake in this book. I love the emphasis of friendship and the overall feeling of girl power I get every time I read a book in this series. Yes. More please.

I think my favorite thing about this last book was the level of wisdom gained. The girls have learned from past mistakes. Sophronia knows who to trust and who not to. She knows how to not get caught, yet she also knows how to take a punishment for when she does. And as far as matters of the heart go, my ship was strong. And I loved every sizzling second of the much awaited romance I’d been craving for Sophronia.

Of course, there’s balls, shopping in London, fancy teas, and some of the most superior witty conversations in all YA books. Add the adventures, the highwaymen, the super villan boys school, the automatons, the spying, the sacrifices, the dangling from the airship, the rescuing of a vampire teacher, and helping out the werewolves, and well, there’s never a dull second.

Things tied together nicely here. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the grand finale. But I loved what I got. Loved.  Also, I got so many answers to my questions. I finally know some things I’ve been questioning since book 1.

That being said, I feel like there could be more books. Why did this have to end? Can’t we see the jobs the girls go on as adults? I’m going to miss these girls so much. I’ll have to go read this author’s adult books now.

These books ended up becoming one of my all time favorite YA series’. They are smart, sexy, hilarious, and just plain fun. I highly recommend them. I give this a 10/10.