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drlori14's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
chrystalo's review against another edition
2.0
I just don't know if I vibe with Gail Carriger's YA writing style, but I'm glad I finished the series.
magikspells's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't know this was going to be the last book. I'm so sad. And now I really wanna go back and read the Soulless books, I really miss Gail Carriger's books.
trynow's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
THIS WAS SO GOOD!
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars
I don’t know what else I can say about these book without starting to sound repetitive, so I’m just not going to try, okay? The plot is action packed and totally entertaining. I was a bit taken back with how it flowed and what ended up happening but it was a good surprise! This story is intense, powerful but definitely a lot of fun. The romance is finally a bigger part of the plot but it doesn’t take away from its charm. The ending was really satisfying though I’m gonna miss this cast.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
This author’s writing style is so unique. It’s simple yet detailed and descriptive. It’s very sarcastic and quirky while still maintaining it’s historical accuracy. In this book in particular, the narration sounds a lot more mature and the pace is medium, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. I’m looking forward to reading all of her books.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
I LOVE THIS CAST! Honestly, this book just made me completely and totally fall in love with every single character that makes up this crazy espionage crew. Sophronia has grown a lot in the course of the series. She’s mature and smart and clever. I love the dedication that she shows in this book in particular. She throws herself into danger in order to save like everyone which just shows how caring, loving and selfless she is. She’s really confident in her abilities but she also works really hard to make sure the evil guys don’t win! While the side characters aren’t as prominent in this book (at least toward the end), I absolutely love all of them. They’re complex, diverse, endearing and interesting. I love the dynamics between them and how much they care about each other. It was great to see how their lives are kind of shaped now after Finishing School and I’m really happy that Carriger is sharing some novellas about the side characters because I definitely wanted to know more.
Emotionally
The plot is intense. We’re back with Sophronia and her friends at another year of Finishing School though she’s more concerned about the plot the Picklemen have up their sleeves but no one seems to take her seriously. It’s up to save her friends, her school and all of London. I love this series! I think this book is a great way to finish it off. It had all the things I loved about the previous books but it was also filled with twists and turns that blew me away. The action was on point, specially precarious in this one. There was some drama because no one really believed Sophronia’s suspicions even though she’s been right about a lot of things the past few books. The mystery was engaging and intense and it was entertaining as always. Because the side characters were a bit absent, we get a more in depth look at some of the more hidden side characters, the ones that have been around before but have never had much of a spotlight. It was really great to see and was shocking and surprising in some parts as well because I wasn’t expecting some of those stand out stars. There were so many different twists and turns that I did not see coming at all and that I was not expecting. It definitely helped keep my excitement for the book and my attention with the story and how it was developing. I wish there had been more of my favorite side characters in this book though I definitely see how the choices the author made make sense to the world and the main character in particular. I loved the reveals and the different surprises that happened as the story went on, though some were more shocking and kind of heartbreaking. My favorite part however, was the epilogue. We get to see a little bit beyond that final chapter, a bit more in the future to how everyone is doing and what they’re up to which was really great. I finally got to see how the two main characters of the first two series connect and it was definitely not the way I was expecting! It kind of had me itching to re-read Parasol Protectorate again to see if I could catch Easter eggs of this earlier series now that I’ve read them both. It was awesome and this is one of my favorite series finales.
Sophronia has become a favorite female character for me. I just find her personality to be so awesome and confident. For being such a young girl when she first started out in Finishing School to how she is at the end, the growth is undeniable yet she still kept her quirks and oddities intact. She’s smart and clever and sassy. She’s kind and caring to her best friends and she tends to confront problems head on. I just feel like she’s a great leader and I think the decision she ultimately made about her future throughout the series was really well connected to who she is and who she cares about, regardless of what society may think of those choices. She’s amazing. I hope to see more of her in some other of Carriger’s series.
Finally I want to talk briefly about my favorite side characters and the standouts of this book. I hope to be able to read some novellas of what their futures look like because they deserve some closure as well. Dimity is Sophronia’s best friend and I loved their bond. They understand each other really well and they accept each other’s issues as well as praise their positive attributes. It was great to see how both girls became almost family to each other. Dimity is a very loyal friend and I connected with her a lot because of that. Soap is my favorite. There’s no denying that. I love his role in this book and the last one. I wish I could talk about him a lot more but there’s so many potential spoilers regarding his character. However, know that he is amazing and strong and just so freaking supportive that I wish he was real! Agatha is a character that I haven’t talked about much in my previous reviews because she never really had much of a role in their crew, though she’s definitely a part of it. Yet in this book she really surprised me, so much is revealed about her that I did not see coming and I wish I could find out more about her backstory because it wasn’t enough in this book at all. Monique is a character that has been kind of an antagonist since day one but it was really interesting to see the kind of role she played in this finale. I really wasn’t expecting her to show up again so that seemed like an interesting choice by the author though I kind of understand why she did it. I also want to quickly mention that I love the epic plot twist that doesn’t even seem that epic in it’s reveal but that is considering how much this particular thing has been talked about throughout the series. It was a total “I knew it!” moment which I relished in.
Overall, I really enjoyed this last book. The action, the mystery, the entertainment and the stakes were there and totally on point with the feel of the entire series. There were so many different aspects going on and so many last minute reveals that pumped up my anxiety and excitement levels. I love this cast of characters to pieces, each individual one for different reasons and I really hope to be able to read about them all again. I found this book to be a great finale to a highly entertaining series and would definitely recommend this particular series to people who are interested in starting Steampunk for the first time.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars
I don’t know what else I can say about these book without starting to sound repetitive, so I’m just not going to try, okay? The plot is action packed and totally entertaining. I was a bit taken back with how it flowed and what ended up happening but it was a good surprise! This story is intense, powerful but definitely a lot of fun. The romance is finally a bigger part of the plot but it doesn’t take away from its charm. The ending was really satisfying though I’m gonna miss this cast.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
This author’s writing style is so unique. It’s simple yet detailed and descriptive. It’s very sarcastic and quirky while still maintaining it’s historical accuracy. In this book in particular, the narration sounds a lot more mature and the pace is medium, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. I’m looking forward to reading all of her books.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
I LOVE THIS CAST! Honestly, this book just made me completely and totally fall in love with every single character that makes up this crazy espionage crew. Sophronia has grown a lot in the course of the series. She’s mature and smart and clever. I love the dedication that she shows in this book in particular. She throws herself into danger in order to save like everyone which just shows how caring, loving and selfless she is. She’s really confident in her abilities but she also works really hard to make sure the evil guys don’t win! While the side characters aren’t as prominent in this book (at least toward the end), I absolutely love all of them. They’re complex, diverse, endearing and interesting. I love the dynamics between them and how much they care about each other. It was great to see how their lives are kind of shaped now after Finishing School and I’m really happy that Carriger is sharing some novellas about the side characters because I definitely wanted to know more.
Emotionally
Spoiler
Seeing this series come to an end is really bittersweet, but I think it was a great finale for such a fun series.The plot is intense. We’re back with Sophronia and her friends at another year of Finishing School though she’s more concerned about the plot the Picklemen have up their sleeves but no one seems to take her seriously. It’s up to save her friends, her school and all of London. I love this series! I think this book is a great way to finish it off. It had all the things I loved about the previous books but it was also filled with twists and turns that blew me away. The action was on point, specially precarious in this one. There was some drama because no one really believed Sophronia’s suspicions even though she’s been right about a lot of things the past few books. The mystery was engaging and intense and it was entertaining as always. Because the side characters were a bit absent, we get a more in depth look at some of the more hidden side characters, the ones that have been around before but have never had much of a spotlight. It was really great to see and was shocking and surprising in some parts as well because I wasn’t expecting some of those stand out stars. There were so many different twists and turns that I did not see coming at all and that I was not expecting. It definitely helped keep my excitement for the book and my attention with the story and how it was developing. I wish there had been more of my favorite side characters in this book though I definitely see how the choices the author made make sense to the world and the main character in particular. I loved the reveals and the different surprises that happened as the story went on, though some were more shocking and kind of heartbreaking. My favorite part however, was the epilogue. We get to see a little bit beyond that final chapter, a bit more in the future to how everyone is doing and what they’re up to which was really great. I finally got to see how the two main characters of the first two series connect and it was definitely not the way I was expecting! It kind of had me itching to re-read Parasol Protectorate again to see if I could catch Easter eggs of this earlier series now that I’ve read them both. It was awesome and this is one of my favorite series finales.
Sophronia has become a favorite female character for me. I just find her personality to be so awesome and confident. For being such a young girl when she first started out in Finishing School to how she is at the end, the growth is undeniable yet she still kept her quirks and oddities intact. She’s smart and clever and sassy. She’s kind and caring to her best friends and she tends to confront problems head on. I just feel like she’s a great leader and I think the decision she ultimately made about her future throughout the series was really well connected to who she is and who she cares about, regardless of what society may think of those choices. She’s amazing. I hope to see more of her in some other of Carriger’s series.
Finally I want to talk briefly about my favorite side characters and the standouts of this book. I hope to be able to read some novellas of what their futures look like because they deserve some closure as well. Dimity is Sophronia’s best friend and I loved their bond. They understand each other really well and they accept each other’s issues as well as praise their positive attributes. It was great to see how both girls became almost family to each other. Dimity is a very loyal friend and I connected with her a lot because of that. Soap is my favorite. There’s no denying that. I love his role in this book and the last one. I wish I could talk about him a lot more but there’s so many potential spoilers regarding his character. However, know that he is amazing and strong and just so freaking supportive that I wish he was real! Agatha is a character that I haven’t talked about much in my previous reviews because she never really had much of a role in their crew, though she’s definitely a part of it. Yet in this book she really surprised me, so much is revealed about her that I did not see coming and I wish I could find out more about her backstory because it wasn’t enough in this book at all. Monique is a character that has been kind of an antagonist since day one but it was really interesting to see the kind of role she played in this finale. I really wasn’t expecting her to show up again so that seemed like an interesting choice by the author though I kind of understand why she did it. I also want to quickly mention that I love the epic plot twist that doesn’t even seem that epic in it’s reveal but that is considering how much this particular thing has been talked about throughout the series. It was a total “I knew it!” moment which I relished in.
Overall, I really enjoyed this last book. The action, the mystery, the entertainment and the stakes were there and totally on point with the feel of the entire series. There were so many different aspects going on and so many last minute reveals that pumped up my anxiety and excitement levels. I love this cast of characters to pieces, each individual one for different reasons and I really hope to be able to read about them all again. I found this book to be a great finale to a highly entertaining series and would definitely recommend this particular series to people who are interested in starting Steampunk for the first time.
kailey_alessi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really glad this series ends off on a high-note. I'm super excited to carry on to Gail's other series now.
suz_n_van's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
badseedgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Now that the weather is turning that glorious gold of spring, right before the “kitchen in hell” heat summer in Dixie, it’s time to turn to that glorious and mystical beast “the summer reading list.” This list must be full of light and casual reads that can be completed in a couple days and under no circumstance taxes the brain. Low and behold in November Gail Carriger released Manners &Mutiny, the fourth and tragically, last book in her Young Adult Steampunk series “Finishing School.”
This novel provides everything a reader could want in a summer reading book. It is light-hearted and filled with adventure and humor. It comes to a wonderful conclusion and the series is tied up nicely. It does not hurt that there is also a wonderful and unforeseen final connection between this series and her adult series set in the same world, “Parasol Protectorate.”
Fortunately for her readers in 2015, Ms. Carriger started a new series “The Custard Protocol.” I already have it sitting in my digital reader.
This novel provides everything a reader could want in a summer reading book. It is light-hearted and filled with adventure and humor. It comes to a wonderful conclusion and the series is tied up nicely. It does not hurt that there is also a wonderful and unforeseen final connection between this series and her adult series set in the same world, “Parasol Protectorate.”
Fortunately for her readers in 2015, Ms. Carriger started a new series “The Custard Protocol.” I already have it sitting in my digital reader.