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A review by tinynavajo
Competence by Gail Carriger
5.0
So. Damn. GOOD!!! I love this latest installment of the Custard Protocol if because we get to see inside the head of a few other characters that have always been a bit off to the side.
In Competence, we follow the thought process of the twins, Primrose and Percival Tunstall. Mainly Primrose, as she struggles to come to terms with something that EVERYONE else can see; that Tasherit, our resident werelioness, is in love with her and wants her. Prim refuses to acknowledge this though, as she believes she wants to be married, have a family and kids. That is what she wants, a sense of stability, something normal that she didn't really have growing up the child of a vampire queen.
As Prim starts to work through things, including the fact that she is more accepting of Tasherit while she is in lion form than when in human form, all of Prim's family and friends help her realize there is more to it than that. All of her life, she has been seeking to uphold social expectations, get married to an upstanding man and raise a family. Prim has even been engaged several times and has had many beaus as well. She has felt nothing for these men and believes that is what is normal, that a loveless/romantic-less marriage is what is needed/normal. Yet, what Prim feels with she let's Tasherit near her is completely new and different. And that isn't normal, so she pushes Tasherit away as well as she can.
With all of this drama going on, there is also the mission given to the Spotted Custard to find this last hive of vampires in South America and possibly rescue/destroy them. Most likely rescue, but you never know with Alexia Maccon.
Overall, this book was great! I loved that it wasn't a lot about the action, but a lot about the character development. We know that Prim, in previous books, is extremely organized and she loves everything that would be considered proper for her place in society. She also wants everyone to be in their proper place as well, but as a member of the Spotted Custard, no one really fits into a neat little box in Prim's world.
With all of this though, we get to see Prim grow and change and accept that not everything will fit into neat little boxes, and sometimes you have to change your perspective if you want to find where you fit into the world. And if you have to change your perspective, the only person that will really notice is yourself. No one else really cares what you're doing in your life, as long as you're happy if they are your friends. And Prim's friends are truly her friends and her family and they love to see her finally accepting herself and allowing herself to love.
In Competence, we follow the thought process of the twins, Primrose and Percival Tunstall. Mainly Primrose, as she struggles to come to terms with something that EVERYONE else can see; that Tasherit, our resident werelioness, is in love with her and wants her. Prim refuses to acknowledge this though, as she believes she wants to be married, have a family and kids. That is what she wants, a sense of stability, something normal that she didn't really have growing up the child of a vampire queen.
As Prim starts to work through things, including the fact that she is more accepting of Tasherit while she is in lion form than when in human form, all of Prim's family and friends help her realize there is more to it than that. All of her life, she has been seeking to uphold social expectations, get married to an upstanding man and raise a family. Prim has even been engaged several times and has had many beaus as well. She has felt nothing for these men and believes that is what is normal, that a loveless/romantic-less marriage is what is needed/normal. Yet, what Prim feels with she let's Tasherit near her is completely new and different. And that isn't normal, so she pushes Tasherit away as well as she can.
With all of this drama going on, there is also the mission given to the Spotted Custard to find this last hive of vampires in South America and possibly rescue/destroy them. Most likely rescue, but you never know with Alexia Maccon.
Overall, this book was great! I loved that it wasn't a lot about the action, but a lot about the character development. We know that Prim, in previous books, is extremely organized and she loves everything that would be considered proper for her place in society. She also wants everyone to be in their proper place as well, but as a member of the Spotted Custard, no one really fits into a neat little box in Prim's world.
With all of this though, we get to see Prim grow and change and accept that not everything will fit into neat little boxes, and sometimes you have to change your perspective if you want to find where you fit into the world. And if you have to change your perspective, the only person that will really notice is yourself. No one else really cares what you're doing in your life, as long as you're happy if they are your friends. And Prim's friends are truly her friends and her family and they love to see her finally accepting herself and allowing herself to love.