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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Review: Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School #3) by Gail Carriger

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: November 4, 2014
Pages: 304
Source: For Review From Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars


Class is back in session...

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. 

In short: Waistcoats & Weaponry delivers on all the whimsy, cleverness, and rollicking good fun that is expected from a Gail Carriger read.
Gail Carriger's books always make for a good pick-me-up between slower or more serious reads. She just has SUCH a great talent for quirky humour and breezy plots that leave you smiling and cheered. I had great fun with the first two books in her Finishing School Series, Etiquette & Espionage and Curtsies & Conspiracies, and I couldn't wait to dive back into the steampunk-paranormal world with Waistcoats & Weaponry to get me out of the reading slump I was experiencing at the time.

Sophronia is now a bit older and a bit more experienced as an intelligencer, and just as resourceful and bright as ever. In between learning how to master the art of battling with bladed fans and bestowing seductive looks to unsuspecting gentlemen at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, Sophronia - along with her ragtag group of friends - of course manage to get themselves involved in yet another conspiracy from which a romping good adventure results, as well as a little romance along the way.

Looking for a rollicking good read filled with quirky characters, clever humour, and dastardly plots? Then look no further than the Finishing School Series by Gail Carriger! Gail Carriger's special whimsical brand of humour is practically guaranteed to put you in a good mood and draw you out of a slump. Next up: Manners & Mutiny, coming this November 2015.

Previously, my reviews review for Etiquette & Espionage and Curtsies & Conspiracies.

Other Reviews:
Alice Marvels
Megan Likes Books
The Nocturnal Library

Author Links:
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Goodreads

23 comments :

  1. Sounds like it was good. I'm still a book behind this but hope to catch up soon. I didn't even realize another book was coming down the pipeline in this series this year either. Yay for more!

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    1. Yes, she's a fast writer - a book a year, like clockwork!

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  2. I'm so glad you liked this book! Sadly, I'm about a few chapters in the first book but I can't get into it so I've stopped.
    Kim @ Divergent Gryffindor

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    1. Aww, that's too bad. If you have a chance, maybe you could give it another go and hopefully fall in love with it.

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  3. YAY! I'm glad this series continues to entertain you! At this point I own all three books and everytime I read your review for one of them, I kick myself for not having gotten into them yet. I especially like how you say they're good books to read if you're experiencing a reading slump - I wish I'd have known this during the Holidays, it might have helped my slump >.< I'm also excited because I thought this was (like most other series) going to be a trilogy, so I'm even more thrilled to get into these now :)

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    1. haha, well I know how it is when it comes to series that everyone has raved about but I'm still in the dark about. But yes, these are very fun, breezy reads that are a joy to read!

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  4. I love her humor and her characters! Glad you liked this one too, Aylee! Can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

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  5. I really liked this series! The humor is definitely great. I loved the steampunk world as well. This one was definitely my favorite in the series. There was so much more character development and after connecting with them after the two previous books it gave me some serious feels. Great review!
    Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally

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    1. That's great! I think the first is still my favourite because that's when I fell in love with Gail Carriger's writing :)

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  6. I've been thinking about reading this series. Looking over your reviews for all 3 books has definitely bumped it up on my to-read list.

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  7. I've wanted to read something by this author for SUCH a long time. It started with the adult series and then this one came out...I have the first for this series though, so I need to get on it. I'm glad to hear you really enjoyed this one. :)

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    1. I was like that for a very long time too! I haven't read her adult series yet, but I'm bound to love that too.

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  8. I still haven't started this series! I can still remember when the first book came out and can't believe that the third book has already been released. Man, time sure flies!

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    1. Right?? She's a fast writer. And time DOES fly!

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  9. Sounds really good, this is a series I've always meant to read but never get around to it, I think I'm going to make it a top priority once my TBR pile goes a little down.

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  10. I love Gail's sense of humor - these books always put me in a fantastic mood! So glad to hear you're loving the series too. I can't wait for Manners and Mutiny! :-) Wonderful review Aylee!

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  11. Oh, I've sincerely been following your reviews of this series and my interest is piqued! Every time Janhvi and I come across these books in the bookstore, I tell her how you like the series and we should read it sometime. I'm glad you liked this book so much. Nice review, girl!

    Sarika @ The Readdicts

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  12. Oh yay, you've read this series! It's so incredibly fantastic, isn't it? Ahh, I just finally caught up on all the books last month and it feels so exciting, knowing the last (?) book is coming and I'm ready for it, though the emotions I felt with this one. I still have to write up reviews for both this and the second book, but this was my favourite by far. I love and am also really sad that Sophronia is so clearly aging. I'm really going to miss her. But this was just incredibly fantastic.
    I actually tend not to read them as pick me ups, more go at them with the intention of knowing what I'm in for. I got out of my bookslump before heading into this.
    Xx

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