Prudence

Prudence by Gail Carriger is the first book of her The Custard Protocol series.

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances- names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea.  But India has more than just tea to offer.  Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.  Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones?

The Breakdown:

1. I am a big fan of Carriger's Parasol Protectorate, so I was super excited for this series.  I am happy to report that book one did not disappoint in the least. Carriger brings the best of what I have come expect from her: intrigue, action, and of course, proper Victorian manners.  I love the way she easily combines steampunk, paranormal, and etiquette of the Victorian age into this book. I cannot wait to see how this whole series will play out with the discoveries made in this book.

2. I loved that Carriger has the children from the Parasol Protectorate all grown up and on their own adventures in this book.  It is fun to see what kid of characters they have each developed into.  Rue is a wonderful combination of Alexia and Lord Maccon with just the right amount of influence of being raised with Lord Akeldama. Primrose and Percy, Ivy's twins, have quite different personalities than their mother, and each other.  Then there is Quensel LeFoux is has his mother's affinity for both mechanics and flirting.

3.  Carriger, also, has many of my favorite characters from Parasol make appearances, most notably Lord Akledama.  I have to admit, I loved the small scene with just Alexia and Lord Maccon, and the hints of their plans and worries for Rue.

4. Their is definitely a budding romance between Rue and Quensel.  I am interested to see how it will play out between them.  They have some wonderful chemistry already.  Plus, each seems to be able to bring out some extreme emotions in the other, from anger to joy.

5. Then there is the amazing friendship between Rue and Prim.  They are what best friends and partners in crime should be.  They anticipate each others needs and moods so well. They have wonderfully witty banter between them, and god help anyone that opposes them.

To Read or Not to Read:

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