Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Finishing School bk 4. Atom Books, 2015. ISBN 9781907411595
(Age: 12+) Recommended. The Finishing School series comes to
a satisfying conclusion in Manners and Mutiny. Sophronia is
missing her sootie, Soap and is really worried about what the wicked
Picklemen are up to. Her teachers ignore her warnings about them and
she is unsure about who to trust - Lord Akeldama the vampire or the
werewolf dewan. As a large scale plot starts, it is Sophronia who
has to save her school and her friends from invasion in a series of
clever and dangerous actions.
All is revealed about the Picklemen and what they are up to and it
is a surprising and dastardly plot indeed. Sophronia continues in
her role as a clever and daring young heroine who puts all her
training to good effect to overcome the Picklemen. Alongside her
adventures is her continuing interest in Soap, whom society dictates
is not the ideal candidate for her hand, and it is fascinating to
see how this romance progresses. There are other surprises in store
with some of Sophronia's friends having hidden talents.
The Afterword is a wonderful way to let the reader into what happens
next with the characters and it certainly made me wish to see more
of Sophronia, Soap and her friends as adults in a new series.
Lots of fun, quirky dialogue and great action make this amusing,
unique steampunk series an enthralling read.
Pat Pledger