Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger ~ Review

November is a month full of highly-anticipated reads - some of which I've been waiting for for almost a year! One of these reads is Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger.

Manners & Mutiny is the fourth and final book in Gail Carriger's Finishing School series. 

This book, like the rest of the series, sports a gorgeous book cover that had me so excited to have it sit on my bookshelf. So let's see if the rest of the book lived up to the high standards set by the cover...

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My thoughts on the book

Rating: 5 out of 5

A quick refresher: The Finishing School series is centred on young Sophronia who is enrolled in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. It's a school for young ladies to learn about the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette...as well as how to deal out death, diversion, and espionage -- in the politest possible ways, of course! (You can read about my thoughts on the first book in the series here.)

My expectations for Manners & Mutiny: Seeing as this book was to be the last book, I'll freely admit that my expectations for it were through the roof! Gail Carriger has the ability to write witty and entertaining books and I couldn't wait to sample more of her unique writing style. 

Did it meet my expectations? Uh yes. Yes, it did indeed! In fact, I will go so far as to say that it exceeded my expectations - it pulled all the elements of the series together and was both entertaining and informative. I was never left feeling like the author was racing to the finish line. Rather, I felt that every chapter and every scene was calculated. 

Favourite quote: Hmm...picking just one is so difficult. Mainly because I liked different quotes for different reasons - some of them made me swoon, others made me sob, and many of them made me laugh. So I think I'll present to you all two of my favourites:

Quote 1: '"Loyalty is the only moral compass I have. It’s our best foundation. And you have earned it.” 

Soap’s face fell. “And what of love?” 

Sophronia was uncomfortable with the intimacy of the question, but she also knew that this would be part of their future. One couldn’t live in shadows without some clarity. Soap would need to know her heart. Sophronia examined it closely. Am I strong enough to risk giving it to him?'

 

Quote 2: 'The vampire himself answered the door, wearing a robe of royal-blue quilted silk with teal embroidered peacock feathers and gold lace trim, clearly near to taking his repose.  

(...)“Kitten! Is that you? Horrid eye paint, my pet. You should fire your maid this instant. And here I was just about to retire. Yet I’m certain you are full of delicious stories and know everything there is to be known about everything. It’s too bad of you. Couldn’t you have come a little bit sooner, poppet?” 

Sophronia gave a little smile. “Dear Lord Akeldama, I’m afraid I was all tied up. Or do I mean tying up?”'

 

The ending: So, the questions of the day...was the ending satisfying? Did I leave the book happy as Larry or was I left wanting more?

If you couldn't already tell by my 5 star rating or by my exuberant use of gifs I adored the book and its ending. It tied up all loose ends and even let us know what happened afterwards for all the characters - where they all went, and what they ended up doing with their lives. 

Closing that book really made me pause...because that was it! It finally hit me that this was the final book, and the story was over. It's been such a wonderful journey reading this series and I feel like these characters and their adventures have found a secure spot in my bookworm heart forever.

Have you read the series? What was your favourite quote?

Let me know in the comments section below!

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About the book

If one must flirt...flirt with danger.  

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? 

Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster—in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.  

What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

Add the book to your Goodreads shelf today!