Prudence (The Custard Protocol)

This is a pretty solid sequel to the Parasol books. The strained nature of the relationship between Prudence and Alexia was sad, since they seem pretty amiable in Timeless, and Pru isn't as interesting of a character as Alexia, but still a very enjoyable read.

I very much enjoyed this continuation of the Parasol Protectorate--sort of. Prudence is not her mother. I am looking forward
to her unique form of mayhem being visited on the Steam Punk universe. The new shape shifters are fantastic additions to
this alternative Victorian England as well. Prudence's unique relationships with her three parents and the children of the new hive
queen in London also bring much to a plot full of interesting twists and turns.

Oh Prudence how you've grown up ! Channeling her triptych of parents, Prudence takes on the work of the Queens Special Counsel. Its a fun read but made me realize I want to go back and read the original Gail Carringer series.
There are sooties and espionage and just loads of fun.Highly recommended

I love all of miss gails steampunk books, and this one did not disappoint. Plenty of fun, jokes, and victorian highjinks. If you are a fan of the parasol series this book neatly carries it on and if you have not read any of the others this works well without prior knowledge of the other books. If you are a fan of dirigibles, hats, and tea, I encourage you to give it a go.

While these books may be intended for young adults, as an older adult that enjoys fantasy, I am enjoying all of Carriger's books thus far. The steampunk combo with werewolves, vampires, and other paranormal creatures as a normal part of society rather than as monsters is a different twist.

Prudence "Rue" Akeldama doesn't have much to do in England. Lord Akeldama gives her a dirigible, which she paints like a ladybug and names the Spotted Custard, and charges her with the very important task of bringing new strain of tea from India back to England. Rue assembles a crew including her best friend and fashionista Prim, Prim's academic twin brother Percy, and rakish French engineer Quesnel to aid her in her quest. They encounter a wide variety of unforeseen problems and complications on the way that includes whole new races of shapeshifters, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, culture shock, an ages old rivalry, and, of course, tea.

Prudence is the first novel in the Custard Protocal series that leaps forward years after the last Parasol Protectorate book. The world looks a bit different with frivolous Ivy Tunstell as a vampire queen (and whose hideous preference in fashion actually matters) and the younger generation making their own trouble. The first quarter of the book describes the world and how it stands since the end of the previous series. At first, I thought the old characters seemed to be cartoony caricatures of themselves, but they are being viewed by Prudence who may very well see them that way. When Alexia and Maccon share a private moment seeing Prudence off when she leaves unexpectedly (to everyone else) early, it feels like the real characters again. The novel really takes off after Prudence and her crew leave for India. It's a new setting for the world and I thought the culture, flavor, and sights were well written.

Rue and her best friend Primrose Tunstell couldn't be more different. Rue is a firecracker as she has been since she was a child. She never really grew out of seeing the rules of polite society as frivolous and unnecessary, but she reigns herself in a bit more than as a child. Besides Rue's ability to borrow other supernaturals' abilities, she can also morph her personality to suit any given situation by taking traits from those she knows. I liked this because it's not supernatural; it's just a product of being observant and knowing what attitude is needed for the situation. Rue just has an infection exuberance for adventure and she's fun to read. As much as she seems to dismiss her mother, they have more in common than she's willing to admit. Primrose is easily dismissed as being as frivolous and annoying as her mother, but she is different. She has actually good taste in fashion and ensures everyone around her isn't a fashion disaster. She also is deft at manipulating situations within the bounds of polite society and resolving everything in a civilized fashion. Neither character is exactly like past characters or their parents and provide a breath of fresh air in this new series.

Prudence is a fun steampunk adventure with new characters. Some people thought the resolution of the book was problematic due to imperialism, which it is, but Prudence alone can't fix the problems of one country occupying another. I think she resolved the situation the best way she could have. Overall, Prudence is a worthy successor to Alexia and I can't wait to read more of her adventures.

Lady Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama has grown up, strongly influenced by all three of her parents. She is restless and looking for adventure. When she is given a dirigible which she names The Spotted Custard and she decorates the balloon to look like a ladybug. Given a commission by her uncle Dama, she gathers her crew and head off to India in search of tea.

She takes along her best friend Primrose Tunstell and recruits Primrose's twin Percy to be the ship's navigator and scholar. She also recruits Quesnel Lefoux to be her engineer. Primrose and Percy are the children of her mother's friend Ivy now turned vampire queen. And is the son of another of her mother's friends the noted inventor Lefoux. The four, along with their crew, are primed for adventure which is quick to find them.

On their way to India they encounter a lioness who is clearly a shapeshifter. Sekmet appears at intervals to drop cryptic comments. It is clear that she and Rue are talking at cross purposes as Sekmat thinks Rue's mission to India is much different than Rue thinks it is.

Arriving in India, they discover the Indian version of vampires and discover the existence of the Indian version of werewolves which happen to be weremonkeys who are bitter rivals of the vampires. Rue's ability to borrow the forms of supernaturals is evidenced in this story as she becomes a werewolf, a werelion, and a weremonkey on various occasions.

The story is filled with Carriger's brand of quirkiness and over the top actions. It was fun to read. It is clearly the beginning of a series because there are a number of plot threads left dangling. I can't wait to go along on Rue's next adventure.

Playful dialogue, naughty adventure, and engaging prose all make this one of Gail Carriger's finest novels yet. I stayed up all night reading it, because I'll never learn not to start one of her books before bed.

Worth it.

A fun comedy of manners set in an alternate steam punk universe. Pure is all grown up and off on her own adventures with her friends. Old favourites from the Pararasol protectorate for cameos but the stars are the younger generation.

Such a delightful read. It got a little outlandish with different kinds of vampires and then different kinds of were things but I enjoyed the main characters. Enough to finish this book and buy the last one.

I LOVE Ms. Carriager. I laughed so much during this book. She has done it again. Created another series in her wonderful world without coming across redundant or predictable. Super excited for another Prudence novel.

I'm a giant fan of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, so I snapped up *Prudence* as soon as it came out. Interesting story (as all of hers are), but compared to the Parasol Protectorate and the Finishing School series, this one is still struggling to find its unique voice in Gail's extended world. Still well worth the time and money!

Loved the The Parasol Protectorate series, but I couldn't get into this story as much. It was nice to have that previous knowledge of the main characters and some side characters from the previous books.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I've been obsessed with Gail Carriger since I picked up the first Finishing School book and Prudence did not disappoint! It's wonderful to come back to old familiar characters and how they interact with brand new ones and the plot just never let up. I highly suggest this book for anyone who likes books about females who refuse to conform.

I loved all of Gail Carriger's previous books, the Soulless series and the Finishing School series. I had such high hopes for this book. It was well written, the plot flowed, but it lacked the spark of her earlier work.

Again, an average writing accomplishment by this author. A book that's just entertaining enough that you finish reading it, but easily put down. Not a masterpiece by any means. A bit over priced. I'd recommend waiting for a much lower price and in the meanwhile buy from another author who turns out more can't-put-down page-turners.