Waistcoats & Weaponry: Finishing School Book the Third by Gail Carriger. New York, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2014.
Sophronia has returned to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. This year’s syllabus includes dancing as well as the fine art of defending oneself with a bladed fan. However their class attendance is interrupted when she and her best friend, Dimity, take over a train to help Sidheag, Lady Kingair, to deal with a family crisis with her werewolf pack back in Scotland. Of course there will be encounters with Picklemen and flywaymen. And Sophronia finally must untangle her feelings about her favorite sootie, Soap.
This installment in the Finish School series has more action and a stronger plot than book 2. Sophronia is really starting to come into her own. She’s a quick-thinking, brave, intelligent heroine and already a skilled intelligencer. But she is still learning and trying to figure out where her loyalties lie. Fans of the previous volumes will find much to enjoy in Book 3. But while readers could enjoy and appreciate the individual story arc of this book, I would recommend starting with Etiquette & Espionage to better understand the background and the overall conflict with the Picklemen.
I am definitely enjoying the series and look forward to the next installment. On a side note, I really want a Bumbersnoot of my own and wouldn’t mind one of those fans, either.
I received free access to a digital advanced copy of the book through Netgalley in return for an honest review.