'Readers who delighted in Carriger's Parasol Protectorate will be entranced by the familiar cast and trademark wit of the new Custard Protocol series.Behind the delightful whimsy and snarky observations, there is a great deal of heart and soul.'- RT Book Reviews on Prudence Series fans will enjoy this mischievous romp, which revisits old favorites while raising a new crop of charming characters.'- Publishers Weekly on Prudence

'Carriger maintains a droll, tongue-in-cheek tone, and her protagonists are as concerned with witty banter and fashionable hats as they are with fighting for their lives. Filled with lavish fashions, supernatural high society, and witty dialogue, this story is a fine introduction to a fabulous new series.'- Booklist on Prudence 'Blending steampunk and urban fantasy in a colorful alternate Victorian England, Carriger presents a grand cast of characters on a harrowing adventure that stretches from England to India. 'Carriger's trademark wit and whimsy are in evidence from the very first sentence, and the result is an inventive madcap adventure.'- RT Book Reviews on Imprudence There's a genuine sense of whimsy and fun running throughout this story.'- Publishers Weekly I am getting rid of my copy, at any rate.'Carriger excels at wry humor and clever phrasing, and her ensemble cast is thoroughly charming and satisfyingly diverse. I might continue this in the future if the fancy strikes me, and then again I may not.

I do want to say that I am entirely upset by the turn Carriger has taken in Alexia and Lord Maccon’s fates, and find myself mostly just annoyed that SPOILER he is succumbing to “alpha rage” or whatever END SPOILERS. Rue’s friends are fun, they are basically all the children of the characters from the first series (and Quesnel makes a return), and there are innumerable hijinkx that are gotten up to, some romantic pairings hinted at in future books, but I just really don’t care? I don’t know why. She and select friends and people who are soon to be friends fly to India to complete a diplomatic/trade mission. Here, Rue is a young woman (this is adult fantasy like the first series, not YA) and acquires a dirigible-which she names the Spotted Crumpet.

Our main character here is Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama, and I’m not even going to go into her parental situation because it’s ridiculously complicated, as is her supernatural heritage, which I am also not going to even try to explain. I was enchanted and delighted by those books.

This is such a huge turnaround for what my feelings were about her first series, The Parasol Protectorate, which featured the main character of this book’s mother. This was a perfectly fine and entertaining book that I for some reason had a hard time picking up and making myself finish, and I feel almost no pull to continue and finish the series.

The custard protocol