Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger

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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

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