Paragraph Review: Competence (Gail Carriger)

Title: Competence
Series: The Custard Protocol, Book 3
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Genre: New Adult Alternate Historical Paranormal Steampunk Romance
Told: Third Person Duo (Prim, Percy), Past Tense
Content Rating: Adult (sexuality, violence, werecat mauling, unsettling vampire feeding habits)
Format Read: ARC (publisher)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Summary:

Accidentally abandoned!

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions:

Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul?
Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez?
And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

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Review copy provided by publisher - thank you, Orbit!!

Series Note: This is the 3rd book in The Custard Protocol Series, but the first from Prim & Percy's POV (Books 1 & 2 are from Rue's POV). This is also one of many series set in Gail Carriger's Parasolverse, the scope of which you can check out here.

A playful and witty adventure from Prim & Percy's point of view that was a pure delight of a read and my favorite of the series so far! While another vampire race is discovered (unnerving but fascinating), most of the book follows the Spotted Custard's general floating adventures exploring the natural and supernatural world as Primrose comes to terms with her sexual preferences. There were a few bits of customary series sexuality (lesbian this time) that had asexual me blushing fiercely, but Tash's possessiveness was adorable. The ending was even more of a delight than the entire read (seemingly impossible but somehow Lady Gail pulled it off) and, given the promises for next book Reticence I am most eagerly anticipating The Custard Protocol's final installment!

Scribble Rating: 

4.5 of 5 Scribbles