Book review! Prudence - The Custard Protocol: Book One

Prudence - The Custard Protocol: Book One, by Gail Carriger ~~

Okay. This book was not an easy one for me to get into. Admittedly, I don't have any experience at all with steam punk, which I believe this probably falls under, so that may have been part of my problem. But the initial complexity of characters and relationships, along with a good bit of intense world building, had me putting this book down three times before I finally powered through the first few chapters and made it to the end.

Turns out, I'm very glad I did.

Gail Carriger’s book Prudence (The Custard Protocol: Book One) is apparently a spin off from a previous series of hers in the world of the Parasol Protectorate. I'm a fan of starting series from the beginning, so had I realized that this book was set in an already established world, I may have started with one of the earlier books. But I didn't. Instead, I jumped right into the adventures of Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama, whose name is an appropriate indicator of the shenanigans in the book, and who is an anomaly in the supernatural world of historical London. I should note that I also don't usually do historical novels, so that might also have had something to do with my slow start. (Come to think of it, not sure why I ever picked it up...)

Anyway, the world Carriger crafts is full of vampires and werewolves that are known to humans and mostly, as I understand it, in accordance and friendly with the aristocracy and Queen of England. The main character, Prudence, or Pru to her friends, is somehow situated in a family trio, born (I think) of two werewolf parents, but adopted by a vampire for rearing. And she's human, but has the ability to steal supernatural powers or the form of a wolf with her touch. I won't pretend to understand the intricacies of the relationships or why the three-parent situation was necessary. If it was explained, I missed it. The foundation may well have been outlined in the previous Parasol Protectorate series, which seems to have centered around her parents (again, I think). Regardless, the family context was only a blurry background and not necessary for me to appreciate the adventures of Pru as she and her close circle of companions pilot a steampunk blimp, painted in the fashion of a ginormous lady bug, to India in search of establishing a productive tea industry for her adopted vampire father.

Upon finishing one-third of the book, I was definitely fond of the main character and her closest supporting actors. The particular eccentricities of each of the main characters, and the realities of how they interacted, were absolutely what made the book enjoyable for me. The relationships were fantastic. They were each so identifiable and yet so unique, their connections and antics kept me engaged and glued to the page. I believe this would've been the case regardless of the world built, regardless of particular setting, and regardless of time period. The characters Carriger crafts are simply delightful and tons of fun. And while they could transfer from setting to setting, the backdrop of a developing India and its surrounding jungles created seriously entertaining adventures for proper ladies and gentlemen from the London elite. With only one-quarter of the book remaining, I was thoroughly in love with each of the main characters, and very fond of a number of others.

Though not at all my typical genre, Prudence (The Custard Protocol: Book One), is most definitely a book that I will recommend to my friends that are avid readers. It is unique, both in the world that Carriger has built, and in the way her main characters engage their adventures. I was not devastated, but definitely sad, to leave the group on board The Spotted Custard, Pru's steampunk blimp, and I look forward to snatching up Book 2, Imprudence, to see what antics Pru, Quesnel, Percy, Primrose, and Miss Sekhmet get into next.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read Prudence - The Custard Protocol: Book One. And I've got more coming, so sign up for my mailing list here. It would be great to hear from you!