Imprudence » Book Review

Egads! Imprudence is the first physical book I have ever received from a publisher. Here's me gushing on Instagram and barely holding myself together.



My sister will attest to the fact that I was practically hyperventilating when I saw the package in our mail. I'M TOO POOR TO ORDER ANY BOOKS FROM AMAZON. When I saw that it was Imprudence, I almost fainted. But I didn't!

BECAUSE HOW ELSE WOULD I BE ABLE TO READ THIS BOOK.

Where They Are Now

After the events of Prudence (see review HERE), Rue makes her way back home where she receives a firm admonishment from Queen Victoria for her part in creating a separate treaty with the Varanas and the Shadow council. The Crown's legal protection has also been revoked from Rue as punishment.

That's not the only thing that's going wrong in London. I can't go into details, but I almost wept. One of the things I love about the way Gail Carriger writes her books, is that she keeps her focus on the world at large. Characters that we have loved through many series will continue to sneak in and out of the book, and we get to see how they have changed and evolved throughout the years.

In this installment, we watch Rue grow into an adult. Not just in terms of age, as she is officially 21 years old and has reached her majority, but also in maturity. She is finally confronted with some painful truths about her parents (all 3 of them) and starting to understand them as adults, not just as her guardians.

Rue & Crew

As always, I adore Rue and her crew members. Prim and Rue's friendship is as solid as ever, Spoo remains our delightful deckling (can't wait to see how she grows up), Percy our grumpy navigator, Quesnel our charming Frenchman, Aggie our curmudgeon, gorgeous Sekhmet, and Footnote! Every ship needs a cat after all. Sometimes even two.

My brief complaint about the book is that I never really grew to love Quesnel as I did Percy or Prim or Spoo. I really tried, especially since I knew that the romantic pairing would be between Rue and Quesnel. Their romance is definitely quite different than the traditional Victorian tale, and I adored the reactions of her parents. I must not have been won over by Quesnel. However, that didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the story. The romance is definitely not the focus, and Rue handles it in a very mature manner.

Percy was SUCH an idiot in this book. I could have smacked him around for all the stupid decisions he made. I understood why he made those choices, but a smack was coming his way nonetheless. I love that Carriger can make me feel such strong emotions for her characters. I am also DYING to know what happens in Prim's future. For everyone who has read the book already, DON'T YOU SHIP IT?! Because I am the captain of that ship.

Colonialism

I found this to be a strong installment to The Custard Protocol series. Some of the issues I had in her previous book regarding colonialism was put to rest. As Rue travels and interacts with people that aren't British, we see her understanding of the world and the Empire's activities transform.

I almost want to go back and omit that section of my review in Prudence. But looking back with all the information that I have from Imprudence, it was clearly a process of growth for Rue. As a metanatural, she doesn't have normal citizenship rights and that has also impacted her view of supernaturals and their value to the Crown. She definitely isn't a mindless drone of the Empire. I think that was the greatest gift Queen Victoria could unknowingly give Rue as she removed the legal protection of the Crown.

Final Thoughts

I am DYING for a sequel. I originally assumed this to be a duology since no other books have been announced. Imprudence doesn't end on a cliffhanger by any means, but a few things have been set in motion and I'd love to see them come to fruition. Not to mention, I NEED TO KNOW HOW MY SHIP WILL SAIL.

The saddest moment for me in the whole book was when [spoiler]Rue was getting ready to leave London, and Conall had to give up being Alpha. We all knew this was coming, but I felt devastated for Conall as he lost his pack. When Rue showed her belly to Biffy in wolf form, and he rejected her, I felt her pain at losing her family. I'm just not ready (as a reader) to let the pack go either.[/spoiler]

According to Carriger, she hopes to publish a sequel in 2018. Only 2 years away!



I'm not crying!! There's just something in my eye...

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I'm excited to announce that I will be seeing Gail Carriger in person in Chicago next week! My sister and I will be going together and I am beyond thrilled to meet my favorite author of 2016.