Competence

Custard Protocol, Book 3

By: Gail Carriger

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author Gail Carriger comes the delightful sequel to Imprudence.

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?

©2018 Gail Carriger (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Carriger excels at wry humor and clever phrasing, and her ensemble cast is thoroughly charming and satisfyingly diverse. There's a genuine sense of whimsy and fun running throughout this story."—Publishers Weekly

Fun read, more adventure than romance in this one.

This is the 3rd book in the Custard Protocol series and was well done. This book focused more on the relationships between the characters than the actual adventure to find new vampires in new lands. However, the story does get to that point eventually. I enjoyed the humor, adventure, and characters. I do wish that the story and plot had made a bit more progress though.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. Moira Quick always does an excellent job narrating this series and I would highly recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

The majority of this book is told from Primrose’s POV; although we do hear some from our werecat, Percy, and Rue. For the most part though this is Primrose’s story and we watch as she tries to resist falling in love with our resident werecat.

I enjoyed the journey to foreign lands and the discovery of a new type of vampire; however the main adventure and storyline definitely takes a backseat to Primrose’s romance in this book. The story is generally well done but I couldn’t help but wish the story and romance had been better balanced.

Overall a decent book in the Custard Protocol series. I always enjoy the witty banter, adventure, and clever humor in these books. This installment was very romance heavy and I wish the romance and adventure had been better balanced (could have used more plot and adventure). I plan on continuing the series because these books are just so much fun to read!

Far More Than Competent

I always look forward to Gail Carriger's books and this one did not disappoint. As expected, the book was full of whimsy, humor, and madcap adventures aboard the Spotted Custard, but the real delight was in hearing Prim's perspective as she came to terms with herself, her desires, and how she fits (or doesn't fit) within societal expectations.

I'm already looking forward to the next installment!

Excellent

In this book, Primrose fights her inner turmoil regarding gender, identity, and sexuality. This is what makes this my favorite in the series. The adventure is fun, as one would expect. A fantastic listen.

Absolutely love!

Love this read!! They are each such separate adventures and yet are so clearly same universe with the same level of fun. And narration is delicious as always!

Love on an airship!

Everyone has a job on an airship. The Tunstall twins are vital to the crew of The Spotted Custard. They both navigate through this adventure with self discovery and excellent taste in fashion. (Green Fez not withstanding). A wonderful listen. Moira Quirk is fantastic as usual. Overall perfect 12 hours of listening time.

A great change of pace

I enjoyed the change of view from the previous books in the series, a look into how the other characters see Prudence.

Amazing

Competence was a nice change on the custard protocol series! The book was witty and exciting. Defiantly read this book with tea and cookies! Gail Carriger has not discounted me yet, this book was amazing!

Absolutely addictive

Gail Carriger has weaved another beautiful piece of literature in the Custard Protocol series.
Action, intrigue, love and tea!
Moira Quirk narrated phenomenally and did the book great justice.
5 stars all around ❤

Another Fun Story

Wonderful addition to the Custard Protocol series. I really like how the author is taking the to develope the characters throughout the series. It's a very fun listen and Moira did a great job, again.

Carriger at her best: I'd like to buy a parasol!

An abundance of quirky, witty, imaginative, funny and sympathetic people in weird situations, a fast pacing story in a fantastic steampunk-technology-world and an excellent narrator give you almost 12 hours of audio-entertainment. Not a book to doze off but to jump with vigor, verve and panache in your next (parasolverse) adventure. Looking forward to #4!