A review by kitvaria_sarene
Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger
5.0
This book starts with a rather cute content warning, so I was already expecting it to be different to the main series it is a spin off for. I utterly loved the Finishing School series, so I definitely needed to read this, even if it was a different tone.
And while I definitely could have done with less sex and romance, it was at least done in the typical Carriger way of being fun and entertaining, and not the cringeworthy way it is so often done, so while it didn't add to the story for me, it also didn't detract from the story.
The plot itself definitely was as entertaining, a bit silly and much fun as I was expecting and I more or less flew through the whole book in one go. I enjoyed all the main characters, and especially enjoy the diversity Carriger likes to encompass. Vampire wanting to be a female instead of a male? Sure, dress in beautiful dresses and get compliments about just how good it suits you! And I do love that in her world so much. As this is for an adult audience we also get to see a bit of the other side, of how being judged can affect people, and I loved the balance between some serious topics and the typical joviality of her books.
And while I definitely could have done with less sex and romance, it was at least done in the typical Carriger way of being fun and entertaining, and not the cringeworthy way it is so often done, so while it didn't add to the story for me, it also didn't detract from the story.
The plot itself definitely was as entertaining, a bit silly and much fun as I was expecting and I more or less flew through the whole book in one go. I enjoyed all the main characters, and especially enjoy the diversity Carriger likes to encompass. Vampire wanting to be a female instead of a male? Sure, dress in beautiful dresses and get compliments about just how good it suits you! And I do love that in her world so much. As this is for an adult audience we also get to see a bit of the other side, of how being judged can affect people, and I loved the balance between some serious topics and the typical joviality of her books.