All in all an entertaining read.
One thing rubbed me the wrong way though.
The book goes pretty much all in on regency England.
It has a quirky writing style and word choice, all of which emphasize the time period and its stuck-up and conceited nobility.
And all this is great and I found it very enjoyable, but it clashes badly with how little subtlety the story has in communicating concepts like female empowerment and inner beauty and all that crap. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the general ideas but it's done in such a prescriptive and preachy way.

The writing seems inspired by Jane Austin's writing but without any of the subtlety and dry wit which makes her writing so ingenious.
Where Jane Austin is a delicate touch of a feather, this book is a brick to the face.

I don't want to end on a negative note but I don't have more to say.
I don't regret having read it. It was much better than I expected. ( )

As a result of French enemy action, a curse has been unleashed on the women of Britain's upper class, which has turned them into zombies, referred to as 'the Afflicted'. To keep their monstrous appetite for human brains in check, they are now consuming them pickled and sold legitimately. However, someone is being greedy and murdering servants in order to devour their brains. The unpopular Lord Wycliffe from the Ministry of Unnaturals has been tasked to investigate the matter, with Hannah Miles, the daughter of a former military surgeon and a mage, both searching for a cure for the Afflicted, acting as a chaperone so the Viscount doesn't upset the ladies too much. Can they discover who is behind the killings before more servants lose their lives and any secondary Afflicted are created?

Manners and Monsters is a fun paranormal fantasy set during the Regency in London and surrounds. The mixture of a novel of manners with an undercurrent of zombie horror works well, with tongue firmly in cheek. I normally shy away from anything to do with zombies, but the author has managed to portray the afflicted women as tragic figures deserving of sympathy, which was rather unexpected. Since Hannah stands outside of polite society because of her family background, she is freer than most young women of her age to indulge in "unladylike" pursuits, such as helping to find the perpetrator of two horrendous and brutal killings, and thus makes a relatable central character to take the reader through events.

I've already started the second volume in the series, Galvanism and Ghouls. ( )

I picked up Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace while looking for something to fill the "fantasy of manners" void I've been feeling since finishing up the Gail Carriger series.

A curse has been placed on British upper-class women by diabolical French scientists. Hannah Miles spends most of her days helping her parents research the terrible affliction. When a gruesome murder is committed during her best friend's engagement party, Hannah realizes she must help with the investigation as it appears one of the afflicted may be suspect. If only the horrible Viscount Wycliff wasn't also assigned to the case!

Overall Manners and Monsters is a nice, light paranormal mystery with a hint of potential romance. I'm glad the author didn't go the obvious route with zombies as it seems so hard to do something new with these monsters. While not as quirky or clever as the Gail Carriger books, the story is enjoyable and Hannah is a competent heroine. I also liked that the romance is going to be a slow build. I'll likely give the second book a try. ( )

Hannah is the daughter of a scientist father and a mage mother - except her mother is also one of the undead (read: zombie). Of course zombies are subject to the strict code of manners in Regency England with amusing results. There is an obnoxious Viscount Wycliff who Hannah is enlisted to help with his investigation into a murder. Pretty fun. ( )

Austen-esque characters living among zombies, and vice versa. A fun diversion. ( )