Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1)
Summary:
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
This was a really cute book and immediately got sucked into the story. Sophronia is another fantastic character by Carriger that brings you along into her investigations as a reader. A great mix of humor, steampunk, and Victorian sensibilities made this a fun combination. For those who are a fan of “The Parasol Protectorate”, the books are set in the same world. It may help to read the other series first, but I don’t think it would be required.
If you don’t think you’d like to read something from a 14-yr old’s POV, this may not be the read for you, but I enjoyed it quite a bit and would highly recommend it. It’s a bit light and funny and a perfect read for a break from something heavier. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series.
Warning: Contains some violence.
Rating: 5 stars!
Who should read it? Fans of Gail Carriger and spunky heroines who are looking to get into trouble.
Want to read the whole series?
Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School #2)
Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School #3)
Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School #4)