Title: Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1)
Author: Gail Carriger
1st Date of Publication: February 5, 2013
1st Date of Publication: February 5, 2013
ISBN: 9780316190084
# of Pages: 307
# of Pages: 307
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Age Rating: 13
Book Description:
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.
Setting: 1850s in fantasy world
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.
Setting: 1850s in fantasy world
Point of View: 3rd person- Sophronia Temminnick
Goodreads Rating: 3.79
My Rating: 3.75
Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both
View on the Cover: The girl in the dress looks like someone you do not want to mess with because she is obviously holding a pair of scissors in her hand in a way that she can stab whoever may attack. This definitely has a steampunk sort of look.
View on Title: The title sounds like a well-rounded woman. She has manners but she can kick some butts if she needs to.
View on Title: The title sounds like a well-rounded woman. She has manners but she can kick some butts if she needs to.
Pros:
- The titles of each chapter make the book seem really fun and foreshadow what will happen in that chapter. It kept me captivated and wonder what will happen in the chapter.
- This book has a bit of mystery which makes it more fun and easier to read.
- I really thought that Sophronia's character was a realistic character. She isn't perfect but it doesn't stop her from learning and growing.
- I really enjoyed the steampunk aspect to it. It made the Victorian era of dresses and ettiquete. The machines answer the soothes (miners) made the book have more depth.
Cons:
- It takes a while to get into the book. It took me about a third of the way through before it got interesting. The chapters also seemed a bit long.
- I had a hard time reading this book because it was in third person which made the book drag a little bit.
- There were so many characters that it was a little difficult to keep track of them all.
Critics' Reviews:
"Carriger's YA debut brings her mix of Victorian paranormal steampunk and winning heroines to a whole new audience...with cleverly Victorian methods of espionage, witty banter, lighthearted silliness, and a ship full of intriguingly quirky people."―Booklist
"[A] delightfully madcap espionage adventure..."―Kirkus Reviews
"Carriger deploys laugh-out-loud bon mots on nearly every page...Amid all the fun, the author works in commentary on race and class in a sparkling start to the Finishing School series."―Publishers Weekly
"Carriger's leading lady is a strong, independent role model for female readers... Ladies and gentlemen of propriety are combined with dirigibles, robots, werewolves, and vampires, making this story a steampunkmystery and an adventure mash-up that is sure to intrigue readers..."―School Library Journal
"Carriger's YA debut brings her mix of Victorian paranormal steampunk and winning heroines to a whole new audience...with cleverly Victorian methods of espionage, witty banter, lighthearted silliness, and a ship full of intriguingly quirky people."―Booklist
"[A] delightfully madcap espionage adventure..."―Kirkus Reviews
"Carriger deploys laugh-out-loud bon mots on nearly every page...Amid all the fun, the author works in commentary on race and class in a sparkling start to the Finishing School series."―Publishers Weekly
"Carriger's leading lady is a strong, independent role model for female readers... Ladies and gentlemen of propriety are combined with dirigibles, robots, werewolves, and vampires, making this story a steampunkmystery and an adventure mash-up that is sure to intrigue readers..."―School Library Journal
Other Recommendations:
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
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