Title: Ettiquette and Espionage
Series: Finishing School #1
Published: 5 February 2013 by Atom
Length: 312 pages
Source: Bought
Other info: Gail has written the amazing Parasol Protectorate series.
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. Temminick 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.
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. Temminick 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.
Review: Sophronia Temminnick is not ladylike at all. So her mother sends her to Finishing School. Madamoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School. It’s not your typical one. It’s a dirigible. And the lessons, well, there might be lessons like household management and dancing, but there’s also things like how to kill things. Sophronia’s school year is going to be… interesting.
I loved the Parasol Protectorate series with all my heart. I could not wait for this.
Sophronia is very cool before the main events happen. I think that when she gets to Finishing School, she is overshadowed by all the other, much more varied characters such as the eccentric teachers and random supernaturals. I felt a real affinity for Sidheag, probably because I know her story and how she ends up. I loved Vieve with all of my heart, because from the first time she showed up, I knew who she was and I love her from the Parasol Protectorate series and…yeah *dissolves into fangirling at the nine year old version of my joint favourite character* I also really liked Soap, the guy who works to keep the ship afloat, along with some of the other guys.
It starts very quickly. It slows down a little at times, but the adventure increases steadily and is a lot of fun. Main plot comes to focus in the second half.
Carrriger’s sharp, witty and wordy writing style is carried through into this. I’m not sure if the wordy style fits so much for a younger audience, but I liked it. It’s less laugh out loud than Heartless and Timeless, but still great comedy, with wonderful lines like “Preshea can’t wait until she gets to poison her first husband.”
Overall: Strength 3.5 tea, more a 3, to a fun adventure, that’s missing a little of why I fell in love with this universe.
