Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Series: Finishing School #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: Feb 5 / 2013
Publisher: Little Brown Books
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. Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.
Etiquette & Espionage looked like the kind of kickass book I'd want to read and that's why I picked it up. The cover is so gorgeous with the girl, the scissor, and the purple background. This book talks about Sophronia who is sent to a finishing school to become a proper lady. But the school isn't what is seems.
My favorite characters were Sophronia, Dimity, and Soap (whose name is actually Phineas). I love how Sophronia always manages to get in trouble. She can't seem to not involve herself in things and her need to figure things out always gets the best of her. Dimity is her best friend. She always supports Sophronia no matter how crazy the stunt might be. And Soap *smiles dreamily*. I think he's love interest in the book but there wasn't romance (which I didn't mind at all). It isn't good for Sophronia to like Soap because Soap is black and he's sootie. Kind of forbidden love, I guess? It might be bad but the thing I loved most about the book is the mechanical dog! Bumbersnoot is so cute and always licking at his coal. Even though he poops out ashes sometimes, I still love him :3
In this book, Sophronia definitely has a great adventure. There were no ends to her stunts and she always manages to find a way to get into trouble. The whole group is just Sophronia, Dimity, and Soap (sometimes Dimity's brother is there too). I love seeing them all together, solving the puzzle. They had to figure out where the prototype might be and bring it back to the academy.
I wish we found out more about who the bad guys were and why they wanted the prototype. With its endless adventures, enjoyable humour, and kickass heroine (don't forget the dog!), Etiquette & Espionage is definitely one of my favorite books of 2013.
Rating:
This seems like such a cool book! This has been on my TBR for a while-- your rating tells me to just go ahead and read it :D
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome that there was a love interest but there wasn't overwhelming romance. I like when relationships develop slowly over time. I will be getting this one at the next chance I get, great review!
ReplyDeleteAlise @ Readers in Wonderland
There was no romance at all but you can feel the attraction between the two.. I hope you like this book :)
DeleteI picked up this book because of the cover, because I mean it is amazing! But after reading a bit of this book I had to put it down, because it just wasn't doing it for me. But you really liked it so I may have to pick it back up again soon!
ReplyDeleteSydney @ Pika Pages