Comments for Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage: 11/03/14

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger is the first of the Finishing School series, a YA fantasy set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate. Tomboy Sophronia Temminnick would rather ride the dumbwaiter than practice all the deportment expected of a young lady in Victorian England.

Mrs. Temminnick thankfully has a way out for both of them, a finishing school. Before even reaching the school, Sophronia's life gets incredibly interesting — as the carriage is beset upon by bandits. And then school ends up being in a dirigible!

Sophronia being one of the new girls and being a bit of a misfit, is primed to ask the right questions and make the right friends. She gets to know everyone on the ship, including those who keep it afloat. She figures out secrets before anyone else because she's not hindered by the rules of deportment.

The best part of this book is Sophronia's age. She's too young and too isolated to be in a relationship. No relationship means no filler with romance or sex, and that means a shorter, more focused book that highlights the best parts of the world: the steampunk technology, the paranormal creatures.

The next ones in the series are Curtsies & Conspiracies, Waiscoats & Weaponry, and Manners & Mutiny (2015).

Four stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Thursday, November 06, 2014 at 15:31:47

Kim Aippersbach

I read a few Parasol Protectorate novels and enjoyed them but didn't love them enough to read more. When I saw she had a YA novel I was intrigued, but I'm still waiting for it to come to my library.

Comment #2: Thursday, November 06, 2014 at 13:40:54

Pussreboots

I prefer the Finishing School series because the books are more focused on the steampunk world and on the adventures. I think the later Parasol Protective books got too wrapped up in the Maccons' relationship. It's an adult series and a romance series, but I found their relationship tiresome.