Saturday 12 April 2014

Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies - Gail Carriger

Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?

Sophronia's first year at school has certainly been rousing. First, her finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised!). Secondly, she gets mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and has a cheese pie thrown at her. Now, as Sophronia steals around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than at first appears . . .

Sophronia must rely on her training to uncover who is behind a dangerous plot and what role Mademoiselle Geraldine's plays in the affair. Which is almost as challenging as surviving the London season with a full dance card!

Finishing School Series:
(This is a YA series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set 25 years before the first book)
Etiquette & Espionage
Curtsies & Conspiracies
Waistcoats & Weaponry
Manners & Mutiny

Delightfully Deadly:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring characters you may recognise from the other series, they fit into the timeline between the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate books)
Poison or Protect
Future titles and release dates to be confirmed

Parasol Protectorate Series:
The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar (Novella)
Soulless
Changeless
Blameless
Heartless
Timeless

Custard Protocol Series:
(This is another adult series set in the Parasol Protectorate world but set several decades after the last book)
Prudence
Imprudence

Supernatural Society Series:
(A series of standalone adult novellas set in the Parasol Protectorate world featuring popular LGBT characters you may recognise from the other series)
Romancing the Inventor
Romancing the Werewolf (2017)

Visit Gail Carriger's website for more information

Review:
Gail Carriger's Finishing School series is full of fun and whimsy and it's perfect for when you're looking for a light hearted read that will have you smiling from start to finish. I really enjoyed Etiquette & Espionage so of course couldn't wait to pick up Curtsies & Conspiracies (don't you just love these book titles?!) and I enjoyed the sequel just as much.

These characters are just so much fun to read about, Sophronia always manages to get herself into incredibly amusing situations but she also uses her brains to get herself out of them. I absolutely love the world that the author has created, there is no doubt that this is a wonderful steampunk setting full of interesting gadgets, finishing schools on board flying airships and an adorable mechanical dog called Bumbersnoot. Add in vampires, werewolves and all manner of crazy antics from a group of teenage spies and you're in for a treat.

There is nothing serious about these books and they are the perfect way to pass a few hours when you just want something that is going to take you away from real life and let you live in a fantasy world. In some ways I would like a more complicated plot but overall I'm just enjoying the series so much that I don't want to change anything. I'm already looking forward to spending more time with Sophronia and her gang and the next book (that happens to have another awesome title - Waistcoats & Weaponry) is already at the top of my wish list.

Source: Received from Atom in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

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