There wasn’t anything I particularly disliked. Some of the stuff they learn in class is hilarious, particularly anything having to do with their "decolletage". Sophronia’s friends are extremely tropey, but they’re done well and don’t feel fake or forced. Younger YA readers or older readers looking for something quick and fun fans of the “special school” trope (like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts) steampunk fans.įun, light-hearted, with somewhat believable characters (if not plot). It's definitely meant for the younger side of the YA audience, but it's a nice guilty pleasure read you don't actually have to feel all that guilty about. Show More eyelash-flutter manipulation and wafting poisonous perfume, and embarks on various little plots and adventures. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel, Curtsies & Conspiracies, when it comes out in November. Rowling's Harry Potter books and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan trilogy (minus the war, of course). And I think the best way to describe this book to readers unfamiliar with Carriger is that it's a hyrbid of J.K. Carriger's narrative can be rather delightful. For this particular intro to a trilogy/series, the stakes aren't exactly high, but it is fun and entertaining to see our heroine, Sophronia, figure out what's going on, why it's going on, and how to stop it. For readers not already familiar with Carriger's work, I'm not sure how this comes off: it's a standard YA trope in which a teenager gets picked to do something for an unknown gift of theirs and then develops said gift in a setting far away from home, a setting that lends itself to adventures. For fans of Carriger, there's a lot of cameos from Parasol Protectorate to delight over, historical connections to be made. Show More series), I found myself having a blast reading this. Since I am not a fan of Victorian-era stuff, have never heard about steampunk and, quite frankly, long ago grew tired of supernatural creatures, I technically have all the reasons to dislike “Etiquette & Espionage.” Yet it’s hard to resist something so witty, so creative and so remarkably stylish :) And of course, everyone, without exception, has style. Instead, all the characters have some enviable qualities as well as a few flaws. It’s also very hard to believe that such an action-packed story has no hard-core villains. In Carriger’s fantasy world, even such hackneyed supernatural creatures as werewolves and vampires are awesome. It’s hard not to fall in love with such multidimensional, highly relatable and utterly adorable characters. Despite the fact that everything is taking place in a fantasy world where anything is possible, the characters as well as the plot and its twists seem very realistic and well-thought-out, leaving no room for cheesiness. Everything from the atypical finishing school lessons to the characters and even their names is unique, witty and charming. Therefore, the whole book is a delightful mix of whimsy and Victorian-era sophistication, both of which are partially reinforced by advanced vocabulary and creative descriptions.ģ) Ridiculously creative yet surprisingly realistic. I absolutely LOVED mechanical servants and mechanimals!Ĭarriger’s writing is both super stylish and hysterically funny. Too bad I haven’t though, because steampunk, which is a science fiction sub-genre featuring Victorian-era steam-powered machinery, is actually quite awesome. That being said, I feel less disconcerted by the fact that I have never ever heard about such thing as steampunk. I was never a fan of books or movies set in the Victorian Era (all those 19th-century ladies and gentlemen in their ridiculous outfits are not really my thing). Here, in a giant floating dirigible, young ladies are taught not only to curtsy, dance and dress properly but also to finish everything and everyone that needs to be finished, and do it in style. Although reluctant at first, Sophronia soon discovers that this finishing school is probably not what her mother had in mind. Since it’s 1851, her mother comes up with a period-appropriate solution and sends Sophronia to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. Show More guests and constantly gets into trouble.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |