[Review] Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Steampunk, Fantasy
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Source: YA Book Exchange

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

 Etiquette & Espionage was an excellent read. I was quickly drawn in to the world of steam-punk and the mid 1800’s. Imaginations run wild in this highly anticipated first book to the Finishing School series.

Sophronia is an outcast of her family. Her mother would love nothing more than to be rid of her problems with this youngest sibling. When Sophronia is cast away to a finishing school, she is mortified. But she soon realizes that this particular finishing school may be exactly what she needed, even wanted. She soon makes friends, and enemies, and is learning her way around this most impressive school.

The characters of this book simply stood out. From Sophronia, to Dimity, to Monique and even all the peculiar teachers. Sophronia seemed to be the trouble maker, but not intentionally. She was always in mischief and exploring. A very determined individual. Dimity was her exact opposite, but made for quite a great friend. The two of them decided to take matters into their own hands when it came to certain aspects of this story.

I really enjoyed this story. It was unlike anything that I have read. I think that I’m a new found reader of steam-punk after this great book. I enjoyed reading about the airship that was their school and right down to the mechanicals they had scooting around. I can’t wait to read the second book to this great series!