Curtsies and Conspiracies

Gentle reader, you may remember that I reviewed the first book in the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger, Etiquette and Espionage, and found it quite enchanting. We again join Sophronia in Curtsies and Conspiracies, where she is continuing her education as an intelligencer at Lady Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. While learning such social niceties as how to faint (backward, never forward!), Sophronia spends her time sneaking about the airship and spying on teachers. She is still caught up in a conspiracy over a valuable prototype, and she suspects that an upcoming trip to London has something to do with it. And it is so difficult to spy properly in ladies' skirts and petticoats!

With the second entry in the Finishing School series, Carriger again creates an intricate plot (perhaps too convoluted at times) that is sure to keep readers guessing. The author is a master of satire and silliness, and the book had me laughing out loud. However, characterization were problematic - all the characters besides Sophronia are flat and Sophronia herself is too perfect. She receives top marks in her class, all the boys love her, and she is the only one who seems to know what is going on. This is disappointing in a series that tries to pick apart young adult fiction tropes and stereotypes. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of spunky young adult heroines and intricate, steampunk settings, you should investigate Gail Carriger's newest YA offering.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian