Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School, #1)

by Gail Carriger

[Sam@WLABB]

Let me start by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Gail Carriger. I like her writing style, I love her characters and I appreciate that she gives us so many strong females in her books. This book is no exception.

Sophronia, the youngest daughter of a large family, is thought to be quite un-lady like and in dire need of refinement. So, she is shipped off to finishing school (Etiquette). Little does she know, this is not your average finishing school (Espionage). In fact, this is the sort of place which will nurture Sophronia's naturally curiosity and develop more of her intellectual skills.

What I liked

The characters - They are so colorful and odd and whimsical and intriguing. I found them well developed and thought I developed the appropriate feelings the author expected for each character. The females are strong without apology. Some of them exert their prowess from within the social confines, while other do so on their own terms. One thing for sure, she has no wimpy main characters. I also enjoyed glimpsing some of the characters from Parasol Protectorate when they were younger. It was fun looking for all the nods to that series within E&E.

Sophronia's "World" - Carriger does a great job describing Sophronia's surroundings and each event that occurs. I have no problem "seeing" what is going on.

The humor - I found myself laughing aloud quite frequently. Her characters are often witty, whip-smart and sardonic. I love them!