"One woman's petunia is another one's poison." (Sister Mattie)
I'm glad I decided to continue on with the Finishing School series after being disappointed by Etiquette and Espionage, because Curtsies and Conspiracies is such a fun read.
Sophronia, the main character, is a Mary-Sue. She's good at everything, can do no wrong and always has a plan, but I didn't mind her Mary-Sue tendencies. However, I didn't care much for her and I was indifferent towards matters regarding her survival.
The secondary characters become more interesting in Curtsies and Conspiracies, but I still don't know enough about them. They lack character depth.
There's also the beginning of a love triangle in Curtsies and Conspiracies. Lord Mersey is an intriguing character who might have ulterior motives and the flirting going on between him and Sophronia is hilarious to read about. However, Sophronia is much more interested in espionage and has very little time to dwell on her romantic feelings. I approve.
In Curtsies and Conspiracies, we learn more about the supernatural and are introduced to human and supernatural politics. The plot of Curtsies and Conspiracies made more sense than the plot of Etiquette and Espionage and it's also more interesting to read about.
Also, the ending of Curtsies and Conspiracies is hilarious. So many things happen at the same time, there's so much of confusion and everything goes wrong.
Curtsies and Conspiracies is an entertaining read, and is more interesting than Etiquette and Espionage, but unfortunately, it's lacking in plot and character depth.