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Synopsis: "It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education."
My Review: I have had this book sitting on my shelf for a while now and finally got around to reading it. I am not normally a steampunk fan and have only read a few books in the genre. This book was a bit of a slow starter and I really had to push to keep going. Once some key points started settling into place and Sophronia started growing up and making some progress I found it to be an enjoyable read. I love the premise of this book, even if the setting and time period aren't my cup of tea. Those items though did lend to an exciting adventure. I am not 100% certain if I will continue this series, it is intriguing and if the books fall into my hands or I get a decent deal on them I will read them but I just don't think Steampunk is for me.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education."
My Review: I have had this book sitting on my shelf for a while now and finally got around to reading it. I am not normally a steampunk fan and have only read a few books in the genre. This book was a bit of a slow starter and I really had to push to keep going. Once some key points started settling into place and Sophronia started growing up and making some progress I found it to be an enjoyable read. I love the premise of this book, even if the setting and time period aren't my cup of tea. Those items though did lend to an exciting adventure. I am not 100% certain if I will continue this series, it is intriguing and if the books fall into my hands or I get a decent deal on them I will read them but I just don't think Steampunk is for me.
My Rating: So I had picked this book up a while ago because I liked the concept (I had actually started writing my own assassin school book before I even saw this one). And while I did enjoy the idea of young Victorian girls being taught to become spies, the addition of steampunk just didn't work for me. I have tried the sub-genre many times and sometimes it is okay but most of the time I just can't get into it. I give this one a rating of Three Paws.
I've been wanting to read this series forever! I've heard a lot of great things about it. Sorry it started out slow for you.
ReplyDeleteI know there has been a lot of hype about it and I think the 3rd book just came out or is coming out soon. I think if you are into steampunk it would be a fantastic book.
DeleteI struggle with steampunk too. Not happy to hear that this one starts out slow.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what it is but I just can't wrap my head around the setting and the way things work or picture what is described.
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