I rate
this YA novel 4.5 out of 5
Sophronia is back at Mademoiselle Geraldine's
Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Qual-i-tay and there certainly isn't a dull
moment. Sophronia and her fellow levels are up for evaluation and the results
are bittersweet for Sophronia and her friends. Luckily there isn't much time to
worry because the school is having visitors and some are actually going to a
ball! Not to mention the continued subterfuge and plot intrigues carried over
from Sophronia's first adventure, which if anything have become even more
mysterious. Vampires, werewolves, ladies, sooties, a gadget toting cross
dressing ten year, and even a few young gentlemen come together to make
Sophronia's life very interesting in the steampunk story with a supernatural
twist.
As the second novel in the Finishing School
series, Carriger does it again, delivering a witty and amusing adventure that's
sure to keep the reader glued to the pager. As an enormous fan of the Parasol
Protectorate adult fiction series, I thought Carriger's first attempt at YA
with Etiquette and Espionage a very good attempt indeed. However, as stated in
a previous review, I felt the book a little too forced. As if the author was
overly aware of the audience she was aiming for. However these complaints were
smoothed over in the face of her second in the series. This one I feel even
surpassed the first in the story telling and deliverance. It was obvious that
Carriger was more comfortable and settled into the genre, making for an even
more enjoyable reading experience.
I highly encourage any readers interested in
Steampunk or fans of Carriger's previous work to pick up this series. It is so
much fun and well worth the read. Carriger seems to only get better with each
published book and I sincerely hope this is a trend that continues. It is great
to see her continue to work with the same world and history as she created in
her first series, only with different characters and unique stories each time,
and still remain fresh and interesting. So many times authors become set in a
formulaic path and the resulting stories become worn out and boring, the same
story rehashed over and over with slightly varied characters and plot. With
Carriger however I never find this the case and I hope it stays that way!
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