Rating: 9/10
Hey everyone! Spoiler Alerts is back! And today we have a series I love dearly, and thank my dear high school library for introducing me to it. Etiquette & Espionage, first book of The Finishing School series, is the story of a young girl named Sophronia (I know, weird name right? I read it out loud as Sophia) who in the Victorian age, has about the manners of a "pig" (as her mother would say), and has a rather unladylike interest in gadgetry and adventure (like most of us today, am I right?) Anyways, Sophronia's poor dear mother finally says enough is enough when Ms. Barneclegoose offers the idea of a Finishing school. When Sophronia hears this, she's rather upset. She doesn't want to go to finishing school... But her mother forces her to go (though her "darling" sister would love to take her place).
Now don't get me wrong: the fun part is now
We are then introduced to Sophronia's soon-to-be-BFF named Dimity and he r brother Pillover. Their carriage that they ride on the way to the finishing school, when they are attached by Flywayman
Sophronia makes a (rather unlady-like) heroic save for her new acquaintances. And she drives the caridge to her new school: Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
(Quality= KW-all-ee-TAY)
Soon once she reaches the school, she realizes she has to finish... More than expected.
Sure she has to learn to cursty and how to dance properly, but also how to kill her first husband and gain intelligence from the weaknesses of man.
But something goes wrong though, the "prototype" is in the wrong hands and its up to Sophronia and her friends to get it back to its rightful place.
Things I like about this book, you may ask? Well HERES A FEW THINGS
One: the entire CONCEPT of this series intrigues me, like the opening line: "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." <<that right there, IS BEAUTY. How to be a lady but also be powerful in the Victorian age? Oh. yes.
Two: Okay so SPOILER ALERT !!! (Please skip to reason three if you wish to not hear this) Monique, a young lady whose beauty is only overcome by her love for herself. Pretending to be Dimity's and Sophronia's headmistress at first in the caridge I talked about earlier. Well this lady is always looking for a way of trouble. Towards the end of the book, we find out Monique is in possession of The Prototype. And honestly all she wants is a bit of dough and a high rank in society. What I love is she didn't turn out happy in the end, because Sophronia gets it from her and puts it in the right hands (who that is, I'll let you read to find out) but I honestly HATE when the bad guy is happy in the end. Kinda makes me want to stab someone. But whatever.
Reason three: remember how I said this is "Mademoiselle Geraldine's academy of quali-TAY" or something along those lines? Well Mademoiselle Geraldine is oblivious TO ALL ESPIONAGE AND INTELLIGER TRAINING THAT ARE TO THE CORE LESSON IN HER SCHOOL. For some reason I love that not even the Hedmistress knows all that's going on in the school.
Well, I highly recommend this book: though some slow points can be found, but there isn't one book I've come across that doesn't have at least one part I have to force myself to read through it so I can get back to the good..
Anyways, I would like to once again thank my High school library for having this book on shelf when I was looking around, and found this beauty. (I'm already working on the third book of the series)
Anyways,
Toodles, my fellow hipster book readers!
-Spoiler Alert
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