Curtsies & Conspiracies

November 15, 2013 Uncategorized 0

Curtsies & Conspiracies

Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Pages: 320
Series: Finishing School, book two
Source: Requested ARC, Purchased Audiobook

Read By: Moira Quirk
Audiobook Publisher: Hachette Audio
Audiobook Length: 9 hours, 30 mins

About the Book: Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?

Sophronia’s first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won’t Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers’ quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship’s boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot–one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

In this sequel to bestselling author Gail Carriger’s YA debut Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail’s distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.

My Thoughts: This was a highly anticipated release for me. I absolutely adored the first book, Etiquette & Espionage. This adoration extends to Curtsies & Conspiracies. I love teenage spy stories, particularly teenage girl spies (see: Ally Carter’s books!) Add in the steampunk element and a boarding school and I am sold. Witty dialogue, characters who won’t stay in the molds society has given them, and a mechanical dog are all icing on the cake.

One of my favorite aspects of the story is the setting. There is Victorian England and then there is steampunk Victorian England! With vampires and werewolves and Picklemen (yes, Picklemen!) I love the gadgets, the dresses, rules of society, the finishing school that is actually a spy school on a floating dirigible! Can we get a theme park set here?

A wonderful blend of action, adventure, and the appropriate etiquette for entering a vampire hive, Curtsies & Conspiracies has it all. 

Audiobook Notes: Excellent, once again. These audiobooks are just so fun to listen to. Moira Quirk does a superb job voicing the characters and getting their personalities across. One of the rare books that I listen to 100% on audio simply because I love the narration so much. Highly enjoyable. 

Leave a Reply