Curtsies & Conspiracies

by Gail Carriger

Overview

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 field 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 New York Times bestselling 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316254717
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/05/2013
Series:	Finishing School , #2
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	79,679
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.

The Parasol Protectorate books are: Soulless,Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless. Soulless won the ALA's Alex Award A manga version released in Spring 2012 and a young adult series set in the same universe -- the Finishing School series -- released in Spring 2013. Gail is currently writing a new adult series, The Parasol Protectorate Abroad (Spring 2014).

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/14/2013
Sophronia Temminnick is back for more daring yet ladylike exploits in this effervescent second installment in Carriger’s Finishing School series, which follows Etiquette & Espionage. This time, the dirigible that is Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is embarking on an exciting and mysterious trip to London—with boys on board, students from Bunson & Lacroix’s Polytechnique. Sophronia is excelling at the school (“Your mind seems designed for espionage,” a professor tells her), garnering the jealousy of her fellow spies-in-training, including best friend Dimity. Sophronia tries to get to the bottom of why they’re heading to London, while remaining on the lookout for the well-being of all as danger lurks, Dimity is threatened, and two young men vie for Sophronia’s romantic attention. Teenage and adult fans alike will rejoice that Carriger retains her flair for musical prose, over-the-top names (e.g. Algonquin Shrimpdittle), clever wit, and strange yet helpful mechanical devices of all kinds. Carriger’s blend of comically exaggerated characters and madcap action will easily win over readers once again. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"If spunky Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey happened onto a steampunk set, she might look a lot like Sophronia Angelina Temminnick."

ShelfAwareness

Praise for the New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage:

An ALSC Notable Book for Children
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick
A Horn Book Summer Reading List Selection


* "Carriger's YA debut brings... cleverly Victorian methods of espionage, witty banter, lighthearted silliness, and a ship full of intriguingly quirky people."

Booklist (starred review)

"Blending intrigue and elements of the school story, Carriger introduces teen readers to a supernatural-meets-steampunk world full of action and wit."

Horn Book

"The strength, wit, charisma, and sheer likeability of Sophronia is a refreshing and welcome change from the typical protagonist of today's young adult novels...Teenage girls will laugh, cheer, and empathize as the girls at the academy experience all of the same emotions they do, but in a Victorian steampunk fashion."

Library Media Connection

Fans of Carriger’s first book in this series will not be disappointed by this second. Once again, the setting is a dirigible that is a finishing school by day with a hidden agenda. Sophronia has been in training for six months now and is trying to pass a variety of tests proving her worth as a spy. Instead of becoming closer to the other girls at school as she expected, she becomes ostracized for performing well on test after test despite not following standard rules. Her insatiable curiosity gets her into situations that are truly amusing, and she inadvertently stumbles onto a mystery trying to protect a friend. If that is not enough, add surprise visitors who turn out to be a male teacher, his ten male students; an unexpected trip to London which will require—gasp—dancing; and a kidnapping attempt. Carriger’s choice of vocabulary is just as rich and diverse as before and it is easy to return to the world of manners, steampunk, and the supernatural. She again manages to blend the rules of etiquette with inventions and creatures effortlessly, creating a diverse world of wonder. Many of the secondary characters are quite entertaining as well, adding much to the story. A reader favorite, Bumbersnoot, returns to Sophronia’s side for more surprising antics as her canine mechanimal sidekick. This book will appeal to readers of the first Finishing School novel in this series, as well as to readers who like science fiction within a historical setting. Reviewer: Valerie Burleigh; Ages 11 to 18.

VOYA, February 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 6) - Valerie Burleigh

Most finishing schools focus on teaching young ladies of quality the proper way to take tea and the correct address for different members of society. The girls at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality also learn how to sneak about in hoop skirts and send coded messages using embroidery. Sophronia’s second year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s proves to be just as exciting as her first. Sophronia sees conspiracies everywhere and her concern for her friend, Dimity, and Dimity’s family put Sophronia in one precarious situation after another. Carriger has created an intriguing steampunk world filled with interesting gadgets, and the addition of supernatural creatures only increases the intrigue. While Carriger’s Finishing School series is an interesting idea, there is an overwhelming number of characters to keep track of and the nonsensical names for the steampunk gadgets and characters make it difficult for the reader to fully engage in the world. There are also an overwhelming number of mysteries and conspiracies which make it difficult to follow the plot from one logical step to another. The steampunk and supernatural world will make this series interesting to patient teens, but it is recommended that book one of the “Finishing School” series be read first. Reviewer: Danielle Williams; Ages 13 up.

Children's Literature - Danielle Williams

11/01/2013
Gr 7–10—Fans of Etiquette & Espionage (Little, Brown, 2013) know that Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is not your typical boarding school. Sophronia is now in her second year of training as a spy and has established herself as one of the top recruits, at least in terms of espionage, and her suspicious nature continues to drive her as she uses her skills and training to uncover the true reason behind the school trip to London. Carriger does not reintroduce characters or give any backstory; instead she jumps right into the thick of the action, developing a fast-paced plot that is sure to keep readers' attention as Sophronia discovers a conspiracy involving a technology that will affect vampires, werewolves, and humans alike. New characters and the introduction of boys onto a floating airship full of teenage girls gives this adventure/mystery an interesting steampunk twist. As in the first novel, the true-to-the-period language may slow down some readers, but this is a must-have purchase for libraries in which the first book is popular.—Betsy Davidson, Cortland Free Library, NY

School Library Journal

2013-10-01
Sophronia Temminnick learns that being top of her spy-school class isn't a great way to make friends. Social dramas and interspecies politics beset the inhabitants of the massive airship known as Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy. Sophronia's teachers seem to be intentionally turning her friends against her; is everything at this dratted school a test? Even Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott isn't on speaking terms with Sophronia. Without her friends, how will Sophronia ever unknot the massive tangle she's caught up in, which involves vampires, a crystalline valve frequensor and flight through the aetherosphere? This sequel to Etiquette & Espionage (2013) is less charming than the series opener, with the whimsy replaced by an uninspiring love triangle that does not show Miss Temminnick in a flattering light. Perhaps an ability to see dark-skinned, working-class Soap as "a real boy" would be historically inaccurate, but then so are dirigible schools, werewolves in the British peerage and mechanimal sausage dogs, so allowances could be made. In any case, the language is every bit as delightful as in Sophronia's first adventure ("Thrushbotham pip-monger swizzle sprocket"), even in this weightier tale. Fans of Book 1 will want to read this one, though they will hope that the fizz returns in Book 3. (Steampunk. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews