Book Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 2013
Pages: 320
Source: ARC from publishers
For: Review
Series: Finishing School, Book 1

When Sophronia is sent off to be finished, she little expects the kind of finishing that goes on at her new school. On the remote, floating school, she begins to learn the arts of deception, diversion, and espionage...in addition to etiquette and decorum. But she also discovers a lot of secrets, including one that threatens the school and all she's coming to love.

Things I Liked:
I always enjoy a good steampunk novel.  For some reason, they contain just the right amount of quirky fun and strange inventions, so that I can't stop reading them.  I fell in love with Sophronia, who was such a great character to follow around in her mostly historical setting also populated with supernatural creatures and other strange inventions.  There's nothing quite like a girl who doesn't know where she fits, finds a place, and it certainly isn't where she's expected to fit.  I love all the friends she makes too - especially Sidheag, for some reason.  I like her prickly exterior and her complete lack of concern over what makes a lady.  Just an all-around fun steampunk adventure with loveable quirky characters.

Things I Didn't Like:
The plot was a little bit slow and seemed to not be getting anywhere anytime soon.  But the everything else (setting, steampunk fun, characters, etc) kept my attention engaged (though I have to admit it took me almost a month to finally finish it - mostly because I had other books that HAD to be read right away).  Also, there was an inordinate number of side characters introduced, which I assume will play larger roles in future books - a bit of setup-itis I think.  Pick this one up when you need some fun entertainment!

Read-alikes:
Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld
Also, a tiny bit Harry Potter-ish

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe one or two mild ones

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none
despite the numerous run-ins with flywaymen and picklemen :)

Overall rating: ****

Are you a steampunk fan?  What are your favorite steampunk books?

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