I love everything I've experienced by Gail Carriger. I say "experienced" because I have now enjoyed eight of her audiobooks. I love the richness of the characters and the world, the humor and quirkiness throughout, and the descriptions of the clothing. The Finishing School series is great for young adults. The Custard Protocol is great for adults. These books are all narrated by Moira Quirk and, in my opinion, is the only way to consume them! Ms. Quirk performs them beautifully and makes voices for the different characters. This helps to keep them straight, sometimes, but always helps develop the characters.

In my opinion, anything by Gail Carriger is a sure bet!

This book was impossible to finish. It was a cool concept at first, but it became way too complicated without explaining much, and then became way too slow to the point that I gave up trying to read it. The progression of events was not well-spaced, and the world-building either didn't make sense or wasn't well planned out. It did have a creative title, and a nice idea, but the whole writing style was so bland and difficult to read. I had tried making blackout poetry of a copy I found on the free bookshelf. The writing itself was so incredibly bland that I was unable to make anything of it, despite trying a lot on different pages. At the teen book club discussion for this book, most people didn't finish and had the same opions.

I read this for the "Set In The Victorian Era" part of my 2019 reading challenge. I didn't love it as much as the Parasol Protectorate series, but it was still very entertaining.

The first book of the Finishing School by the New York Times Bestselling author Gail Carriger, Etiquette and Espionage is a charming and funny novel set in the Victorian era. Fourteen year old Sophronia does not exactly have the best manners and definitely no great curtsy but she is great at dissecting mechanicals and climbing to high heights though her mother and sisters strongly disagree that these are talents. So when Sophronia finds out she's going to a finishing school, she's not exactly surprised but she is surprised when the finishing school is not at all what she expected. I think the best way to describe this book is that it’s almost like a steampunk version of Harry Potter. It's comical yet still serious with a lot of action. The plot twists are totally unsuspected and unannounced, which I love. As mentioned in the title, it includes a lot of espionage and that has always been one of my favourite subjects. Overall, I really enjoyed this book (I finished reading it in one evening) and would rate it 5/5 stars. For readers over the 7th grade. @VioletFeather of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

A fun tongue-in-cheek (or perhaps “tongue-in-chic”) teen novel about 14-year-old Sophronia Temminnick, who is sent off to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. It’s 1851 in an alternate steampunk England, and the “finishing school” is a school for teaching young women the arts of espionage and assassination, along with dance, dress, and deportment. The school is held aloft by blimps, powered by steam, with mechanical servants, and an unusual cast of teachers, including a vampire and a werewolf. The book’s catch phrase for the school is “The Fine Art of Finishing Others.”

There is a plot of sorts, about a missing invention that must be found and attacks by mysterious “flywaymen” (air pirates) who wish to steal it. But the fun is in the British characters, from the snooty daughters of Lords to the merely middle class, but plucky, young ladies (like Sophronia), and even a few distinctly working class boys (“sooties”) who run the coal-powered engine room. This is the first of a series. They are connected with an adult series that Carriger has written, “The Parasol Protectorate” series, which begins with the book “Soulless.”

This finishing school is an airship! Oh, how I enjoy steampunk. Plus, the girls are learning to be spies, which is an excellent twist on finishing schools. The book is a wonderful, fun adventure with so many great characters. And the names are hilarious, for example, Mrs. Barnaclegoose.

why does every other book in this series have Audio CD or Downloadable versions but not the first one? this is a frequent and annoying problem in the HPL catalog.

I enjoyed this book. It started out a little slowly but did pick up as it went along. I also got a few good chuckles out of it. This is a solid introduction to a new female protagonist, Sophronia, whom I liked, and who has a lot of potential to grow even more in future books. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this tween version of the adult The Parasol Protectorate series. Sophronia is a smart and feisty heroine who practices "question authority" with fervor. The story was enjoyable, but a little too witty at times, like it was trying too hard.

It is set in Victorian times so you have all the etiquette and dress codes, but she throws in vampires and werewolves. Sophronia is chosen, to her surprise, to attend an unusual finishing school for young ladies. Set in the same universe as Carriger’s adult series, The Parasol Protectorate, it tells the story that took place before that series. Entertaining, well-written, and intriguing, this series is good for both adults and teens. (submitted by SB)