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Author: Gail Carriger, 2013.
Genre: Historical Fantasy. Steampunk YA.
Other Details: ebook. 320 pages.
Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners-and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrols Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's young ladies learn to finish . . . everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage – in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. - synopsis from publisher's website.
This proved a delightful, light-hearted romp, written very much tongue-in-cheek. Meant primarily for a YA audience there is less erotic elements than her Parasol Protectorate series. It was also fun to spot characters from the original series in their younger years. It certainly is a promising start and I look forward to reading the rest of the series in due course.
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Author: Gail Carriger, 2014.
Genre: Historical Fantasy. Steampunk
Other Details: ebook. 32 pages.
A short tale of mummies, werewolves, and well preserved felines set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate. Alessandro Tarabotti and his valet, Floote, are on a mission in Egypt when they encounter visiting tourists and things go all pie shaped. What is his real mission and will his Aunt Archangelica approve of his treatment of her cat? - synopsis from Goodreads.
Set a decade before the Finishing School series this proved an amusing short story about Alexia Tarabotti's father and included his first meeting with Alexia's mother.
I really would have appreciated a longer story or novella to answer questions presented as well as how the couple became romantically involved rather than this peek at 'How I Met Your Mother'. Oh well. I did find Alessandro Tarabotti a rather cold fish but then perhaps this was to be expected as he was very much an enigmatic figure when mentioned in the original series,
