During this period werewolves and vampires were regarded as part of the society. Her series of young adult’s books “finishing school” was launched with etiquette espionage in February of just like the parasol protectorate books this book is also set in alternate history version of the famous Victorian of England.I have found, with the growth in this genre, a good many books that really don't manage to get both aspects right.Kirkus, starred review (Etiquette & Espionage) “Carriger deploys laugh-out-loud bon mots on nearly every page Amid all the fun, the author works in commentary on race and class in a sparkling start to the Finishing School series.” ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Etiquette & Espionage). By realistic I mean that the characters reflect the era (sometimes a little tongue in cheek I suspect) and the mechanical aspects are well represented (blimps etc). Something I've found in most of her books to date is that Carriger creates one of the more realistic steampunk fantasies that I've read. I really enjoy the way the author manages to combine the period (think Jane Austen) with the fantasy aspects, there is a bit of intrigue & a lot of fun. I liked the characters, they are spunky and well written for the period they are supposed to represent, very oriented around manners etc. It is set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate but seperate from the other story line so you wouldn't have to read the other books first.

I have read & enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate & in many ways I missed the series, so I went into this book with a real sense of nostalgia & I really enjoyed it.

There are a lot of mechanical descriptions of the steampunk aspects of the story-robotic servants on tracks and the structure of floating academy-which got me off to a little bit of a slow start with the book, but very soon I was captivated by the delights of its charming characters, elaborate plot, and witty banter. This first book in Gail Carriger's new series is set twenty years earlier than the Parasol Protectorate, but it's in the same paranormally enhanced Victorian England and I'm thrilled that younger versions of some of the characters from those previous books have prominent roles.

Fortunately, Sophronia's lack of experience in spy-work and intrigue is compensated for by her skill at discovering and making ingenious use of opportunities. The other girls have inherited their placements at the school and have known all their lives they would be attending, but Sophronia never knew a floating academy with instruction in both etiquette and espionage existed until she rode through its doors on the back of one of her new professors, a proper Victorian werewolf who is nonetheless capable of leaping high enough to reach the school's drifting campus. Like Harry Potter at Hogwarts, when Sophronia Temminnick enters Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality she is an outsider.

Etiquette and espionage series