*Review* Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School #2) by Gail Carriger

In this, the sequel to Etiquette & Espionage, our protagonist, 15 year old Sophronia Temminnick, is once again back at the center of the action. This time, it is time for her 6 month evaluation which she scores highly on and ends up distancing Sophie from her classmates. She also needs to try to find a way to save her bestie Demity Plumleigh-Teignmott and her brother Pillover from being taken as hostages by the dreaded Picklemen and vampires who are looking to control the same valve technology. How dreadfully obtuse of these dinglepops to interfere in Sophie's determination to find truth, justice, and the right to wear the correct style dress that actually doesn't make her look like a teacup!

Once again, Carriger's Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, has ways of tossing in the strangest names imaginable, while sending readers on an action/adventure that will leave you laughing at the silliness of the things that Sophronia will go through in order to complete her first year of Spy school instead of being sent down (AKA home).

Sophie is definitely an interesting character who uses her smarts in order to find out what is really happening with her school, and her teachers especially. She just needs some help with the social interactions and trusting and asking for help from her classmates. I also love the fact that she's made friends with Vieve and Soap and the boiler room crew without feeling they are underneath her station. 

Added to the story is the return of some familiar names from Carriger's Parasol Protectorate like Genevieve LeFoux, Captain Niall, Sidheag Maccon (aka Lady Kingair), and the first appearance of Lord Akeldama and the vampire hive to the series, along with the introduction and revelation of who the school owes it's existence to, and the infamous Shadow Council that answers only to Queen Victrix.

If you were looking for a little romance along side your action/adventure, you will find that Sophie has come full circle. Not only is she friends with Soap (Phineas B. Crow) which may or may not lead to something more, but the Brunson school for boy villains comes calling on Geraldine's school and Sophie is the center of attention for one Felix Mersey. Where this all goes from here is totally hidden in the scheming mind of Gail Carriger and her editors.

If you have read the Parasol Protectorate, just think of this series as being set 25 years in the past, and the characters from the PP are all much younger and training to be ladies of a certain vocation and training. You will also enjoy the fact that most of the action takes place on a huge dirigible that floats over Dartmoor.

Waistcoats & Weaponry (Finishing School #3) releases in 2014 and I will be interesting to see what happens to Sophie and her gang next.

Published November 5th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Author - Gail Carringer
Title - Curtsies & Conspiracies
Publisher - Little, Brown for Young Readers
Released - November 5, 2013
Genre - YA, Steampunk, Paranormal
Recvd via Library Loan