Book Review: Curtsies and Conspiracies

By Cheshire

It’s been a while since I read the first book so I was a little confused by some of the professor’s names when trying to match name with character, especially since this book deals in the overcomplicated steampunk names I love. Keep in mind that this is the sequel to Etiquette and Espionage and may have some unintended spoilers, but if you’re looking for a quick, fun steampunk read, you might want to check out this series.

Summary: Sophronia’s first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy–won’t Mumsy be surprised? Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers’ quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship’s boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot–one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

My Rating: THREE STARS

Book Review: Paper Magician

By Cheshire

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book! 🙂 It’s an honor to be able to review it.

Summary: Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

My Rating: TWO AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: Her Dark Curiosity

By Cheshire

I actually have nothing to say except WE HAVE FIFTY FOLLOWERS NOW, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I am actually so touched. We love you all! 🙂 Here goes.

Summary: Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father’s island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

My Rating: FIVE STARS!

Book Review: I Am the Messenger

By Cheshire

So my reviews probably won’t be coming so frequently for a while. But I did get a delightful book haul recently, so I have all those books to look forward to. Anyways, here goes.

Summary: Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He’s pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That’s when the first ace arrives in the mail.

That’s when Ed becomes the messenger.

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains. Who’s behind Ed’s mission?

My Rating: FOUR AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: Etiquette and Espionage

By Cheshire

Okay so I thought I should inform all of our lovely readers that Blue is on hiatus. Which means the only reviews you’re going to be getting for a while are from me… So yay! Brace yourself for some quality Cheshire time (I’m sure we’ll all be grateful for Blue’s return). Here goes.

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than in proper manners- and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsey. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls 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.

My Rating: THREE STARS

Book Review: Abhorsen (Cheshire)

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By Cheshire

So this is the final review (until Clariel) that I will be doing of the Old Kingdom trilogy. It is also the last review Blue and I will be doing separately on the same book for a while. So, enjoy it while you can. Warning: this may contain spoilers (both for this book and Lirael.) Here goes.

Summary: Orannis the Destroyer has been freed. And only Lirael, newly come into her in her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, has any chance of stopping it. She and her companions- Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget- have to take that chance. If Orannis’s unspeakable powers are unleashed, it will mean the end of all Life. With the help of her companions and a vision from the Clayr to guide her, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the Destroyer- before it is too late.

My Rating: THREE AND A HALF STARS

Book Review: Lirael (Blue)

As promised, my review on Lirael is here, albeit a tad delayed. Apologies. Well, without further ado, here goes!

Summary (AGAIN, SAME AS CHESHIRE’S): Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr’s birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

My Rating: FIVE STARS!

Book Review: Lirael (Cheshire)

By Cheshire

Continuing on in our new reviewing style, I will be reviewing Lirael by Garth Nix. Stay tuned for Blue’s review, coming up next. Wow. I sound like the Disney Channel. Sorry. Here goes. (Quick warning, this might spoil certain bits of Sabriel. I’d just keep that in mind when skimming the review.)

Summary: Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr’s birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

My Rating: FOUR STARS