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Finishing School #1-4
The Finishing School Complete Collection
All four books in New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger's young adult steampunk Finishing School series are now available in one e-book bundle!
Travel back to the beginning of Sophronia's story in Etiquette & Espionage, then follow her many adventures through Curtsies & Conspiracies, Waistcoats & Weaponry, and Manners & Mutiny to the smashing series finale that will make you want to start all over again.
Travel back to the beginning of Sophronia's story in Etiquette & Espionage, then follow her many adventures through Curtsies & Conspiracies, Waistcoats & Weaponry, and Manners & Mutiny to the smashing series finale that will make you want to start all over again.
- GenresSteampunkYoung Adult
1344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2016
53 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Gail Carriger
63 books15.4k followersGail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate and the Finishing School series. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea. Join the Chirrup for sneak peaks of upcoming giggles: http://gailcarriger.com/chirrup
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 26, 2016
Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series was my first foray into steampunk – and damn, the woman pulled me in. It goes without saying that she has me wanting to read more of her work and more books in the steampunk genre.
I’d been planning to start with her adult series, yet my friend had the complete Finishing School set and offered to let me read them. Only a fool turns down such an offer. Thus, I jumped in with a second glance. Before I knew what was happening, I had worked my way through all four books.
It is not necessary to have read her other books to understand these. I’m sure when I go on to read her other series I will notice the connections between the books, but understanding of prior work is not necessary for enjoyment of the individual series.
With a great cast of characters and an interesting story, the four books will keep you engaged throughout. As we progress through each book, the underlying story develops as do our characters. There was so much more than I could have ever imagined.
Honestly, if you haven’t picked these you up certainly should.
I’d been planning to start with her adult series, yet my friend had the complete Finishing School set and offered to let me read them. Only a fool turns down such an offer. Thus, I jumped in with a second glance. Before I knew what was happening, I had worked my way through all four books.
It is not necessary to have read her other books to understand these. I’m sure when I go on to read her other series I will notice the connections between the books, but understanding of prior work is not necessary for enjoyment of the individual series.
With a great cast of characters and an interesting story, the four books will keep you engaged throughout. As we progress through each book, the underlying story develops as do our characters. There was so much more than I could have ever imagined.
Honestly, if you haven’t picked these you up certainly should.
October 13, 2018
Summary: Sophronia is the rambunctious younger daughter of a family of quality, living in the English countryside. Following an unfortunate incident with a dumbwaiter, a trifle, and a neighbor’s hat, her mother sends her off to Miss Geraldine’s Finishing School with the hope that she’ll learn how to be a proper young lady. To Sophronia’s surprise and delight, she soon discovers that Miss Gerladine’s is (1) housed in an enormous stealth airship, and (2) is concerned with an entirely different sort of “finishing” than what her mother had in mind. It is, instead, a school that trains up lady spies and assassins, and the very traits that made Sophronia a bothersome misfit at home are what prompted the school to recruit her.
The series follows the standard “wacky boarding school story” format. Sophronia makes friends and Mean Girl rivals, sneaks around where she’s not supposed to go, has boys fall in love with her, and learns how to be an ace intelligence agent. She and her friends also discover a conspiracy of mad scientists, and saves England. You know, the usual stuff that happens at (fictional) boarding schools.
Thoughts: This series takes place in the same setting as the Parasol Protectorate books, but at an earlier point in time. While I didn’t like it as much as I did PP, it was still a lot of fun. It is pretty formulaic, so its enjoyability depends strongly on how well you like the formula. The series is an excellent execution of the “weird boarding school” formula, but if you don’t like adventurous school stories where the kids have unlikely death-defying adventures better suited to trained adults, you’re unlikely to feel differently about this one.
Escapist Rating: 3/4
Recommended for: People who liked the Parasol Protectorate series, people who liked the Hogwarts parts of Harry Potter, People who like stories about bad-ass young ladies
Dis-Recommended for: People who don’t like YA steampunk fantasy
The series follows the standard “wacky boarding school story” format. Sophronia makes friends and Mean Girl rivals, sneaks around where she’s not supposed to go, has boys fall in love with her, and learns how to be an ace intelligence agent. She and her friends also discover a conspiracy of mad scientists, and saves England. You know, the usual stuff that happens at (fictional) boarding schools.
Thoughts: This series takes place in the same setting as the Parasol Protectorate books, but at an earlier point in time. While I didn’t like it as much as I did PP, it was still a lot of fun. It is pretty formulaic, so its enjoyability depends strongly on how well you like the formula. The series is an excellent execution of the “weird boarding school” formula, but if you don’t like adventurous school stories where the kids have unlikely death-defying adventures better suited to trained adults, you’re unlikely to feel differently about this one.
Escapist Rating: 3/4
Recommended for: People who liked the Parasol Protectorate series, people who liked the Hogwarts parts of Harry Potter, People who like stories about bad-ass young ladies
Dis-Recommended for: People who don’t like YA steampunk fantasy
April 20, 2020
Delightful
I loved this four book boxset. And I loved the characters. And I adored the stories. Lots of action and investigation and intrigue in each book. The four books follow 4 young girls through a type of spy and assassination academy for women. Hidden from the masses in a huge dirigible, and under pretense of being a finishing school for young ladies. The main character, Sophriona, is 14 when she is recruited. She shows a high aptitude to uncover information, lead her friends into covert operations, and successfully execute her plans to foil the bad guys. When she comes to the school she is awkward, unsophisticated, and not attired in the current season's fashions. It was fun watching her being taught to act and dress like a lady, while also being taught how to flirt, gain information, use weapons, and kill people. This series truly was a blast. All 4 students had wildly different personalities, and they were able to use their unique personalities and skill sets to foil plans so egregious as to take down the queen of england. Awesome series. Loved every page of it.
I loved this four book boxset. And I loved the characters. And I adored the stories. Lots of action and investigation and intrigue in each book. The four books follow 4 young girls through a type of spy and assassination academy for women. Hidden from the masses in a huge dirigible, and under pretense of being a finishing school for young ladies. The main character, Sophriona, is 14 when she is recruited. She shows a high aptitude to uncover information, lead her friends into covert operations, and successfully execute her plans to foil the bad guys. When she comes to the school she is awkward, unsophisticated, and not attired in the current season's fashions. It was fun watching her being taught to act and dress like a lady, while also being taught how to flirt, gain information, use weapons, and kill people. This series truly was a blast. All 4 students had wildly different personalities, and they were able to use their unique personalities and skill sets to foil plans so egregious as to take down the queen of england. Awesome series. Loved every page of it.
July 22, 2020
The series is okay but not great....maybe not even good BUT definitely not bad. The inherent problem with the The Finishing School collection is that it is glaringly obvious which books were good and which were just okay. Getting it as a collection does make it less likely that you will get lost in this twisted world of characters.
Another point of note is you should absolutely read the The parasol protectorate after the finishing school series. The parasol protectorate has no plot holes (that I found) and is written so much better that if you come to this series after you are bound to be disappointed. 2.95/5
Another point of note is you should absolutely read the The parasol protectorate after the finishing school series. The parasol protectorate has no plot holes (that I found) and is written so much better that if you come to this series after you are bound to be disappointed. 2.95/5
July 16, 2019
Great series!
I would never have chosen a book about werewolves and vampires if my daughter hadn’t raved about Gail Carraiger so much. I always thought they were gory or dark. But this series is so much fun. The absurdity of Victorian fashion and high society manners with scruffy werewolves and dandified vampires, how could you not love it?
I would never have chosen a book about werewolves and vampires if my daughter hadn’t raved about Gail Carraiger so much. I always thought they were gory or dark. But this series is so much fun. The absurdity of Victorian fashion and high society manners with scruffy werewolves and dandified vampires, how could you not love it?
September 6, 2018
Delightful
Gail Carriger has outdone herself yet again. What glorious adventures and love stories! Manners, subterfuge and romance are combined to create a delicious recipe full of exotic, delectable , unidentifiable spices.
Gail Carriger has outdone herself yet again. What glorious adventures and love stories! Manners, subterfuge and romance are combined to create a delicious recipe full of exotic, delectable , unidentifiable spices.
December 16, 2023
*** check “see all activity” for individual reviews ***
Based on ratings of all four, came out to 3.75, did round up final star rating.
Overall it was a fun trip down memory lane and I still have the same take aways as I did the first time around. Although, teenage me didn’t see the why behind the ending outcome, adult me does and respects the author’s points.
Based on ratings of all four, came out to 3.75, did round up final star rating.
Overall it was a fun trip down memory lane and I still have the same take aways as I did the first time around. Although, teenage me didn’t see the why behind the ending outcome, adult me does and respects the author’s points.
June 25, 2017
Lizard: 4⋆.
Wombat: 4⋆.
Overall: 4⋆.
Wombat: 4⋆.
Overall: 4⋆.
September 17, 2018
It was so good I read all four books in four days! Could not put it down 12/10.
June 3, 2020
Loved these
Absolutely loved these books and loved how it set up for the Parasole Protectorate books. Good for young and old readers.
Absolutely loved these books and loved how it set up for the Parasole Protectorate books. Good for young and old readers.
June 11, 2021
Loved loved loved these!!
May 27, 2019
*3.65. So this series was enjoyable and all, but it wasn’t my all-time favorite. This series has it’s good parts, but I feel like there were things that needed to be built upon or things to be taken out. I feel that it had a lot more to live up to. It just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. In the end, at least I won’t forget the covers, titles, or Bumbersnoot.
December 24, 2024
This series is delightful. A glimpse into familiar characters. Sophronia is a well written femme protagonist. She has wit, charm, and is an excellent problem solver. Amusingly, less bashing heads compared to other series in the universe.
This explores an earlier time in Carriger's universe. Each book comes to a nice conclusion.
This explores an earlier time in Carriger's universe. Each book comes to a nice conclusion.
August 17, 2018
I needed a fanciful, humorous series to counterbalance some heavier choices, and I assumed this would do the trick. It did so, but along with the whimsy and satire, there was unexpected sophistication. The plot lines kept me guessing, the characters were complex enough to feel credible, and the writing itself was polished and inviting. Reading Ms. Carriger was like attending an endlessly fascinating tea party: elegance and tradition abound, but there is always one more surprise waiting for you.
To borrow a phrase from the series itself, the Finishing School collection is "decorative but deadly." I can think of no higher or more fitting praise.
To borrow a phrase from the series itself, the Finishing School collection is "decorative but deadly." I can think of no higher or more fitting praise.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews