FINISHING SCHOOL READ-ALONG, Part 4
Well I've reached the end of this enjoyable journey. I'm sad it's over to be honest. I would love to keep reading about Sophronia and her friends, but I have to wait for the next book to come out. Here are my final thoughts on the third book.
Class is back in session...
Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style--with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. No one suspected what--or who--they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.
Gather your poison, steel tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine's proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School Series by steampunk author, Gail Carriger.
MY REVIEW
As Sophronia continues to find her way into trouble, she is finally forced to decide where her loyalties lie: with the supernaturals or the Picklemen, their enemy. While Sophronia's curiosity has led her into a lot of trouble, her loyalty to her friends has also gotten her in trouble, which is exactly what happens in book three. Her friend, Sidheag desperately wants to return to the wolfpack she considers her family and when no one else will help her, Sophronia is forced to come up with a plan to help. But as with the best laid plans, things do not go as planned and Sophronia finds herself having to make difficult decisions that she would never have wanted to have to make. And these decisions change everything including her plans for the future. In addition to everything else, she continues to struggle with her feelings for Soap, who she claims to only care about as a friend, and Lord Felix, who is adorable, but whose opinions and family loyalties conflict with Sophronia's training and inclinations.
Carriger continues to surprise with the growth of her characters as they are forced to face some of the difficult choices that come with adulthood. The touches of romance were just right and headed in the direction that I hoped they would, but the events at the end bring huge changes for Sophronia and her friends. I am really eager to see where the story goes next. I am sure that if nothing else, Sophronia will continue to cause havoc for those around her. Sophronia continues to be one of my favorite characters whose ingenuity I have to admire, but I admit being her friend would be rather hazardous. A thoroughly enjoyable series for the tween and YA set. Because of the appearance of naked men (werewolves are naked when they change form) and certain references to this, I would recommend this series for older middle grade and young adult readers. There is also some mild language.
I'm sad it's over too! I wish the fourth book was out already, and I also wish there were even more books in the series. I haven't had this much fun reading a series in a long time. I'm going to read Gail's Parasol Protectorate series. :) One of my friends told me it's similar to the Finishing School series, but with an adult audience in mind.
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