4 stars

If you need laughter, vampires, werewolves, and high tea all in the same place, stop here. Gail Carriger takes us on another hilarious romp in her Steampunk world with Sophronia and her friends with Curtsies & Conspiracies.

What could four teenage girls get up to on a dirigible finishing school floating over a field in southern England? More than you would guess. At Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality the girls are learning etiquette and espionage at the same time. With their first six months past, Sophronia and her friends receive their first test and first marks. Sophronia is at the very top, no surprise, but it puts a cold distance between her and her friends. With a scientist planning to journey through the aetherosphere for the first time and dark plots afoot, Sophronia must put all her skills to use if she’s going to save her friends, and herself.

It’s hard to say if there’s anything at all serious about Gail’s young adult series, except for the extreme heart you see in her main character Sophronia. These books would just be funny fluff if Ria (as she’s loveingly nicknamed by the new man in her life) wasn’t so interesting and compelling. Underneath all the laughter and adventures, you’ll find that you do care about what happens to these girls and what kind of lives they make for themselves after their schooling is over. But of course to get there, they have to survive school first.

A wonderful lark full of mystery, intrigue, and embroidered cushions, Curtsises & Conspiracies is sure to delight.