Review: A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

Publication Date: May 19^th 2015
Publisher: Macmillan Tor/Forge
Length: 352 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Tor for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.
After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts...

I was all kinds of excited when this book first popped up on my radar. Regency period? A favourite. Romance? Yes please. Young ladies sent to a reformatory school which is actually a front for a training school for spies and espionage? Give it to me now.

It all started off so well, but unfortunately there were all kinds of problems littered throughout that stopped this book being the read I’d hoped it would be. 

Let’s start with the biggest thing for me. I am a huge stickler for historical accuracy. If you’re going to write a book and set it in a particular time period then for goodness sake get the etiquette, speech and ideas right. This felt like a contemporary novel dressed up in pretty dresses to look like an historical one, without any of the constraints of the time period. It felt like it was attempting something along the same lines as Gail Carriger’s ‘Finishing School’ books, but whilst Carriger adheres to the rules of the period and then plays with the ideas and brings in humour, ‘A School for Unusual Girls’ just ignored all of the rules and as a result really frustrated me (and anyone else who expects some modicum of historical accuracy when reading an historical novel.)

The second big frustration was two-fold – the lack of any real depth to the characters and the instalove. These were kind of combined as the lack of depth contributed to the love story feeling forced and out of place. Georgia knows the man for all of four days before she decides she’s completely in love with him (and vice versa) and that’s what sets off the chain of rather obvious and ludicrous events of the second half. The girls at the school were fascinating and I wanted to know more about them, but aside from Tess they are largely relegated to the background, presumably so they can be trotted out in future books and not have the reader know a huge amount about them.

The whole thing just felt like an exercise in frustration. It was full of great ideas poorly executed. A mixture of truly interesting characters and then our heroine who seemed largely unable to function like a coherent human being. For someone who is supposedly intelligent and logical she really doesn’t show it. It feels like it’s going to be a novel based in reality and then there are vague allusions to the supernatural and premonitions which felt forced and jarred me because where? What? Why? They are thrown in and then the reader is given nothing more – no explanations or anything. That actually drove a huge amount of the irritation for me. Georgie is thrown into this school against her will and then no one will talk to her or explain anything to her and she isn’t really given a choice. If the idea behind the school isn’t spoiled in the blurb then this refusal to answer questions might prolong the tension, but as it is it was just irritating in the extreme.

Then there were the niggly errors, like a two days passing and then characters referring to the events from two days previous as yesterday which made the whole thing infinitely more confusing and frustrating than it needed to be. There were also problems with tenses and grammar in some places – all things that could have been easily rectified in edits.

I was so excited to read this novel, I had such high hopes and expectations, but unfortunately it failed to live up to any of the expectations. It suffers from the problem that a lot of start of series novels seem to find themselves in, they are so busy building up the set up that they don’t focus on becoming an interesting story in their own right, they are effectively a prequel for the second book where the story will hopefully start to kick off.

There were some interesting elements – the premise, some of the other girls, the alternate history – but unfortunately they are buried in amongst so many errors and irritations. I may look out for the next book, but my interest hasn’t been held and I will most likely avoid the second book in the series unless I hear that it has improved drastically on this one.

Books I'm Squeeing About in May

May is always an exceptionally busy month for books. So many amazing ones end up with May release dates, so it tends to be an expensive month in the book stakes - but with all of these beauties suddenly available, who could possibly resist? I'd better start saving up...


5th - A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J Maas
Feyre is a huntress. She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price.
Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy’s kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden escape. Her captor’s body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked – but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre’s feelings for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she’s been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows. Feyre must find a way to break a spell, or lose her heart forever.

Sarah J Maas - need I say more? She has taken the book world by storm with her Throne of Glass series and now we're lucky enough to have another series on the go at the same time! So as well as the Thrones novel coming in September we also get to meet Feyre, a whole new heroine who's bad ass and wonderful. I have heard nothing but incredible things in the early buzz for this one, so I cannot wait to get stuck in.
You can pre-order this on Amazon here
Or read the first few chapters for free here!

5th - Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.
Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

I felt mixed about 'Cruel Beauty' when I read it last year, but I ultimately loved it and am very curious to see this novel set in the same world. Any retellings of fairy tales are very much my jam, and whilst the Beauty & the Beast retelling didn't quite hit all the right points for me, I'm hoping that this Red Riding Hood one will.
You can pre-order this on Amazon here


5th - The Heir by Keira Cass
Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

I thought I was done with this series with the last book, but now Cass is adding to it and it's like some addictive sugary sweet, I can't help but go back and see what's happening next. I'm going to be honest, The Selection series isn't great. There is a whole heap of potential but it falls short in so many ways and ended up being problematic for me in most areas. However, I am intrigued with this new book, mostly because our heroine is going to be the one doing the choosing and it's always good to have boys vying to be chosen...
You can pre-order this on Amazon here

19th - Illusionarium by Heather Dixon

What if the world holds more dangers—and more wonders—than we have ever known? And what if there is more than one world? From Heather Dixon, author of the acclaimed Entwined, comes a brilliantly conceived adventure that sweeps us from the inner workings of our souls to the far reaches of our imaginations.Jonathan is perfectly ordinary. But then—as every good adventure begins—the king swoops into port, and Jonathan and his father are enlisted to find the cure to a deadly plague. Jonathan discovers that he's a prodigy at working with a new chemical called fantillium, which creates shared hallucinations—or illusions. And just like that, Jonathan is knocked off his path. Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that calls to mind The Night Circus and Pixar movies, but is wholly its own.

This is one of those ones where I don't even need to see the blurb. I loved 'Entwined' Dixon's take on the twelve dancing princesses tale so much that anything by Dixon is an automatic yes please put it on my bookcase immediately. That being said - THAT BLURB! THAT COVER! Where are my smelling salts, I feel faint from the sheer fabulousness!
You can pre-order this on Amazon here


19th - A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin
It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.
After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their heart.

This one just ticks so many boxes for me. Historical setting, regency period, romance, espionage, gorgeous cover and excellent blurb? All there! And I am so excited. I haven't read many YA regency novels so I'm curious to see how it translates away from the regency romances I love so much. But with spies and a war going on I'm confident this is going to be fantastic.
You can pre-order this on Amazon here

19th - Lion Heart by A. C. Gaughen

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

This is going to be a bit of a bittersweet read. I have loved reading the first two books in Scarlet's story and whilst I cannot wait to see how her story ends, I also don't want this journey to be done. I adore Scarlet, she is such a strong and determined heroine who doesn't let the love she feels constrain or define her. She is wonderful and I'm looking forward to reading this final installment with her.
You can pre-order this on Amazon here

Books I'm Squeeing About in March

It's been a long time since I've posted about books I'm squeeing about, but with some of my favourite authors giving us new and exciting books this month I couldn't resist. So without further ado, here are the three books I am particularly excited to get my mitts on this month! There are so many that it is incredibly hard to choose, but these three have really snagged my attention!

(All release dates are for the UK editions)

12th - Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano (Internment Chronicles Book 2)

After escaping the city of Internment, Morgan and her fellow fugitives land on the ground to finally learn about the world beneath their floating island home.
The ground is a strange place where water falls from the sky as snow, and people watch moving pictures and visit speakeasies. A place where families can have as many children as they want, bury their dead in vast gardens of bodies, and where Internment is the feature of an amusement park.It is also a land at war.Everyone who fled Internment had their own reasons to escape their corrupt haven, but now they’re caught under the watchful eye of another ruler who wants to dominate his world. They may have made it to the ground, but have they dragged Internment with them?

Lauren DeStefano can do no wrong. Her debut series ' The Chemical Garden Trilogy' was incredible. Beautifully written, heartbreaking yet full of hope and with such fresh and exciting ideas, I adored the series, and 'Perfect Ruin' the first book in the Internment Chronicles showed that she was a writer to be reckoned with. It was a fantastic book and left me desperate for more, and I cannot wait to see what happens in book two!

You can pre-order this book on Amazon here

12th - The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (The Winner's Trilogy Book 2)

Lady Kestrel's engagement to Valoria's crown prince calls for great celebration: balls and performances, fireworks and revelry. But to Kestrel it means a cage of her own making. Embedded in the imperial court as a spy, she lives and breathes deceit and cannot confide in the one person she really longs to trust ...
While Arin fights to keep his country's freedom from the hands of his enemy, he suspects that Kestrel knows more than she shows. As Kestrel comes closer to uncovering a shocking secret, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth.Lies will come undone, and Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them in this second book in the breathtaking Winner's trilogy.

I came late to this series and only caught up last week when I stormed through both book 1 and 2 in a couple of days. I love this series, it is fantastic. Full of beautiful prose and evocative imagery and brutal moves in this cut throat world of spying and politics. This book more than lives up to the high bar set by the first and I cannot wait to be able to talk about this book more! Keep an eye out for my review in a couple of days!

You can pre-order this book on Amazon here

19th - Prudence by Gail Carriger (Book 1 in the Custard Protocol Series)

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Crumpetand floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea.
But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones?

I adore Gail Carriger's books. They are witty, biting and so incredibly inventive. She is my favourite steampunk author and I am so excited to go back to the world of her debut series with an all grown up Prudence. Ever since the very first announcement I have been desperate to read this, and I am counting down the days this month until I can sink into it!

You can pre-order this book on Amazon here

So those are the top three books that I can't wait for this month, what books are you desperate to get your hands on?

Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Publication Date: 5^th February 2015

Huge thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.
Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

I absolutely love Ally Carter’s previous series, both Gallagher Girls and the Heist books, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest offering and get to know a whole new world. Unfortunately my anticipated love affair with ‘All Fall Down’ didn’t quite go as I’d anticipated.

The concept is great, the world is wonderful, the writing is up to Carter’s brilliant standard, but sadly there were problems. The biggest one being Grace herself. I never really felt like I connected with Grace, which is I think due in part to the fact that Grace is the most unreliable narrator I have ever come across in fiction. By about a third of the way through the book I just didn’t trust her at all, which meant that my enjoyment of the book became severely compromised.

It comes across as for a much younger audience, perhaps on that transition line for those just coming into young adult fiction. In part due to the style, but mostly again due to Grace. She never struck me as a sixteen year old teenager, she felt as though she’d gotten stuck at age thirteen. Understandable given the circumstances, but a little bit frustrating to read.

It also reads more like a film script than a book in places, due to the flashbacks that Grace keeps on having. This sort of works, but it mostly just made me feel like it was meant to be a movie, and actually became a little bit frustrating the further in I read.

I absolutely loved the characters surrounding Grace, her oddball team of espionage amateurs were fantastic, and really I just wanted more of them! The only character I wasn’t really sold on was Alexei, because like Grace we never really got to see a huge amount of character – is he good, is he bad, is he just playing her or spying on her? All questions we may see answered at a later point in the series, but for a first book I felt entirely wrong footed by too many elements, that made me question whether I would really want to invest more time in the series.

All in all it was an intriguing premise that worked in some areas and fell flat on its face in others. It’s a good set up for things to come, but there were an awful lot of awkward parts and some serious issues with Grace and her likeability and general trust developing between her and the reader. There’s a lot to love though, and the pacing means that it’s a fast and tense read that will leave you with no idea where things are going from one page to the next.