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.

Review: Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter

Here's the thing about covert operations: the really bad things always happen when you least expect them. The enemies don't give you a heads-up. And they never let you stop to put on comfortable shoes.
A spy-in-training, Cammie Morgan has a cover for every occasion. But what happens when she is forced to lose her cover to save her best friend, Macey? Cammie and her friends are determined to hunt down the group that threatens to tear their secret sisterhood apart. This time it's personal.

So I’ve been raving about this series for a few days now – the first book had me in stitches, the second book was a good follow up, and I was keen to get to the third book.

Again, it’s continued the train of awesome, but it made me realize that it had a lot more to it than the second book. “Cross my heart and Hope to Spy” was genius, but the further I’ve got from reading it, the more I’ve realized that there was very little in the way of plot, and it frustrated me that there was no real follow on from the open ends left at the end of the first book “I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

It was the shortest book in the series, and when attempting to sum it up for a friend, all I could come up with was “well there’s this all girls spy school, and then some boys from another spy school come and do an exchange, and well, hijinks ensue?”

Don’t take this badly, I still loved it, but I was frustrated by that, particularly when Ally Carter has shown what genius ideas she has. It felt like it was all there, but there wasn’t enough follow through.

Which made me particularly happy about this book, the third in the series, because it was a lot deeper (and a lot darker) than the second book.

For the first time bad things happen, and it isn’t a test in school. Which made me do a little happy dance.

The plot really kicks off with that, and whilst there are some lulls where nothing much happens, and they’re effectively playing the waiting game, it otherwise doesn’t let up from there.

We learn more about the characters, we learn more about the history of the school, we get more awesome lessons, and more brilliant spy missions.
I have to admit, when Mr Solomon hands out that box of t-shirts, I actually did a little whoop, it was so cool!

However, despite all the awesome, there were moment when I felt a bit lost. I felt like I was missing something, or I hadn’t been told, or maybe I was just being lame and hadn’t picked up on it – but it makes me grumpy with a book when I feel like I’m being left out of something.
I’m hoping that it’s just a case that answers will be given in the fourth instalment “Only the Good Spy Young.”

So in summary, the first book remains my favourite in the series, but this is a great continuation of the story. There was a lot more to this one than the previous book, which was great – it was a lot darker, and a lot less funny. But it was still the character’s I’ve come to know and love, and a few new ones to add to the mix.

I’d definitely recommend this series if you haven’t already discovered Ally Carter, as she knows how to bring the funny and the awesome, and this series is a truly brilliant concept. Now I just can’t wait to get into the fourth book, and hopefully get some answers to some of my questions!

Review: Cross My Heart & Hope To Spy by Ally Carter

After staking out, obtaining, and then being forced to give up her first boyfriend, Josh, all Cammie Morgan wants is a peaceful semester. But that's easier said than done when you're a CIA legacy and go to the premier school in the world...for spies. Cammie may have a genius IQ, but there are still a lot of things she doesn't know. Like, will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble is she really in after what happened last semester? And most of all, why is her mother acting so strangely? Despite Cammie's best intentions to be a normal student, danger seems to follow her. She and her best friends learn that their school is going to play host to some mysterious guests--code name: "Blackthorne.” Then she's blamed for a security breach that leaves the school's top-secret status at risk. Soon Cammie and her friends are crawling through walls and surveying the school to learn the truth about Blackthorne and clear Cammie's name. Even though they have confidence in their spy skills, this time the targets are tougher (and hotter), and the stakes for Cammie's heart--and her beloved school--are higher than ever.

Oh my gosh you guys, I loved the first book in this series “I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you” and I couldn’t wait to get my mitts on the rest of the series, and “Cross my heart and hope to spy” did not disappoint.

It was a different kind of awesome to ITYILYBTIHTKY (hereafter referred to as book 1…) There was less laugh out loud moments, although it was still extremely funny. It was a quieter humour, and a darker undertone throughout.

It was a great idea to bring in the boy’s school – because it was the obvious counter to the all-girls school, and also because it took the concept of how out of their depth the girls were when it came to boys, and spread it to the entire school. Whilst we didn’t get the personal humour from the experience as we did in book 1, it was still hilarious to see how the girls reacted on a larger scale – particularly when it came to events like the ball.
And oh wow, I swooned over that. It’s every girls dream to have a big ball like that – although of course with a spy school twist!

And the boys… I would have liked to get to know them a bit more, but I suppose that would have defeated the point of them seeming like the enemy. I’m hoping we do get to see them, particularly Zach, again. That was my only frustration, was that I wanted more. It felt like we barely skimmed the surface of some things, which was frustrating because I want more – hell I want everything when it comes to this series.
But in a way that’s a good thing, so whilst it’s a frustration, it’s also a compliment.

It didn’t grab me in the same way the first book did, but it was a brilliant instalment, and furthered the plot and the characters to set everything up for the next two books – and I can’t wait to get into them.
More Gallagher Girls, more spy lessons, more spy boys, and more drama – what more could you want?!

The third book in the series is “Don’t Judge a Girl by her Cover.” Followed by “Only the Good Spy Young.” Go and get the next books in the Gallagher Girls series now!

Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses - but it's really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. 
Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can Cammie have a normal relationship with a boy who can never know the truth about her?

I am going to give you all a nice big warning now, that this review may contain copious amounts of CAPITALS which I may use to express my LOVE for this book. It also may be a tiny bit spoilery although I’ve tried to keep it as light as possible.

I have taken way too long to read this book. I am ashamed of myself. When it first came out I saw the blurb and the title and the agent, and I said to myself ‘that looks hysterical, I must henceforth to the book store and purchase a copy!’ But alas! I got swept up in silly things like university, and I didn’t do it.
And then my Mum rang me up and said, I have just seen this totally awesome book, and she described this book, and I went, ah yes, I have been meaning to buy it.
And then I was actually in the bookstore and this book fell off the shelf at me. 

And you know what? This book is GENIUS. No really – screw Hogwarts, I want to be a Gallagher Girl. Cos they are way cooler. And the classes! Oh man, I so want to go!

 So basically, this book is brilliant. I was laughing out loud pretty much every page. And when there was a sad bit and I didn’t laugh for a few pages, Ally made up for it by putting such funny bits in that I actually snorted. I think this may be the first book this year to claim to do that to me.

Cammie is amazing. She is this brilliantly witty and intelligent fifteen year old, who can pretty much do ANYTHING in the spying world, but when it comes to analysing the words a boy has said to her she is CLUELESS. And I loved this because I felt her pain. Every girl has been there. The oh my god what does this mean – how do I interpret this? WHAT DOES HE MEAN WHEN HE SAYS MAYBE SEE YOU AROUND? Most frustrating thing in the world for a boy to say.

Seriously, best female character ever. Ok well maybe not ever, I like my strong females, but she certainly ranks really, really high.

And her friends. I want friends like this. I mean I like my friends loads and all, but they can’t do half the things that Liz does with a computer! And Bex would totally be an awesome side kick for anything. I can imagine ANYTHING would be fun if you were doing it with Duchess and Bookworm…

And Josh… Oh good lord is he swoony and dream worthy, and he totally turned me into a fifteen year old girl again and made my insides go all mushy.
I love it.

It just works. The premise is genius, the characters are brilliant. It’s funny and poignant, and totally makes you feel like a dorky teenager again – only less brilliant than any of the characters. Although I wish I was that intelligent.

I love the entire set up, the school, the little quirks, code red, the ridiculous things that you see the teacher’s doing. Every little ridiculous moment where Cammie does an aside and you just go OH MY GOD THAT WAS GENIUS.
And it so totally takes me back to school, because I went to an all-girls school, but it was not nearly as cool as this, and the uniform was terrible. But it really captures the whole idea that boys are a completely alien species, and no one ever taught you how to talk to them… Or swoon worthy teachers either…

I’ve never read any of Ally Carter’s work before, and I am kicking myself for not reading her books sooner. But on the other hand, I totally needed a cheering up, and that book did it for me.

To the point that I am heading out of the house, with the shops only just opening in the morning, to go out and buy the rest of the books. And probably not sleep until I’ve read them too.

So next on my list is the second book in the series, “Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy.” Followed by “Don’t judge a Girl by her Cover.” And I have obviously picked the right moment to obsess, because the fourth book is out in a few days on May 5^th “Only The Good Spy Young.”

I cannot recommend this book enough. I loved it, a quick brilliantly witty read, that I’m going to thrust at my Mum and go ‘OMG you were totally right, now read it and see how awesome it is!’ That’s right, I’m totally going to get my Mum to read a book about an all-girls spy school…

And then I’m going to go get the next books before the caffeine wears off…