Dazzled by Books

Well..."Curtsies and Conspiracies" by Gail Carriger did not impress me at all. I was hoping things would get better from "Etiquette and Espionage" but sadly they did not. "Curtsies and Conspiracies" started to get a little better in the beginning. It seemed to be moving a whole lot faster than the first novel but then I was disappointed again. I felt like the story was just dragging on. Where is the action and the plot? I feel like the synopsis has very little to do with the book.

Part of the problem is the writing. Again I have not read Carriger's books before and her adult novels are suppose to really good and really popular but I guess I just don't see it. I feel like the writing is just not up to par. Carriger writes for what I am guessing she thinks are simple minded readers. I feel like Carriger isn't take her readers seriously. Young Adult readers like to read quality books.

Book two takes off with giving the girls there 6 month review. Sophronia has scored the highest marks out of the bunch but because of this she is being ostracized from the group. Even her best friend Dimity is ignoring her. Sophronia begins to work alone, believing that maybe this is another lesson. Sophronia did improve in this series. She knows what she wants and she sets her mind to it. Sophronia applies logic in every situation she is in whether it has to do with romance or spying on her teachers.

I still did not feel any real connection with these characters. I feel like they are still pretty flat and distant from the reader. The girls have gained a little more to their personalities but there still isn't much to them. I love getting to know new characters and feeling like the are real but I haven't had this experience with Carriger's characters. With having such a hit series where everyone loves the characters, I would think that she would carry that over into this series but of course it did not.

I do want to end my review on a positive note. I have to say that so far this series has gorgeous covers. I may not like the story but I absolutely adore these covers. I think they are beautiful. I guess if you like steampunk, werewolves, vampires, and well....everything else thrown in, then you will probably enjoy this series. I feel like it is much too simple of a book with no real plot or story line to hang on too.