This book takes place in a London finishing school that is not as it seems. Rather than etiquette, the girls at Stranje house are taught in the trades of war, espionage, and diplomacy. The novel is told by a girl called Tess, who had inherited from her mother before her a curse of maddening, prophetic dreams. With an old friend turned to treachery, Napoleon rising to power, and England on the chopping block, the girls at Stranje house have a lot to worry about.
Overall, I did enjoy this novel, despite the annoying writing style and shallow, cliche characters. I did come to appreciate the storyline and the thought put into the book, however. It was an intriguing (although a bit recycled) plot that did have you marginally interested in the characters’ whereabouts and well-being, which is what I look for/value most in books. There were a handful of parts here and there that I didn’t quite understand, but those were most likely because I had only realized that this was the second novel of a series a quarter way through the book!
I’ve been thinking for a good while now. I’m scraping the very floor of my mind, yet I truly cannot come up with anything that was particularly memorable about this novel besides the disappointing cliche-ness of the characters. I feel bad having to say this.
Reviewed by Lexi, Grade 8, Tuckahoe Area Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 