Books like Etiquette & espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger

Sophronia Lytton, a spirited girl more fascinated with dismantling clocks and climbing trees than with genteel manners, is sent by her mother to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. The school, situated in a prestigious private boarding school setting, offers lessons in dance, dress, and etiquette alongside unexpected training in deception, espionage, and mechanical skill. As Sophronia navigates the high‑brow expectations of the elite, she discovers that the academy’s true mission involves teaching young women how to handle death, diversion, and covert operations—all delivered with the politest formalities. The novel blends the whimsical world of a nineteenth‑century‑style finishing school with steampunk and spy‑adventure elements, charting Sophronia’s growth from a misfit to a savvy young agent. Through friendship and spirited challenges, she and her classmates prepare for an exhilarating first year of education that blurs the line between civility and secrecy.

First publish date: 2013