Review of "A School for Unusual Girls" by Kathleen Baldwin

Page Count: 352 Pages

Publish Date: May 19, 2015

Genre: YA/Historical Fiction

Synopsis: 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 Strange, 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...

Review: Their is no denying that this book is full of cliches, but I found myself enjoying it anyway. Georgiana can be a frustratingly naive character at times, but I loved how she and the other girls worked together. I do wish that some of the other girls character's were developed more as I felt that many of them, especially Maya were quite flat characters.

Sebastian Wyatt as another character that I had mixed feelings about. He was interesting, but his relationship with Georgie struck me as a bit odd. He was also the typical brooding, dark love interest that is found in YA too much. A lot of what he did made me roll my eyes.



The writing was of good quality and the book was an enjoyable quick read. The plot moves well and doesn't get bogged down too much with long blocks of text. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for alternate history YA with a good amount of pretty kick-ass girls.

Rating: Not quite a 4 star book, but also not a 3.5 star book. 3.8 STARS.

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*