A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on June 8, 2015 | 5 Comments


A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen BaldwinA School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin
Series: Stranje House #1
Published by Tor Teen (5.19.2015)
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Source: From Publisher


2.5 Stars

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...

My thoughts

Thank you to Tor Teen for providing this copy for review!

I never was able to tell if the girls at the School actually had supernatural abilities, or if they were just very talented. And smart. It kind of seemed like a paranormal, but it read more like a historical? Which would usually be a bad thing for me, because most of the time anything even remotely historical makes my brain shut down. But this was surprisingly not all that bad!

I’m afraid I did get bored at times, however. The pacing felt a bit slow at times, and absolutely dragged in others. I think my curiosity about the School was what kept me going in the beginning.

My main problem with this book is that it was forgettable. In the sea of other historical and paranormal books, it didn’t stand out. The characters weren’t particularly memorable, either. (I actually had to go back through the book to remember their names.) I did like how determined Georgie was, though!

This is the kind of book that you mostly enjoy while you’re reading, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression. I would still recommend it to people who don’t mind historical! I think that may have been the thing that kept me from enjoying this to its full potential.

 

Overall Assessment

Plot: 3.5/5
Premise: 3/5
Writing style: 3.5/5
Originality: 3/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Pace: 2.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 2.5/5

Jessi (Geo)

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5 responses to “A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

  1. Okay, the cover caught my eye immediately….but I’m not one for paranormal *or* historical. I mean, sometimes. If it’s done right. Some of my favorite books are in those genres – but more often than not I’m a little let down. Thanks for the awesome review – I will add this one to my TBR and…we’ll see. Who knows if I’ll end up liking it?

    Sierra @ Yearning to Read

  2. Sorry this one didn’t work out for you. I had assumed that it was supernatural. I am pretty curious about this one, but I’m sure I”ll be checking it out!

    Thanks for your honesty Jessi!

  3. I really enjoy historical and the not being sure if they actually had abilities or not is a kinda neat angle. I think I might check this one out – thanks for the great review! Sorry it didnt work for you as well as I think it might work for me!

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