I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

This is the series starter of a young adult historical fiction series that has a gothic feel. Georgie is sent to Ms. Stranje's school for unusual girls, after one of her science experiments nearly burns down her home. Georgie is not sure what type of school she has been sent to and things are not what they seem to be. Georgie turns out to have scientific knowledge that could be usueful in the war that is going on and she is in the middle of intrigue and danger.

A tale of a girl "too smart for her own good", of girls too unusual to fit in with "normal" society, and the threat of Napoleon regaining power over Europe. An interesting read.

DNF @ 23%

I just couldn't get into this one - I wanted to but it didn't work for me and I found myself forcing myself to pick it up and try to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the gifted book and opportunity to read and review it prior to its publication date! This in no way affected my review, all opinions are my own.

Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam arrives at Stranje House after accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire, and didn't even get her invisible ink to fully work. She’s sent by her exasperated parents and is quickly entangled with other girls who don’t fit into society’s norms. While on the surface this sounds an interesting read, there is something missing that makes it feel like a quickly published boiler plate in contrast to others such as Gail Carriger. There are great aspects: Georgiana loves science and experimenting, there is intrigue as they rush to work on her ink, there is a love interest in this YA novel. However, ultimately, there's something missing beyond properly invisible ink.

16-year-old Georgiana Fitzwilliam is a hopeless case, at least as far as her parents are concerned. She’d far rather study chemistry and test the laws of physics than go to debutante balls and try to catch a husband -- an attitude which does not go over well in 1814 England. Just as Napoleon has been exiled from France, Georgiana is exiled to Stranje House, a school which promises to whip such incorrigible girls into a condition suitable for return to polite society.
I liked the concept of the book, but it wasn't well developed, I wouldn't read it again or recommend it.

Delightful!
Great cast of characters. Excellent plot. Clean romance.
Can't wait to read more in this series!

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

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….

This is the first book of the 'Stranje House' series for young adults.

There is lots to appreciate about this book. In fact, so much so that I am not really sure where to start...

Okay, the characters - while this story may be about Georgianna, it is filled with other characters from Stranje House...characters that lift this story past average and into the realm of 'very well done.' Characters, to me, are THE most important thing in a book so, to get that right, is a winner for me.

The writing style was captivating. At times poetic, at times whimsical, the writing was an enormous part of that kept me turning the pages. The writing was engaging and I have to say, it was one of the most "fun" books I have read for a while.

Finally, the story itself was fascinate and intrigue the reader - from some stunning scenery, to historical detail, to romance and suspense, this book has quite a lot going for it...

Check it out, for sure!


Paul
ARH

This was a lot of fun. Very Daphne de Maurier meets Miss Peregrine. The romance was a little heavy-handed at times, but the setting was really original and kept me reading. Love the mix of the girls, I want to know more about all of them.

Sorry, requested but did not find the time to review.

Great Britain, 1818. Napoleon Bonaparte is for now safely at Elba, but this might change. British spies and intelligence is working on preventing this.
And miss Georgiana is sent to the ill-believed Stranje House, a school for unusual girls. There they might transform you to the bland, marriageable kind of girl. Or this is what Georgiana believes. But the "students" are nothing like tortured and Georgiana' s scientific mind might be nurtured here, even, as her invisible ink might change game for the British forces.

Unusual schools and young people are the thing now. I think the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children started the trend (or at least is the top in this trend) and I quite like it. YA is a very suitable genre for playing with both strange powers and talents and the young sincerity, idealism and love. Unusual teenagers are interesting for me precisely because they are trying to navigate in the unknown waters - and it is also fun to see the world through their fresh eyes and emotions!
The Stranje House goes in this direction - and not.

The writing is good, the idea of the story is attractive and the alternative history elements are always a plus in my books. The Napoleonic times is well-chosen framework of intense, turbulent time period.
And the girls are interesting. I like all of them, maybe except Tess, whose set of skills is hard to believe because they just differ too much.

But I miss certain intelligence of the plot, the bigger picture. The storyline is just a bit bland and juvenile. If we are doing international espionage here, then the main characters (especially the villains) should not behave like highschoolers. And attractive boys called lords here truly are not any Rochesters with the demons on their backs.

I would recommend to the authoress to go for the alternate history more (but study the real one, too, as there were reasons for the Napoleon's rise and fall) and to dig deeper in the character department. Then the coolness of the plot idea might shine quite brightly.