It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?
from bn.com
Nathan says 5 stars...
I know this is older, but I realized we hadn't even touched on the spectacular Libba Bray on the site. So, now we are. A Great and Terrible Beauty is utterly and totally fantastic. As a guy I was a little hesitant to pick it up, but the title was great as was the synopsis, so I gave in and read it-I am now one of the many Libba Bray acolytes. Let's dive in to what make this book so mind-shatteringly awesome. If you haven't figured it out by now, characters are normally the most important element for me in a novel. Bray's are personal and diverse. They deal with common issues without even bordering on the stereotypical. The main character, Gemma, has to deal with a massive pile of drama. She is dealing with the death of her mother, moving away, fitting in, and, oh yeah, figuring out her magical abilities, AND she does all of this in a corset. Umm, that's pretty bad...well, you get the point. The supporting characters are also great. Felicity is definitely a fave of mine by the end of the series. The plot is fast-paced particuarly for a story set in a boarding school during the Victorian era. The story is unique and touching. The dialogue is witty and fresh. The characters are well-formed and brilliant. Do I have to keep gushing? The point is read it immediately. Once you do, find Libba Bray on twitter and tell her what you think, because she is hilarious. We really, really love her here at in BetweeN the pages, and we're fairly certain you will too.
I know this is older, but I realized we hadn't even touched on the spectacular Libba Bray on the site. So, now we are. A Great and Terrible Beauty is utterly and totally fantastic. As a guy I was a little hesitant to pick it up, but the title was great as was the synopsis, so I gave in and read it-I am now one of the many Libba Bray acolytes. Let's dive in to what make this book so mind-shatteringly awesome. If you haven't figured it out by now, characters are normally the most important element for me in a novel. Bray's are personal and diverse. They deal with common issues without even bordering on the stereotypical. The main character, Gemma, has to deal with a massive pile of drama. She is dealing with the death of her mother, moving away, fitting in, and, oh yeah, figuring out her magical abilities, AND she does all of this in a corset. Umm, that's pretty bad...well, you get the point. The supporting characters are also great. Felicity is definitely a fave of mine by the end of the series. The plot is fast-paced particuarly for a story set in a boarding school during the Victorian era. The story is unique and touching. The dialogue is witty and fresh. The characters are well-formed and brilliant. Do I have to keep gushing? The point is read it immediately. Once you do, find Libba Bray on twitter and tell her what you think, because she is hilarious. We really, really love her here at in BetweeN the pages, and we're fairly certain you will too.
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5 comments:
Nice review. I looked for this book in London but they didn't have it in store :(
Good review!
Glad you liked, it I loved it too :)
Nice review! I'm totally with you on the 5 stars, I absolutely love the entire series. I could read it over and over. I can't wait to read her new book Going Bovine... I'm reading it next.
...Kartik.
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