A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)

Reader reviewed by janine

I think this book is a must read. It obsures the line between magic and reality. I thougt it was also wonderfully researched. I felt like I was in Victorian England. I felt the oppression and the need to fit in.

I was very sad when one of the friends died, but sometimes that has to happen to make a book great, and this one truly is. I whole-heartedly enoyed this absolutely though-provoking book.

Reader reviewed by garden0fdreams

From begining to start the author kept you guessing about what was really going to happen, thats one of the greatest characteristics a book can have, and just with that, it makes it a great book. The setting,plot and style of the novel is also very attractive.

Reader reviewed by linda

Set in the Victorian ages in a finishing school, 'A Great and Terrible Beauty' chronicles the boarding school life of Gemma Doyle. Gemma's dreams of going to London are marred by her mother's suicide and visions that plague her. After finding out more about her visions, her mother's death, and the diary of a mysterious girl named Mary, Gemma and her new friends go into the realms of paradise only to find in the end that it isn't paradise at all. Plagued by the troubles of being beautiful girls during the Victorian era they realize their true power and make the same mistakes as others did in the past forcing one girl to leave forever.

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by chickbox

this book is really awesome.it unravels beautifully.
this book is about a girl named gemma who goes to spence academy after her mother is killed by this thing called circe.at spence gemma finds secrets to her mothers past and she uncovers powers she never new she had.
i am so exsited to read the sequal Rebel Angels. i am looking foreword to understand the plot better!

Reader reviewed by Sandra

What can I really say about this book, except WOW? As you can tell, I completely loved this book. Libba Bray was able to capture the essence of a Victorian finishing school while simultaneously speaking of wonders beyond the imagination. I loved the mystery and intrigued which surrounded the east wing of Spence. She also was able to aptly touch on issues such as the gaps between wealth and poverty, which she personified as Felicity and Ann, respectively. Not only did that add another dimension to A Great and Terrible Beauty, but it also showed that Bray was conscious of such problems' existences in the world. All in all, I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who likes mystery, boarding schools, and a wealth of new and strange creatures. I can't wait for her sequel, Rebel Angels.

Reader reviewed by Wonk

A Great and Terrible Beauty is a YA book that I was at first hesitant to read, but ultimately glad that I gave into the temptation. It is well written and historically accurate (though I can't claim to be an expert concerning the Victorian era). I appreciate her real characters and especially the studly Kartik. Some aspects, summarized, might seem a bit cliche, but she handles them originally with characters that strain at those bounds. It is historical, but also a fantasy, and should tickle the fancy of lovers of both. I'm looking forward to the sequel, Rebel Angels.

I also appreciate that the author has a livejournal, through which she can communicate with her fans (and they can communicate back).

Reader reviewed by MissGoodie2Shoes

After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world.

I thought this book was a great read. Its about a girl named Gemma who goes to an a all girls school called Spence Academy in England. There she discovers more about her mothers death with the help of a mysterious friend named Kartik. Overall its a great story and i cant wait for this sequel to come out either. The sequel is called Rebel Angels and it comes out August 23rd. Enjoy

Reader reviewed by Ash

A Great and Terrible Beauty wasn't one of those books that just went 'Gemma made friends and they found a scarey new realm, but they defeated it together and helped Gemma's mom, and lived happily ever after.' It went into depth. I felt the suspense, the magic in the book. I really liked how the author didn't make all the girls and Gemma's mother get along perfectly for most of the book. They had fights and disagreements throughout the whole book, just like real friends do. I thought it was good of the Celia Rees to let one of the characters die. It showed how dangerous and serious the realm was even without Circees .Overall this was a book worth reading and at points easy to relate to.

Reader reviewed by Ella

Where to begin, where to begin? A Great and Terrible Beauty wasn't one of those books that just went 'Gemma made friends and they found a scarey new realm, but they defeated it together and helped Gemma's mom, and lived happily ever after.' It went into depth and really put the reader into the book. I felt the suspense, the anger, the magic in the book. I really liked how the author didn't make all the girls and Gemma's mother get along perfectly for most of the book (obviously the ending they couldn't). They had fights and disagreements throughout the whole book, just like real friends do. I also, while I wished it didn't have to, thought it was good of the Celia Rees to let one of the characters die. It showed how dangerous and serious the realm was even without Circees (excuse my spelling). Overall this was a book worth reading and at points easy to relate to.

Reader reviewed by Andrea

A Great and Terrible Beauty is what it's name implys, beautiful. The story is about sixteen-year-old Gemma, who grew up in India. All her life she wanted so badly to go to London. On her sixteenth birthday, she gets into a fight with her mother and her mother ends up being murdured. The scary part is, Gemma saw her mother being murdered in a vision while it was happening. She is then sent to a finishing school in London. There, Gemma faces more visions, strange happenings, and makes enemies and life-long friends with three girls. A handsom, mysterious man named Kartik follows Gemma from India and warns her against the visions. Gemma develops a sort of odd, hateful love for Kartk but ignores his warnings and continues her visions. She and the other three girls - Felicity, the popular and bold one. Pippa, the pretty, fanciful, and rather ditsy one. And Ann, the quite, yet clever outcast - make a secret club after Gemma finds the diary of a mysterious Mary Dowd in a vison. They soon learn the weird magic, unbelieveable and horrible events, and the powerful Order in the book about Mary and her best friend Sarah are real and find themselves in a beautiful land where Felicity is strong, Peppa has true love, Ann is beautiful, and Gemma can talk to her dead mother. At first, they love this new place and nw abilities they take back with them, but Gemma learns dark secrets about the school and the Mary and Sarah they have been reading about. In the end, Gemma had to face tremendous obstacles in a fight against good and evil, and the tough real world against 'paradise.' It ends in tragedy as one of Gemma's friends dies. She now had to learn to fix her mistakes, get Kartik to forgive her, and bring back together the Order.

I think this may be one of the best books I've ever read, infact I put it into my top 5. (incase you care, it's Winter of Fire, White Fang, Elvenbane, The Iron Ring, and now 'Beauty.) I actually stood up all night reading it, I couldn't put it down! It is so interesting, the minute you think you have the end pegged, the auther totally spins ya through a loop! I also liked how not even the central character is perfect, they each have qualities you like and don't like. It is such a breath of fresh air from the typical fantasy. And the it's not afraid to take that "extra step". On a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give it a 7! Bravo!