A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)

Reader reviewed by Krissy

This is one of the best books i have ever read. it is interesting from the startand you just can't put the book down. the books captures the time period and the things teenage girls had to deal with. the book is excellent and, by far, one of the best gothics i have ever read.

Reader reviewed by Lauren

I have to start out saying that "A Great and Terrible Beauty" is the best book I have read yet(and I have read a LOT of books ;). It was fabulously written. All of the characters come alive as you read and the story is complex and enjoyable. As aoon as you think you know what's going to happen next, something happens that changes your whole outlook on things.

"A Great and Terrible Beauty" is about a 16-yearold girl named Gemma. Gemma's mother kills herself when confronted by a horrible shadow creature. Afterwards, Gemma is sent to boarding school in England. There she befriends three girls and the four of them recreate The Order, a powerful group of sorceresses. What they don't know is that Gemma has the same power they hold. Through her visions, Gemma can travel to the realms. Gemma takes her friends there and their dreams come alive.However, the mysterious Kartik is constantly warning Gemma to stop her visions and not go to the realms anymore. What will Gemma choose? And what will happen when she makes that choice? The only way to find out is to read.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Gemma Doyle has been shipped off from her home in India to attend a "proper boarding school" after the suicide of her mother in 1895. At Spence, her initial reception from the other girls is chilly at best, and she begins to have visions which more often than not come true. When she lets three girls in on her visions and they begin to explore her powers, she finds out more than she wants to. Libba Bray's debut novel is captivating, well-written, and nearly impossible to put down.

Reader reviewed by Ayesha

this book has it all. magic, romance, secrets, betrayal, love, and friendship. it's a book that will keep going with twist and turns. it has a plot that revolves around sophisticated girls. it is a perfect read for it all.

Reader reviewed by Val

Gemma Doyle has lived most of her life in India with her mother but she really wants to visit England the place shes only heard about in her grandmothers letters.Her mother dies and she is sent to a finishing school called Spencer Academy in England. It is there were she befriends the popular girls and learns dangerous secrets she wishes that she'd never heard. She falls into the temptation of peer pressure, love and the utter pleasure that comes with power. Thequestion is what will happen when she learns the consequences of her choices? This book was incredible it has a strong sense of scenery and a great plot!

Reader reviewed by ALA

On her 16th birthday, Gemma Doyle's mother is hunted down and killed by a dark creature. Gemma's world spirals out of control as she is sent to Spence, a boarding school for young ladies. She is still haunted by images of the creature, and of a young girl. After a rocky start, Gemma begins to make friends. Soon she has a small circle of girls, and they decide upon visiting some primitive caves on the school grounds to form an order, a recreation of a group of powerful women long ago. Only then does Gemma discover that she has the power to enter the realms; a magical place where anything is possible and dark battles light. Gemma can bring her friends with her-and together they share many happy days, that is, until Gemma discovers a terrile secret. Will it be too late to save the realms, her friends, and herself?

I found this book very exciting and mysterious, and the late 1800s Victorian setting only added to that. I loved it, and its companion Rebel Angels, and I hope that more follow the first two.

Reader reviewed by Leah



This book was so not what i expected. I was looking for something new and different to read and i thought i'd try this. I really loved it because it was so different and un-cliche and it was a plot you've never heard of. I can't wait to read Rebel Angels!!!

Reader reviewed by I LOVE Kartik

I agreet with JessaRulez. This book is one of my favorite books! This book was so interesting and captivating that I stayed up until 2:30 a.m reading it! I LOVE Kartik! And Jessa does rule!

Reader reviewed by JessaRulez

If there was an award for World's Best Female Book, this book would win, hands down. It has everything; an awesome female role model, a mysterious stranger (Kartik), new friends, suspense, romance, spoilers, surprises around every corner, and, most of all, magic!!!!!! I will never forget this book!

Reader reviewed by lainie

Gemma Doyle is a spirited young lady who itches for the sophistication of the London life. On her sixteenth birthday, while shopping in an Indian Market place with her mother, her life dramatically changes when Gemma witnesses her mothers mysterious death through a vision. Gemma is the sent to live in England where she is to attend the Spence Academy. There she finds a friend in a girl called Ann and after a short rivalry she also develops a friendship with Felicity and the beautiful Pippa.

Gemma finds that the mysterious Kartik, a boy from India who has followed her to Spence. He urges her to ignore her visions.

A mysterious plot unfolds and soon Gemma discovers a secret society known as The Order and that she has the ability to travel to mysterious worlds. There she and her friends find freedom in the realms from the restrictions laid down by the society to which they belong. But will this taste of freedom and power soon leads the girls into more danger than any of them could ever have imagined.

This book is excellent, full of suspense, magic and forbidden love. This book will appeal to primarily girls and I recommend it for ages 12 and up.