Rebel Angels

Reader reviewed by carmen alexis

If you are fans of A Great and Terrible Beauty, you won't be disappointed with the sequel. And I love how it's set for Christmas time... what a perfect way to start my holidays. Anyways, about the book, I am going to admit that I still have the same conflicted emotions about the book as I did the first in the trilogy. I love Gemma Doyle. I think she's brave, stubborn and not like other girls. But her weakness seems to be the girls she calls her friends. It's true that eventually she will see the truth in them and usually does what she has to for the sake of everyone. But I feel as if Felicity and Ann have too much over her. Fee and Ann... are just not the sidekicks you imagine. True, they have a lot of redeeming points-- Fee has power in school, is spirited and lively. Ann ... honestly, at the moment, I can't seem to think of her redeeming points. Okay, she sings good.... gosh, that sounds weak. But the truth is... Fee and Ann gang up on Gemma a lot, forcing her to do things that usually lead them astray. So though they do help her out in the end, I get this uneasy feeling about them.
As for the rest of the characters, well, great job on that. I loved Gemma and Kartik's chemistry in this book. I thought Simon was charming until... proven otherwise. I loved Tom's better, professional and compassionate side. I loved Gemma's father despite his weaknesses. As for Ms. Cleethly and Ms. Moore... awesome! haha. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet. So there you have it.

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by Sara E.

I was completely anxious to get my hands on this book after reading A Great and Terrible Beauty, the first in the trilogy. As before, Libba Bray creates a beautiful world with The Realms. More and more mysteries arise at Spence Academy, and Gemma must find a way to figure things out. Not everything is as it seems, and the power of the Realms is something everybody wants but only Gemma can decide who to give it to.

Reader reviewed by Kayla

Rebel Angels is the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. This book follows the continuing adventures of Gemma Doyle as she pursues her recently discovered role in the Order.

Gemma must search for clues to the whereabouts of the elusive lost Temple, where she must bind the magic that is now running amuck in the realms. Gemma also has to discover the identity of the evil Circe.

This book is a great addition to the series. You will be kept guessing, especially on the subject of Circe. This book also tells more about her three friends lifes.

Reader reviewed by Syl

I loved Rebel Angels. I was surprised that I enjoyed this series. I swore to myself that I wouldn't read another series other than my beloved Harry Potter and Twilight. Rebel Angels proved to me opce again that I shouldn't judge a series by its first novel. I detested A Great and Terrible Beauty. But once I picked up Rebel Angels I couldn't put it down.
I loved the action that it involved. Gemma's progress and conflict with her powers is potrayed eloquently. The secrets that surround the Order and Rakshanna will stun you. I highly recommend a Sweet Far thing if you're interested in how Gemma and Kartik will end up. It will leave you breathless.

Reader reviewed by Katie

Sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, Gemma Doyle learns new things about the realms. Her relationship with Kartik changes slowly. And a brand new teacher, Ms. McCleethy starts teaching at Spence. But she turns out to be part of the Order, the magical group Gemma comes from, and Gemma's visions lead her to be suspicious of her. Ms. Moore, Gemma's favorite Spence teacher who got kicked out, is Gemma's closest friend. But when McCleethy and Moore's identities come to light, the true is frightening.
I think this book was worth the wait after A Great and Terrible Beauty. The speed of the book was great because it alway kept me on my toes. An excellent sequel.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

The literary sorceress Libba Bray enchanted us into Gemma Doyle's scary-magic world with her brilliant debut novel, A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY. Did she suffer a sophomore slump as so many others have been known to do? Not at all. REBEL ANGELS is quite possibly even more exciting, confusing, mysterious, and alluring than the first.

Two months after the death of Pippa, who chose to eat the berries from the Realms and remain there, Christmas descends upon England and Spence Academy, where Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are still struggling to understand what is up with the Realms and the magic. A suspicious new teacher, Miss McCleethy, arrives in the middle of a stormy night, and Gemma has got a feeling that she's up to no good. She unearths several clues at Spence and in London that seem to point to the fact that Miss McCleethy is Circe, the horrid monster who was a girl who bound herself to a Winterlands creature and is now pure evil.

But London is not just for investigation. Gemma meets the acquaintance of the charming Simon Middleton--a witty, handsome, and otherwise perfect gentleman, the kind she would be enchanted by if she were not in possession of such terrible and dark secrets. Gemma also befriends again Miss Moore, dismissed from Spence Academy after accusations that Gemma and her friends made against her. Together they try to discover the truth about Circe and to bind the magic before others who might mess with it get to it first.

However, no one is who they seem. Is Kartik, the Indian boy of the powerful group of men called the Rakshana tied to her destiny, whom Gemma cannot stop thinking inappropriate thoughts about, with her or against her? Who is really Circe? Can the remnants of the order even be trusted anymore? There seems to be no one Gemma can trust but herself, and that is how she must conquer the Winterlands creatures and contain the magic in the Realms.

REBEL ANGELS reveals more shocking secrets about its characters and more terrifying situations and environments, but it all makes sense in this character-driven novel. The characters are not perfect and they know that, or they must know that. Libba Bray's second novel is an exultant declaration of femininity and the importance--and dangers--of alliances. This is a trilogy that must not be missed.

Reader reviewed by YouKn0wYaLuvMe

I loved this book!! Gemma, in Rebel Angels (the first book of 3 in a series), just lost her mother and is sent to boarding school.

There she learns about a secret group that her mother was involved in and how it has to do with her.

Making friends and going to a magical place to meet and aid the dead while defeating the antagonist that caused her mother to commit suicide is the job that she has stumbled upon and in this book, it proves Gemma's courage and strong-will.

Reader reviewed by ambeen

Rebel Angels is the thrilling and engaging sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, the first in the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

Libba Bray is delivers with this fast paced, thrilling sequel. I did not want to put it down, it was so engrossing. The characters are as vivid and real as before. Youll find your heart racing while you frantically try to figure everything out along with Gemma, Felicity, and Ann.

Rebel Angels is a truly great sequel that will leave the reader rushing to the bookstore to pick up the third and final installment of the trilogy, The Sweet Far Thing.

Caution: Reading at one oclock in the morning may cause you to hear strange noises and feel that perhaps Circe is after you as well!

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Rebel Angels is the sequel to the Libba Brays amazing A Great and Terrible Beauty. It is just as good, if not better, than the first.

Things seem to be going well at Spence despite the death of a well loved friend, Pippa. Christmastime is approaching, and soon the girls will go home to their families to celebrate, with the exception of Anne, who must stay at Spence for the duration of the holiday.

But Felecity manages to weave a new story for Anne, who then comes to stay with Fee for the holiday. Gemma is compelled to do a work of good service for a snarky comment she made, and she finds herself talking with Nell, who is a patient in the asylum where her brother Tom works. Nell isnt completely there, and she gives Gemma cryptic messages about the realms, as Nell used to be able to enter them.

There are new characters and struggles introduced. The first is Mrs. McCleethy, who is the teacher who takes over for Mrs. Moore. Gemma and her friends are mistrustful of Mrs. McCleethy and fear that she is one of their enemies concerning the realms. Then there is Simon Middleton, the well-to-do son of a rich family who has taken a fancy for Gemma. There are more visits to the realms, and the magic is taken out and used in Gemmas world. But the most difficult part is that its Gemmas job to find the source of the magic and bind it before Circe finds it first.

Just as I loved the first book in the trilogy, I loved the second. Libba Brays characters are so realistic, and so is the story even though it contains elements that could not be possible in real life. I recommend this wonderful trilogy to all teenage girls out there.

Reader reviewed by Vicky

This book is an astounding book that provides a mixture of fantasy and friendship, adding just a speck of romance to complete it.

Gemma is just now realizing her true powers, and the extent of them. They have all lost their dear Pippa, and her friends are now urging her to go to back to the Realms. But Christmas break is fast approaching, and a lie is formed so that her friend, Ann, may have a very merry Christmas indeed. But will it last?

As Christmas continues to come closer, Felicity, Gemma, and Ann all reunite to fight the evil in the Realms. They have to find the temple where the magic is, while having to stay on the path. In this story, Gemma goes on an adventure of a lifetime, one that she will endure with old friends, while making some unlikely new allies along the way. Can she find the temple? And if so, will she be able to bind the magic without losing some of her closest friends?

This novel is a great read for girls who like fiction. A bestselling book that has you reading until the end, it provides you with a sense of adventure, and many lessons that apply to life.

This book was a very good one for my tastes, and I hope you enjoy it too. I long await the next book, which comes out soon after Christmas.