Rebel Angels

Taken on its own merit, Rebel Angels is a very good book. The paranormal aspect is extremely compelling and unique, Libba Bray’s prose is lush and atmospheric, the characters, while hard to understand and not easy to like, are interesting at the very least. Where my problems came in was that, as far as series continuity goes, this book didn’t work well with its prequel. It was really like embarking on an entirely different adventure, unrelated from the events in A Great and Terrible Beauty.

For example, the character of Kartik saw a nearly 180-degree shift from who Bray presented in the first book. Instead of being withdrawn, mysterious, and slightly rude to Gemma, the Kartik in Rebel Angels was suave, childishly eager to please, humorous, and apparently besotted. Say what? But then, when it suited the author’s purposes, Kartik would revert back to his other self. In this book he was a complete yo-yo character, and I felt that he was just this shallow name on paper that had no point. This novel is strong enough without a romantic interest, so Kartik’s little thing with Gemma felt like a badly done add-on.

Other than the Kartik issue, my problem with this book was characterization in general. Outwardly, Gemma and the gang are complex, intricate character. But really, on closer observation I feel like they have no substance. Their actions are entertaining and engrossing, but I don’t feel that these people are real. I could never meet Gemma in real life, and Ann and Felicity wouldn’t work out, either. Honestly, if you took the Mean Girls crew and put them in Victorian England with some magic, you’d have the characters in this book.

I didn’t hate the characters, though. I just wanted more from them. There’s a difference.

But boy, oh boy was the magic really awesome in Rebel Angels. Probably my biggest complaint from A Great and Terrible Beauty was that the realms played so teensy of a role. The concept was so amazing, but Bray hardly explored it. In this book, at least half was spent inside the realms, and it was fabulous. This series is such a standout compared to all other piece of paranormal fiction; I have seriously never read (or heard of) anything like this. I love the raw, unconstrained magic—it’s just so cool, seriously.

And though I’m not wholly impressed with characters, I do love that Gemma and Company are dealing with things besides just magic. Libba Bray isn’t afraid to bring up important issues like child abuse and self-harm outside of a realistic fiction novel. It added another facet to this piece.

Altogether, I thought Rebel Angels was better all around than A Great and Terrible Beauty. In fact it was so good and so different that it didn’t really fit with the pre-existing trend. So it looks like Libba Bray outclassed herself too much here, almost.

Reader reviewed by Lia

Gemma is back with her friends, Felicity and Ann to uncover who Circe is and stop her before she tries to take over the realms. We are joined with Kartik, and a new character, Simon  Middleton.

This book was a satisfying sequel. I like this series and reccommend it to people who like fantasy and historical fiction. The character development is done very well. I love Gemma, she's a very relatable character. The plot has a huge twist, just when you think you've figured out everything. This series is worth reading.

Reader reviewed by Misty

I was a little leery of reading this. I didn't really like the first
book all that much, though I thought it had potential. But I am taking
part in a summer YA reading challenge, so I thought I'd give this a
shot.


But first:

Rebel Angels continues the story of Gemma Doyle, a 16 year old girl at Spence, an English boarding school. In A Great and Terrible Beauty
Gemma discovers she is a very powerful girl, daughter of a member of a
group called the Order, and able to enter "the Realms" and use magic.
She also learns that all is not well in the Realms, and bad people
would like to harness the magic for evil. In Rebel Angels, Gemma
continues to secure the Realms and learn to manage the magic. The lines
between good and bad blur a little more, and Gemma finds herself facing
a number of difficult choices, among them who to trust and even who to
love.



I did think it was an improvement over the first, though some of the things that bothered me about A Great and Terrible Beauty
are still present in this, though to a lesser degree. In #1 I felt that
the characters were flat and the story predictable, and I feel Bray has
improved that here, though there is still room for further improvement.
The dialogue, too, wasn't as cheesy in this one (I only rolled my eyes
a few times). But I felt the relationship with Simon was underdeveloped
(they meet each other a handful of times and he's one of the most
wealthy, handsome and eligible bachelors in the country, and he's
already hinting at marriage? Seems a bit much). Bray's handling of this
is fairly indicative of her writing style in general. Rather than layer
and develop things fully, she tosses them in in an exciting way, and
then lets them fade or drags them out, but never really makes them feel
authentic. She comes closer in this book, but still...

Reader reviewed by lulabell0513

I thought that the book was alright. Libba Bray has great writing style, but I think that she could have toned down the fantasy and made someething that her readers could relate to a little more. I love the idea of four girls finding a secret magical world, then one getting trapped there, the others thinking that she's dead, then finding out that their teacher is evil is a pretty good story, but she needs to add some reality to it so that her readers can relate to it.

Reader reviewed by eve

This sequel is really good and is a page turner just like the first one. It too is filled with many surprises and although there are clues to figure them out I doubt many will. I like how this book was a lot more serious than the first. There are some subject matters quite serious that the book dealt with. Pass this, though there is also humor and mystery.

I recommend this for any girl.