The Sweet Far Thing

I finally finished this book and it was LONG, way longer than it needed to be. I was actually kinda disappointed in the way that it ended. Things were resolved, but they also really weren't. It made me sad that after all that Gemma had lost, she still had to lose more and still wasn't really finished with her quest. The end kinda ruined the whole series for me.

Reader reviewed by Ruthie

This book took me forever to finish, which is necessarily a bad thing. I thought the beginning was good and the ending was ok but the filing in this book just seemed to bore me. Nothing really happened, I felt like it was just stuck between the beginning and the climax when all you're doing is waiting for something. However the ending was exceptional (Kartik!!!) and I have to say it pleased me. I'm not sure what I really thought about this series. I liked it but I didn't exactly love it. Oh well...

Reader reviewed by Mari

"The Sweet Far Thing" by Libba Bray is a book based on magic, a group of girls and the realms which is a different world. It is  about a young girl named Gemma Doyle. Gemma finds herself once again at Spence Academy with her friends, where she must learn how to become a proper lady. But Gemma, finds herself also caught in chaos when she thinks that the magic is lost from her. She also is confused because she doesnt know who or what to trust.  Gemma also want sto know why the school is restoring the east wing, the place where her mother died and went into the realms. Gemma, Felicity, Kartrick are on an adventure that involves magic, love, war and challenges.  This book keeps you in suspense because in the end...well i don't want ot ruin it so you'll have to read it!

Reader reviewed by Adriana

** spoiler alert ** 3.5 stars. I was slightly disappointed in this one, both as the ending to the trilogy and as a stand alone.

What I didn't like:
It was too long.
It was too descriptive.
Not enough action.
Gemma's attitude of holding off on the alliance for so long that things got out of control.
Kartik - so sad!
The fact that Circe was so feared and hated in the first two books, but then ended up being sort of a friend to Gemma and not the powerful force that she was built up to be.
And the always undefined and changing rules of the realms and of the magic that frankly seemed like they were used only to propel the plot.

What I did like:
Although it did have far too much description, the descriptions themselves were beautiful.
The surprise between Pippa and Felicity if only for the sheer fact that it was totally unexpected.
The fact that the magic went back to the land.
That Pippa finally got what was coming. I was slightly disappointed in this one, both as the ending to the trilogy and as a stand alone.

I listened to the book and I'm glad that I did, because I don't think I would have had the patience to actually sit there and read 800+ pages. I was extremely sad that Kartik ended up entombed in the realms - could he ever come back?? I'm sure he could if another novel was written....I know the ending was both sad and hopeful, but I really would have liked to see Gemma take more control as a sorceress and of course fulfill her love story with Kartik. First two were much better than the third.

Reader reviewed by whatofwonderland

Libba Bray's novels are something everyone should be reading. They're highly acclaimed and interesting. Plus you get that steamy romance that everyone craves! In her last installment, The Sweet Far Thing, it was enjoyable and satisfying to see a good end to the series, but at the same time I was a bit disappointed. I personally was let down by the events occurring in the book, but that doesn't mean I still don't enjoy 'em! I am a hopeless romantic (thanks a lot, Stephenie Meyer!) and can't stand the idea of a love lost. Out of all the books this was my least favorite, but still a must read.

Reader reviewed by Pally

The Sweet Far Thing is the final instalment in Ms Brays historical fantasy trilogy for young adults, starring Gemma Doyle, Victorian teenager and hereditary sorceress. As the final year at Spence Academy unfolds, Gemma and Felicity are soon to have their season in London and be presented at court before Queen Victoria, while Ann will be despatched to a life of servitude, her natural talent for singing neglected. In the Realms, the race is on to destroy Gemma and seize her power, while Gemmas ongoing attraction to Kartik, a former member of the magical brotherhood the Rakshana, is developing all the more strongly. In this final climactic episode of the trilogy, written in the classic five-act format of the tragedy, characters will be killed; begin relationships; come out; take charge of their destinies. Perceptions of good and evil will be challenged, and futures decided for the young women whose fates initially appeared so set in stone. For the readers who have been with Gemma et al since the first book, The Sweet Far Thing is likely to be an affecting read, especially towards the end, as the losses and gains of the battle for the Realms mount up.
I found myself smiling at quite a few scenes, particularly those in which the teenage protagonists characters are explored. Brays talent for creating likeably flawed personalities is clear, and the younger characters in particular are in most ways very believable. They do not conform to the frigid Victorian stereotype held by many people nowadays, nor are they wise and responsible beyond their years; indeed, Gemma frequently makes errors of judgement the sort of which one would expect from a young girl still coming to terms with life, both in and outside of the magical Realms. Her relationship with Kartik is not presented as the be-all-and-end-all of her existence, and while the ending of the story is far from happily ever after, there remains a strong sense of hope and possibility for the futures of the girls at the centre of the tale.
This 819-page epic can move slowly at times, but I prefer to think that the leisurely pace of this final installment is a sign that Bray just doesn't want to say goodbye to these characters. I have a hunch that her many readers will be just as reluctant to leave Gemma, Felicity and Ann --- despite the happy endings and surprise joys that lie on the far side of danger.