The Sweet Far Thing

Reader reviewed by Chey

Though I loved this book, I feel it drug on for longer than necessary in some parts. I was already connected to the characters through the first two books in this series so I kept reading though it bored me at times. Gemma Doyle learns more about the rhelms and the magic that's bestowed upon her. She and her friends search endlessly for clues and are often wrong. The rhelms are well-written and creative, you'll love reading about Pippa and the winterlands.

The ending, however, felt weak and the last few chapters had me confused and upset with the character's choices.

Reader reviewed by Sara E.

Despite the fact this book completely broke my heart and left me depressed, I was totally satsified with it as an ending to the Gemma Doyle trilogy. If you thought the story couldn't get better or the situations Gemma must face heartbreakingly worse, you were wrong. Gemma has to finally own up to her responsibilities and restore order to the realms, defeat the evil, and face something much worse than Circe. All the while, finding out exactly who she can trust, as her friends grow more and more greedy for power and begin doubting Gemma's promises.

Reader reviewed by Natalie

Beginning where Rebel Angels left off, we find Gemma Doyle back at Spence Academy with a huge decision to make: How and when should return the magic from the realms? Finding that she enjoys the power,Gemma and her friends Ann and Felicity return to the magical realms in order to gain information and be with their friend, Pippa. Things have changed and Gemma's going to be forced to make alliances she's unsure of, and in neither her magical world nor her reality can she find guidance. In her quest to do what's best, Gemma's led to a mysterious tree in the Winterlands and learns she must recover a long lost dagger if she wants to bring peace back to the realms. At the same time, Gemma has to deal with her relationship, or lack thereof, with Kartik. Their forbidden love for each other might get in the way between Gemma's goal. SWill they finally be able to be together or will this mission take its toll on their relationship. Sacrfices will have to be made but will true love truly overcome evil?

Reader reviewed by ahlam qerqez

Out of all the books I've read, this one caught me off guard. The sweet Victorian age simply attracted me to this book. I love the way Libba Bray portrays Gemma Doyle and her friends. The way she lives is so realistic...yet the magic and the realms part is a totally new life where outsiders long to live. I totally agree on this book and give it a five! Libba Bray is an amazing writer yet I do feel sad that Kartik died at the end (sorry for spoiling). He was one of my favorite characters! I hope there is a movie for this book also!

Reader reviewed by Hillary

The east wing of Spence is finally being rebuilt after being burnt down by a terrible fire that occurred there years ago. But that's not to only exciting thing happening at Spence this year. All the girls are preparing for their debut. But Gemma isn't worried about any of that. After defeating Circe, she bound the realm's magic to herself. Now, she has to make alliances and bind the magic. But The Order, The Rakshana, and The Winterlands all want a piece of the magic too. They'll do anything to get it. Gemma can't trust anyone anymore. The fate of the realms is dependent on Gemma, and if she can figure out what's going to happen before it does happen.

The Sweet Far Thing was my favorite of the trilogy. It was well written, exciting, and completed the trilogy very well. The ending was extremely sad, but it was worth it to carry around the 800 page book in school. Anyone who enjoys historical fantasy books would like these books.

Also, A Great and Terrible Beauty is being made into a movie. It's going to be amazing! So far, there is not a cast list or really any information on it, but I'm sure we'll all love it.

Reader reviewed by ambeen

It is hard to think of anything to say about The Sweet Far Thing that will explain the level of awesome is reaches. It is yet another testament to the power and beauty of Libba Brays mind.

The story, the characters, the suspense, the wonder all come alive in this third (and last) installment to the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. I was just as captivated by The Sweet Far Thing as I was with the first two novels. Maybe even more so as I was racing to the end desperate to know how everything would come together and if the realms would be set right once and for all.

I was extremely happy with the way things ended. Even while there were a couple sad endings for some of the characters, it felt right and real. I would gladly read a fourth Gemma Doyle novel if Libba ever chose to revisit Gemma in the future.

I highly recommend this series to those who have yet to discover it. Run to your bookstores and buy these books! You will not be disappointed at all.

Reader reviewed by Kayla

The Sweet Far Thing concludes the trilogy following Gemma Doyle and her quests in and out of the realms. The Sweet Far Thing picks up three months after Rebel Angels. Mrs. Nightwing is convinced that the East Wing which was originally destroyed by fire twenty-five years before, needs to be rebuilt in order for Spence to compete with the other boarding schools. She does not know what she is uncovering in the process.

In the beginning of the book you learn that Gemma has not been able to regain access to the realms. Her dreams and visions have stopped for the most part. During the book Gemma does find a way into the realms. And all too late she learns that the things in the realms have found a way out.

Fans of the series will be hanging on to the suspense in this book as Gemma tries to save the realms and discover herself.

Reader reviewed by Erica.

The Sweet Far Thing. By: Libba Bray

The Sweet Far Thing picks up where Rebel Angels left off. It begins different than any of the other 2, with the memory of a woman who Gemma sees. Gemma has friends but meanwhile Pippa is changing. Gemma has to figure out who to trust, and what to do. The magic must be shared, but if leads to much trouble.
Bray has seriously saved the best for last. The Sweet Far Thing was a fanomonal wrap up to the series. It was intense and kept be reading the entire time. It was not at all predictable.
I urge everyone to head out and grab a copy.

Reader reviewed by looneytunez8

I think the trilogy was well--written. It was filled with drama, romance, and suspense. I just could not put it down. The ending will leave the reader wondering. I would recomend this book to anyone looking for a good read. I loved it and I hope other do too.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

I must admit, I began THE SWEET FAR THING, the last in Libba Bray's enormously successful magical series, with some trepidation, having heard some bad things about it. However, I was far from being disappointed. This novel wraps up the series in a bittersweet way, and yet, knowing how the series concentrated so much on flawed characters and radical opinions (for their time, anyway), I would not expect anything else as its ending.

It is nearing the season of Gemma's debut, where she will be presented to the queen as a lady, but Gemma has far more important things on her mind than pretty gowns and airheaded girls. For one thing, Mrs. Nightwing, the headmistress of Spence Academy, and her friend Miss McCleethy, a member of the Order who wants Gemma to relinquish her magic, are finally putting into action plans to rebuild the East Wing, destroyed in a fire years ago when one of the last great priestesses of the Order and former headmistress of Spence, sealed the Realms shut for the time being. Bad things soon start to happen: workmen disappear forever in the middle of the night, and the disappearances are blamed on the gypsies.

The Rakshana continue to threaten Gemma if she does not give her magic to them, and she fears they may start to hurt her family if she does not give them what they want. Kartik, the young disowned Rakshana man who is linked to Gemma by the death of her mother and his brother, does not act toward Gemma how she wish he would act toward her. To top it all off, Felicity's in danger of losing her inheritance if she doesnt rein herself in for her debut, and Ann seems to be digging her own grave as a governess when she will not seize the opportunity to make something out of herself with her singing and acting talent.

And then, things go from bad to worse. A lady in a lavender dress begins to appear to Gemma in visions of warning, and rebellion is definitely stirring in the Winterlands. Pippa has gone beyond just petty with her delusions of grandeur, and the forest folk are beginning to distrust Gemma as she has not shared her magic with them. And when a particular day in May arrives, it may be the end of the world as everyone knows it, unless Gemma and her motley group of friends give it their all...and win some and lose some in the end.

I get the feeling that a lot of people don't like this book because it does not have a happy ending. But this is a fact that I appreciate because, hey, in real life, there are few perfect happy endings. Do not be daunted by its length (800+ pages), because the finale, a bittersweet one that left me crying for hours, is something that cannot be imagined: it must be read for yourself.