So Bookalicious!: Gemma Doyle

Hi!

Recently I have reread the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray, so here is my review for the books.

Short description

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.

Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.

My opinion

I just loved this books! First of all I really liked that the books were set in the late nineteenth century. I don’t know the past has always intrigued me I guess. And on top of that the book contained a supernatural aspect, magic. So when you combine those two you can only get an amazing book. And to make it even better the style of the book was just amazing, it totally blow me away. Also the characters were great, the head character Gemma knew how to make a witty remark and she used a lot of sarcasm. And each book you could she her grow, where she in the first one was sometimes insecure and naïve she was in the last ones determined and strong. In that time it was hard to be such a strong women, women just had to sit by their husbands/ families side and look pretty. So that’s why I loved Gemma even more. And then of course you got the handsome, mysterious boy. In this books he was delivered in the form of Kartik, an Indian boy. He also causes some problems for Gemma, a Indian boy and a British girl in the 19^th century? I can tell you that it wasn’t really appreciated. But they were just maid for each other. Than the friends of Gemma: Felicity, Pippa and Ann. They were all very different from each other, unique in their own way. When you first met the four girls you never thought it possible that they could be friends. But in the end they were as loyal to each other as ever could be.
I can’t say that this book had an happy ending, I can even say that I cried a lot the last pages. But did it make the book worse? No it didn’t it made the book even better, because you could see that this was the only possible way that the book could end. If there would be an happy ending than the book wouldn’t be that great, it wouldn’t have worked for this book. So if you only like happy endings than I must warn you not to read this, but if you don’t mind it than I strongly recommend everyone to read these book!

Stars

A Great and Terrible Beauty