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kristenkong's review against another edition
4.0
A re-read and although I enjoyed it, the book has the uneasy task of having a great voice and yet not much in the way of a plot.
tirz_joy's review against another edition
5.0
Damn - I don’t remember the last time I devoured a book so fast. I mean I love the Ana Huang books I’m reading right now but holy - Libba Bray’s writing is gorgeous and intense! It had me hooked and drawn in! I couldn’t get enough!
melodypage's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this first book in a day. The female friendship and the magic kept me turning pages. It even inspired me to paint a portrait of one of the characters: Felicity. I identified with her character most. Pippa's arc is probably my favorite in this first book, though.
annieb1223's review against another edition
2.0
Not really a fan. Gemma was annoying. Writing was really good, story didn't mix with me.
dmoatmeat's review against another edition
1.0
Oh tralala we're insipid and stunning young ladies with our corsets and we giggle and flit around our boarding school all day. Oh spooky, now it's night time and we're pretend witches and we sneak off to a cave. Is that a gypsy camp? And a haaaaaaunted diary? And what about some KUTE BOIZ that give us aching longing feelings in our forbidden areas?
I want a time refund for this crap.
I want a time refund for this crap.
ofravensandincense's review against another edition
5.0
The first in a trilogy, A Great and Terrible Beauty introduces Gemma, a 16-year-old English girl living in colonized India in 1895. When her mother is murdered at the beginning of the book, Gemma is sent to a finishing school in England where she discovers there is a lot more to her mother's murder and her own history. Newly discovered powers allow Gemma to take herself and three friends into a realm where magic is possible and these otherwise oppressed girls have all the power. Her actions set off a chain reaction which has a rival group, the Rakshana, threatening Gemma and demanding power they believe belongs to them.
Bray's use of gothic tropes and the supernatural give power to women who would be otherwise powerless in 1895 England, simply raised and 'bred' to be wives and nothing more. The language is beautiful, and the plot is engaging - always leaving the reader to want more. You'll finish it desperately grappling for the next book in the trilogy.
Bray's use of gothic tropes and the supernatural give power to women who would be otherwise powerless in 1895 England, simply raised and 'bred' to be wives and nothing more. The language is beautiful, and the plot is engaging - always leaving the reader to want more. You'll finish it desperately grappling for the next book in the trilogy.
ladybrik's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this book had the potential to be great - and maybe the following two books redeem this one - but I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I wanted to like them; I wanted to feel the bond they supposedly had - a bond strong enough to travel to an entirely different realm - but their friendship felt forced and rushed and insincere. Also: the overwhelming likeness to the movie The Craft was really, really hard to escape. I mean, that's basically what this was; all that's missing is black nail polish & lipstick.
All that aside, I couldn't put it down and I liked it enough to want to eventually read the other two books. So all is not lost. I just wish it was amazing. I wanted it to be amazing. That it fell short is really disappointing for me.
All that aside, I couldn't put it down and I liked it enough to want to eventually read the other two books. So all is not lost. I just wish it was amazing. I wanted it to be amazing. That it fell short is really disappointing for me.
hmaronski's review against another edition
3.0
the magic element wasn't explained as much as I would have liked. also gemma was, for me, the least interesting of the foursome.
alysnow427's review against another edition
5.0
One of my absolute favorites. My reading needed reinvigorating, and Libba Bray is just that. Highly recommend.