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horchata's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.75
Libba Bray is an entertaining writer, but I felt like this book could have been condensed by about 50-100 pages. There was so much that took up so much time!! I found myself wishing I could understand the audiobook at 2.5x speed so I could get to the end faster without missing anything. A book where I wish it was possible to skim with my ears, haha.
gabriellaashlin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bloodelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kristenbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Well that was fantastic. Can't quite give it 5/5, but that's a solid 9/10 and 4.5/5 right there. I honestly couldn't put that down.
emmapants's review against another edition
5.0
Libba Bray's first novel introduces us to Gemma Doyle, the titular character of the trilogy. Gemma is in Mary Lennox-like circumstances when her mother dies and she's removed from her beloved India and replaced into Victorian England. This book encompasses the historical with the fantastical, a portal story as well as a paranormal one, and throws it into a Victorian boarding school where the girls are as much teenage, and often mean, girls as any contemporary YA story. Oh yeah, and there's a love interest too.
I'm going to have a problem genuinely reviewing this series, cause I just adore it so much. Let me just say, it has everything, is well-written and made me cry. And I cry very rarely.
Basically if you enjoy any of the sorts of stories I mentioned, you have to read this. Double if you are or ever have been a teenage girl.
Read my full review and comparisons to other books at my blog: http://shorteasywordsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/theres-only-so-many-vampire-stories.html
I'm going to have a problem genuinely reviewing this series, cause I just adore it so much. Let me just say, it has everything, is well-written and made me cry. And I cry very rarely.
Basically if you enjoy any of the sorts of stories I mentioned, you have to read this. Double if you are or ever have been a teenage girl.
Read my full review and comparisons to other books at my blog: http://shorteasywordsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/theres-only-so-many-vampire-stories.html
laurenbookishtwins's review against another edition
4.0
Actual Rating: 3.9
I really did enjoy this, but I didn't think it was worth 4, but it was better than 3. I felt that it was maybe a bit slow the first half of the book, but things did start to speed up the second half of the book, and there was lots of action, mystery and magic.
As for the characters, although some of which were a little two dimensional, I really did enjoy them. I thought Gemma was maybe a tad annoying at times, but other than that a good and relatable character. I really did like Pippa, and she may have been a favourite of mine. I didn't like Felicity, and I didn't feel you got to know Ann very well. I also thought that maybe there was a dynamic missing from the four.
The plot was good and intriguing and well developed with a few surprises towards the end. There was a tad romance between Gemma and Kartik that could be developed within the next books, but it was not a big part in this book, and so if you're looking for romance, you'll be sadly disappointed.
Overall, a good and enjoyable read.
I really did enjoy this, but I didn't think it was worth 4, but it was better than 3. I felt that it was maybe a bit slow the first half of the book, but things did start to speed up the second half of the book, and there was lots of action, mystery and magic.
As for the characters, although some of which were a little two dimensional, I really did enjoy them. I thought Gemma was maybe a tad annoying at times, but other than that a good and relatable character. I really did like Pippa, and she may have been a favourite of mine. I didn't like Felicity, and I didn't feel you got to know Ann very well. I also thought that maybe there was a dynamic missing from the four.
The plot was good and intriguing and well developed with a few surprises towards the end. There was a tad romance between Gemma and Kartik that could be developed within the next books, but it was not a big part in this book, and so if you're looking for romance, you'll be sadly disappointed.
Overall, a good and enjoyable read.
megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
4.0
'The wind shifts, bringing with it the smell of roses, strong and sweet. Across the ravine, I see her in the dry crackle of leaves. A deer. She spies me and bolts through the trees. I run after her, not really giving chase. I'm running because I can, because I must. Because I want to see how far I can go before I have to stop.'
Gemma Doyle is sent back to England from India after her mother died. She in enrolled in Spence Academy by her family in order to make her into a lady fit for marriage. However, not everything at Spence Academy is as refined and classy as it seems. Gemma meets Pippa, Felicity and Ann and they form a group that creates a strong bond between the four girls.
I've read many mixed reviews about A Great and Terrible Beauty, and I was a little bit hesitant to pick it up. But I recently read The Diviners and I loved it. So, I though that I would give this a go, and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was beautiful and it really did increase my enjoyment of the book. I also really did love the historical setting of the story, but I loved how mischievous the girls were. How they talked openly about sex, as it would surely have been deemed very scandalous in those times. But I would imagine that some girls back then were like that. So it was a very refreshing read. I also really enjoyed the magical element in it, and I liked the idea of the realms.
I personally really liked each of our main girls. They were witty, outspoken, fun and they all wished for a life that wasn't their own. I liked how they were all so different yet they were brought together by a secret, and a place that they all sneaked off to, and got a taste of their dreams. It was a really nice and refreshing read to have a book focus more on the friendship than on the romance (well, there wasn't really any romance, more like just a hinting of one), so that was nice.
There were some other nice elements in the book, such as the gypsies, and Kartik. I liked also liked how the story progressed, even if it was a little slow, and I still felt the need to read on, and very rarely found myself getting bored.
This is a series that I will be carrying on. It is a great magical historical read that I would recommend.
Gemma Doyle is sent back to England from India after her mother died. She in enrolled in Spence Academy by her family in order to make her into a lady fit for marriage. However, not everything at Spence Academy is as refined and classy as it seems. Gemma meets Pippa, Felicity and Ann and they form a group that creates a strong bond between the four girls.
I've read many mixed reviews about A Great and Terrible Beauty, and I was a little bit hesitant to pick it up. But I recently read The Diviners and I loved it. So, I though that I would give this a go, and I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was beautiful and it really did increase my enjoyment of the book. I also really did love the historical setting of the story, but I loved how mischievous the girls were. How they talked openly about sex, as it would surely have been deemed very scandalous in those times. But I would imagine that some girls back then were like that. So it was a very refreshing read. I also really enjoyed the magical element in it, and I liked the idea of the realms.
I personally really liked each of our main girls. They were witty, outspoken, fun and they all wished for a life that wasn't their own. I liked how they were all so different yet they were brought together by a secret, and a place that they all sneaked off to, and got a taste of their dreams. It was a really nice and refreshing read to have a book focus more on the friendship than on the romance (well, there wasn't really any romance, more like just a hinting of one), so that was nice.
There were some other nice elements in the book, such as the gypsies, and Kartik. I liked also liked how the story progressed, even if it was a little slow, and I still felt the need to read on, and very rarely found myself getting bored.
This is a series that I will be carrying on. It is a great magical historical read that I would recommend.
vampyrebookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
angevba's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read this book for a while now and I'm glad I finally got to it.
The story is very catching from the very beginning and Libba Bray's writing always feels like an easy breeze, a breath of fresh air, which I appreciate.
It took me some time to finish this book but I blame it totally on myself because I've been very busy lately.
Totally recommend it, Libba Bray really knows how to write paranormal historical fiction!
The story is very catching from the very beginning and Libba Bray's writing always feels like an easy breeze, a breath of fresh air, which I appreciate.
It took me some time to finish this book but I blame it totally on myself because I've been very busy lately.
Totally recommend it, Libba Bray really knows how to write paranormal historical fiction!