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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!
chhmanda's review against another edition
5.0
Read this in high school. Absolutely phenomenal series.
queenofsages's review against another edition
4.0
A Great and Terrible Beauty is a fast paced and interesting novel, starring Gemma Doyle and her three supposed friends. I could describe it as exciting, but I think that might be giving the characters a little too much credit. Whatever interesting adventures the group had, was always tainted with the reader's question of, "Well this is great and all, but when is Gemma going to get rid of these leeches?" Which is exactly what her "friends" are -- leeches. They demand a share in the power Gemma has, and often suffer bouts of jealously because of it.
When one of them is influenced by the villain's assassin, who told her that Gemma was hoarding all the magic, she believes the assassin and convinces the other girls to sacrifice a deer in the most disturbing way possible. After it doesn't work, the girls are merely dismayed, and return to Gemma so they can continue using her for her power.
This relationship, which happens to be a central part of the book, isn't healthy, and brings the whole series (reading the 2nd one) down. I hope the Gemma will finally stand up to her manipulative and selfish friends, and be the strong women Bray is building her up to be.
When one of them is influenced by the villain's assassin, who told her that Gemma was hoarding all the magic, she believes the assassin and convinces the other girls to sacrifice a deer in the most disturbing way possible. After it doesn't work, the girls are merely dismayed, and return to Gemma so they can continue using her for her power.
This relationship, which happens to be a central part of the book, isn't healthy, and brings the whole series (reading the 2nd one) down. I hope the Gemma will finally stand up to her manipulative and selfish friends, and be the strong women Bray is building her up to be.
kaygo2490's review against another edition
2.0
This book is not for me. I tried tried and tried some more to like it. But the writing style annoyed me. It was a lot of tell and no showing. The plot picked up towards the middle/end. But really, the characters are one dimensional and petty. And not petty in an interesting way.
silenthrts's review against another edition
3.0
3,5*
Es hat ja jetzt wirklich Ewigkeiten gedauert bis ich dieses Buch endlich fertig hatte.
Letztendlich kann ich sagen, dass es mir eigentlich ganz gut gefallen hat. Nur zwischendurch zog es sich wirklich so in die Länge, das es mir keine wirkliche Hilfe war um meine Leseflaute zu überwinden.
Jetzt brauche ich erstmal eine Pause von Gemma Doyle, aber ich freue mich bald mit Teil 2 weiterzumachen.
Es hat ja jetzt wirklich Ewigkeiten gedauert bis ich dieses Buch endlich fertig hatte.
Letztendlich kann ich sagen, dass es mir eigentlich ganz gut gefallen hat. Nur zwischendurch zog es sich wirklich so in die Länge, das es mir keine wirkliche Hilfe war um meine Leseflaute zu überwinden.
Jetzt brauche ich erstmal eine Pause von Gemma Doyle, aber ich freue mich bald mit Teil 2 weiterzumachen.