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A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray is a gothic novel where English boarding school meets the supernatural.

My Book Review Rating: 4 stars – take teenage angst and boarding school and throw in a bit of supernatural terror and suspense and you’ve got yourself an enjoyable read!

This book was a Christmas gift from my brother… which means it was on my Amazon wish list… which means that at some time I must have read a great review of it at another book lover’s blog! [If it was you then add a link to your review in the comments box ]

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the novel when I first started reading; we are introduced to Gemma Doyle, the main character, and her mother as they shop at an Indian market. Before long things take a turn for the weird as Gemma sees her mother kill herself in a vision, well I say kill, it’s more of a sacrifice.

After her mother’s death Gemma is whisked off to London to a boarding school for young ladies (this is 1896 by the way); a place she begged to go just before her mother’s untimely death but now isn’t quite so sure. Once at school Gemma begins to experience more visions and meets a young man who threatens bad things if she succumbs to them.

As the tale unfolds Gemma begins to learn about a shadowy group called The Order, where young girls before her have experienced similar visions and stepped into The Realms, a place where magic lives. Gemma and her friends; Pippa, Felicity and Ann find themselves caught up in a world where their wildest dreams can come true – which of course makes them all a little power hungry and puts The Realms at risk of being taken over by Bad Magic.

Libba Bray pens an intriguing and suspenseful tale in A Great and Terrible Beauty and even throws in a hint of passion (not too much – this is a Young Adult novel after all!). I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be on the look out for the other two novels in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

Read on to order your copy of the book – or to see reviews from other readers.

Amazon.com Price: $1.00 (as of 2010-07-30 07:38:44 GMT) Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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	Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Customer Rating:   List Price: $9.99 Sale Price: $1.00 Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours Free Shipping Available Buy Now
Product 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. Gemma, 16, 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 wi! th 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. (Ages 12 up) –Patty Campbell
Product Details
ISBN13: 9780385732314 Condition: New Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Customer Reviews
An Average & Somewhat Terrible Beauty   Review Date: July 23, 2010 Reviewer: SpirituallySpeaking, Santa Monica, CA I'm suprised I finished this book, particularly because there are absolutely NO sympathetic characters in this book. Not one. Gemma is a petulant, snotty, self-involved brat of a teenager. I simply couldn't stand her and struggled to stay connected to the story. As the other characters come into play, the also have selfish, snobbish or othewise self-serving attitudes and agendas. By the time the characters reveal they have certain struggles or insecurities, you just don't care. In fact, you feel like they deserve them. Every story MUST have a sympathetic lead character or the audience will have nothing to identify with, no common ground with this person. That's what happens here. If you don't care about these girls, you don't care about their story. Speaking of the girls, the author has created a crew of girls that are mouthy, bossy, selfish, sex-crazed, defiant and extremely self-aware and empowered. That would be shocking even for ADULT women in the Victorian era, but these are children, girls. This is completely unrealistic. With the pressure of the English class system, not to mention the church of the times, these girls would would be acting nothing like this. Maybe if it's 1968, but not 1878. With that....again, you don't care about the girls. Somehow they've got it all figured out...who they are, what they deserve, how they're going to get it, etc. There's no self doubt, no exploration, nowhere to grow. The good thing is the setting and the plot / pacing. The author does a decent job with all these things. Still...if this were a movie....I'd wait to catch it on DVD instead of paying full price at the theatre. You know those kinds of stories. A Strange and Gothic Paranormal Story   Review Date: July 21, 2010 Reviewer: Teen Books Reviewer, Omaha Another book about girls at a private school. Only this time, this private school is in Victorian times, and the girls are paranormal girls. Gemma is the heroine of the story who grew up in India and watched her mother die a horrible death. She is haunted by strange dreams. She meets a strange Indian boy who belongs to an ancient order and he watches her and her friends. Gemma is brave and rebellious against Victorian expectations of young women. She is also gifted with the ability to go through portals. The cover is beautiful and I picked up this book because of it. I like historical novels, especially the Victorian times, and this book does write from that perspective. It was a bit confusing and the narration seemed out-of-breath throughout, and at times I could not tell if Gemma was dreaming or not. Because of this, it is not a higher rating. A very promising start   Review Date: July 21, 2010 Reviewer: J. Elliott, USA I've seen this book around, but I never wanted to read it for some strange reason. However, a friend whose taste I trust recommended it, so I decided to give it a try. Right from the start, Gemma's voice drew me in. Her character is extremely compelling, as is the world that Libba Bray has created. Magic in this story is different from many of the stories I've read recently, which was a major plus. Gemma's friends - Felicity, Pippa, and Ann - are also very interesting with compelling backgrounds that are alluded to. And then there is Kartik, the mysterious boy who watches them, who is a part of the Rakshana, an order designed to keep the magical realms from being entered. This book was short and simple, but the rest of the series promises much more. This book will appeal to girls and women of all ages. The books themselves are beautiful, as are the descriptions of the girls and their clothing. The characters attend a boarding school, and they face the prejudices and expectations of Victorian England. Magic helps these girls find freedom in the midst of their very structured, almost imprisoned lives, but they have to be responsible with it due to the threats lurking everywhere. Young adults will appreciate the emphasis on breaking free from what is expected in society. There are some mature themes (language, sexuality, arranged marriages) that are touched on, so I would recommend it with caution to students, depending upon their particular interests and maturity level. Wonderful beginning of a promising series   Review Date: June 15, 2010 Reviewer: Jillian R, Everyone has been telling me about this book, that is supposedly the first of a trilogy. Obviously, I finally gave in and read it. This YA book centers around 16-year-old Gemma Doyle; a British teenager living in India. Set in Victorian era, she tragically loses her mother, which forces her to move and live in London and attend a boarding school. There, she finds trouble assimilating with the new crowd, but eventually realizes that's just the least of her worries. Gemma Doyle sees horrifying visions; visions she can't even explain. At the same time, she finds a mysterious man following her, telling her to close her mind against the visions or she would suffer its consequences. I find it hard to summarize this book simply because it is far too complicated to explain because the plot is very broad and the genre is quite flexible. This is a Young Adult book, but it's one of those rare ones that anybody can read and enjoy no matter what the age. I have to say, I enjoyed this book very much. It was one of those books that you just have to keep reading because the pace is fast and exciting, and leave you hanging by the end of every chapter. One important thing also that I thought worked incredibly well were the main characters. Everybody had a significant and important role. Everyone was complex! I found myself interested in them. And I think it's very hard for an author to come up with a character and write about them in a way that the reader would actually like them and root for them. The author, Libba Bray, has an obvious talent with building up these characters as well as the plot. One last thing that I have to say is that I especially loved the way she writes! She uses simple, easy to understand words and yet delivers them brilliantly in in a poetic form. It's rare for me to find quotes and dialogues that I would actually read again, and take note of. With this book, I found myself writing down several page numbers so I could go back and read those lines again. Speaking of writing, I have actually just finished the book a couple of minutes ago. In other words, I could not wait until another day to write this review because of how much I enjoyed it. It was funny, very mysterious, sad, funny, surprising, and sometimes, even creepy. Fun book. =) I'm going to start reading the second book from this trilogy. A must read!   Review Date: June 13, 2010 Reviewer: , this is the most amazing book that i have read. this book got m back into reading after i had this phase where i didnt feel like reading. the excitement adventure, and suspense will keep you up late into the night! Loved!..   Review Date: May 20, 2010 Reviewer: Cristy L. Quinn, Irvine, CA I absolutley loved the The Gemma Doyle Trilogy.. just fell in love with the characters and the unique, magical story... I really hope a 4th book is written someday! A Great and Terrible Beauty   Review Date: April 21, 2010 Reviewer: , This book was by far one of the best books I have ever read. Bray knows how to write a wonderful book and utilizes that ability in A Great and Terrible Beauty. With all the elements that readers look for- romance, intrigue, comedy, tragedy- A Great and Terrible Beauty will captivate you, and leave you hungry for more. A Great and Terrible Beauty   Review Date: March 21, 2010 Reviewer: Ithlilian, A Great and Terrible Beauty is a great example of a book with a good premise but flawed execution. I was certainly drawn to the mysterious fire in the east wing of the prep school, I wanted to know more about the main character's visions, and I was interested in learning more about why her mother died. Instead of presenting solutions to these mysteries in a well thought out logical way, we are given a convoluted tale full of drama and superficial characters. This is a YA book, so teenage drama is to be expected. I don't mind it usually, especially if I enjoy the characters. Unfortunately, all of the characters in A Great and Terrible Beauty are unlikable. Most are one dimensional typical mean girls, and one is a shy and not so pretty girl that cuts herself. I understand that part of the premise of the book is that not everyone is perfect, and even pretty girls can have issues, but unlikable characters can ruin an otherwise decent plot. Even worse, the girls only want selfish things and they don't listen to anything anyone tells them. They are perfectly fine with repeating history and not thinking before acting. Characters aside, the basic plot was interesting and full of mysteries to be solved. I enjoyed the exploration of powers, the dream world, and the secret "Order," but there wasn't enough of it. This book is definitely an introduction, and if this book is any indication of the rest of the series, then I am not interested. I need more substance and less drama. I would love strong characters to look up to, instead of teenagers that have attitude, drink alcohol, revel in the humiliation of others, and kill things. Overall, heartless, power hungry, spoiled characters ruin a decent plot and mystery. "Read" this book via audio download and really loved it!   Review Date: March 19, 2010 Reviewer: T. Leech, Las Vegas Gemma Doyle is 16 and living in India with her parents. She wishes desperately that she lived in England where she could be going to a proper school like a civilized teenage girl. Her mother believes firmly that she should not go back to live there because she is against all that they stand for in preparing girls to walk the straight and narrow and answer to their husbands every whim. After a disagreement while out in a marketplace Gemma runs off angrily, during her moments apart from her mother she gets sucked into a 'dream' of some sort that takes her over. In this dream her mother is being followed and after being caught she pulls a knife from her bodice and plunges it into her chest. Gemma awakens to find herself still lying in the street with an Indian boy questioning her, but it doesn't take long before that very dream begins to unravel right in front of her, ending in her mother's death. Gemma is shipped off to the very prep school her mother loathed and she learns all too quickly why her mother was opposed to such a situation. Young girls can be harsh and cruel, especially when there is a new girl and she's in their territory. Gemma must try to fit in as much as she can while knowing something is terribly wrong with her, how did she see her mother's death before it actually happened? If the others find out she will be ridiculed, but it happens again at school and she is starting to think she can't hide it. Then there is the young boy from the street in India, he has followed her to the school and is watching her, leaving cryptic messages and telling her to stop what she's doing but the mystery of The Order is too powerful for her to ignore. Will it also be too powerful for her to overcome? I enjoyed this book on audio download. I cannot comment on the readability of this novel, but I can tell you that listening to it through my ipod held my attention completely. The person that told the story did a wonderful job. The spiritual nature of this book builds so gradually that by the end it truly reaches a climax and has an ending that doesn't leave you hanging. This is the first book in the Gemma Doyle series and I half expected that I would be left frustrated at the end like other YA series that don't give you a real ending between each installment. I was very pleased with this one. I love watching the relationships build in the story and seeing how the young girls interacted. It was very real without being cruel or harsh. With this novel taking place in the victorian era there was no issue at all with language, violence or sexual situations since those are all things that were avoided by young ladies in that period. It was not written prudishly or on some moral high ground, just realistic to the period. I love reading a good YA book that is NOT centered around hormone crazy teens, sex and violence! This was just the thing for me. I'm sure that I would have loved reading a hard copy of this book just as much as I loved listening to it on my ipod. Historic, Paranoraml YA Winner~   Review Date: March 3, 2010 Reviewer: S. McCullough, Indianapolis, IN I loved this book. I wasn't sure I would and I bought the novel on a whim. I didn't realize it was a part of a trilogy, but I went out and bought the other two books right away. At full price. That alone is amazing, because I love buying my books but I almost always wait for a good deal. The book started off a little rough. I wasn't feeling the setting in Victorian times in India. I thought the main character, Gemma, whiny and spoiled. Before the scenes in India were over, I was fully interested and invested in the tale. Things pick up when Gemma's mother dies and Gemma is moved into a boarding school in London's Spence Academy. There, Gemma makes friends and enemies. She learns the secrets of the school and finds a diary of a girl named Mary Dowd who once attended the Academy. Soon Gemma learns how visit the Realms, a mystical place where all one's hopes and dreams can come true. Once a person can really work the magic there, they can carry the magic back into the real world also. The interaction amoungst the girls is what carries the book more so even than the excitement in the Realms or the mysteries the girls solve. There is definitely more going on in the story with the girls than what meets the eye and some of it is quite gripping. The book was a very quick read and I enjoyed it and was saddened to see it end. The immediate storylines are completed but some of the bigger story arc is left to entice us to read further. This was a great story and one I can suggest to both teens and adults. JANE AUSTEN WOULD BE PROUD!   Review Date: February 20, 2010 Reviewer: Ilovetherain2, I loved this book so much... So beautiful, haunting,and magical. I love period pieces and this book is everything I wanted it to be and more. Alot of people here have already said what it's about so I'll spare you but just know that if you like period pieces with a twist that is somewhat modern day you'll love this book! I love you Libba Bray and I thank you! Not As Dark as It Proclaimed...   Review Date: February 6, 2010 Reviewer: whatsherface, ...but it was still a very enjoying read! Libba Bray creates a three-dimensional world full of three-dimensional characters. Gemma has her flaws, but she doesn't cower in the face of danger. The romance? Just right. It wasn't too sappy, but at the same time, there was chemistry. Pippa and Felicity seem heartless at first, but when I stopped reading for a few weeks in the middle (I was busy at the time-I regret not sitting down and reading it from start to finish in one sitting!), it was like they were different people. Seriously, it was strange. This is a book I would definitely recommend. Wow. I read the other two books as well, and this series does not disappoint. Great job. I will be looking forward to reading Ms. bray's other books. Plodding   Review Date: February 5, 2010 Reviewer: TM, Arizona I am very willing to read books for entertainment value only, not every book needs to be a literary masterpiece, but this book just fails in every way. The writing is flat and uninteresting, the characters are lifeless, and the story held less interest for me with every page. I know youth fiction isn't usually multilayered but I was able to predict the book's ending before I was halfway through. Also the setup for the next book was not subtle, it's more like the author took one book and chopped it into pieces to end up with a small series. However, from the number of positive reviews I am in the minority, so perhaps my opinion can, and should, be ignored. Even if you're not Wow-ed by this, you'll want to complete the trilogy   Review Date: February 4, 2010 Reviewer: N. M, 3.5 Stars Gemma Doyle desperately wants to leave India and live in her home country that she never knew, England. And when her mother dies, she gets her wish and is enrolled at a boarding school in England. She leaves India with her father, and finds her older brother who had been sent to England previously changed. Boarding school life isn't what Gemma had imagined, with cliques and a social outcast for a room mate. What frightens Gemma however, are the visions she started having right before her mother died and which seem to be increasing. There is also the fact that a boy has been following her, all the way from India. When he does choose to speak to her, it only leaves her mystified. An interesting read; the kind you can finish in a day. Page Turning and Magical   Review Date: January 31, 2010 Reviewer: fictionfinders, Greensboro, NC Gemma Doyle was raised in India in the late nineteenth century. After the mysterious death of her mother, Gemma is sent to the Spence Academy in England to finish her schooling and learn how to become a lady. Gripped by despair, guilt, and terrifying visions Gemma finds herself an outcast at the academy. She then befriends a group of Spence's most powerful girls, and Gemma finds that she is able to control her visions and transfer herself and her friends to a supernatural world. It's there she learns that she is connected to a group of powerful women known as the Order. Gemma must decide whether to trust her instincts and pursue her powers or listen to the warning of the mysterious young man that is following her. A Great and Terrible Beauty is both a beautiful and frightening tale of young girls on the brink of womanhood and the choices they must make. As if toying with the supernatural wasn't difficult enough, Gemma and her friends are faced with the decisions that every teenage girl must make. Confusion over boys, the pressures of school, and daily quarrels with each other can make the lives of the Spence girls seem downright dramatic. Libba Bray creates loveable and sometimes despicable characters that are so true to reality they might have been modeled after our own high school friends. The character of Gemma is strong, independent, and utterly interesting. It was almost hard to believe she would struggle to make friends, since I wanted to call her up and have drinks (if not of course for the small obstacle that she is only sixteen and in fact not real). A Great and Terrible Beauty places these fantastic characters in a glowing green English countryside, throws in a little magic, and we find ourselves at the start of what is sure to be a wonderful adventure. Thank goodness there's a sequel.
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