Third book of the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

Historical fiction with a generous mix of fantasy and romance that features strong female characters who question the repressive rules placed on women in Victorian society.

As in the previous novels, not everything is what it seems. Good and evil are two sides of the same coin and Gemma struggles to figure out who is trying to help her and who will do her harm. Who can she trust? And can she even trust herself? Gemma is is a compelling character because she is not perfect. She makes some selfish choices, but in the end she finds strength and fairness within herself. Ann, Felicity, and Kartik also struggle to find a balance between their desires and what is right.

Fans of the first two books in the trilogy, will devour this one as well. ( )

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

The third and final book in Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy, THE SWEET FAR THING picks up a few months after REBEL ANGELS ended.

It's now spring, and Gemma has been unable to reenter the realms with or without her friends since the Christmas holidays, when she sealed all the magic inside herself. She has grown uneasy with dreams of the supposedly dead Circe and the absence of Kartrik, despite his pledge to support her. As Mrs. Nightwing oversees the rebuilding of Spence Academy's long destroyed East Wing, Gemma discovers a door that leads into the realms. Soon she, Felicity, and Ann have rejoined Pippa in the realms.

All is far from well, however. Within the realms, the various tribes strive to convince Gemma to share her magic, and she finds herself unable to trust any of them. Circe is not dead after all, and her warnings frighten Gemma. And what of the new visions, in which Gemma sees a former student of Spence Academy, who writes of the Tree of All Souls?

Outside the realms, there is just as much uncertainty. Gemma prepares for her debut and tries to make her peace with her father and brother. Felicity's headstrong behavior has put her on the verge of losing her inheritance and freedom. Ann must decide whether to risk everything on the chance of a career in the theatre.

As dark forces spread through the realms and the girls' debuts approach, Gemma must find more strength in herself than she ever thought possible, and decide just what kind of woman she wants to be -- for herself, not anyone else.

Fans of the trilogy will tear through this book, eager to reach its conclusion and learn the fates of all its characters. Bray's descriptions of Victorian life and the mysterious realms are as colorful as ever. Gemma makes a sympathetic if sometimes frustrating narrator, believable in her struggle to make the right decision. At over 800 pages, THE SWEET FAR THING is far longer than either of the books before it, and there is some repetition to the earlier scenes, but those who love the world will be happy to spend as much time there as they can. Toward the end, the plot picks up to a heart-pounding pace. Between cheering the happier parts of the ending, and grieving over its inevitable sadness, readers will be glad to have lived through this tale with Gemma and her friends. ( )

The Sweet Far Thing carries right after the events of Rebel Angels. Alliances have to be made. The magic has to be given equally to all tribes but Gemma hestitates. She loves the magic too much and likes helping her friends and loved ones by using it. Yet bad terrible things are happening in the realms and there's a strange eerie power that's growing in the dreaded Winterlands.

Be forewarned, this is a BIG book. It's slightly over 800 pages. So give yourself ample time to read it. This is a lot to read through and I'm afraid to say it, but it does seem to drag a bit. The girls go into the realms, then they're back to reality. This goes back and forth a lot and it gets tiring a bit. The reader can't help but get frustrated but, when you progress through the novel, the ending and the climax makes up for it tenfold. That being said though, there's a lot of action in this book. Fans of Victorian gothic and magic will love this. There's a good balance between the "real world" of Victorian England and the "other side" where magic, and fantasy come to life.

I still adore Gemma. She's not afraid of breaking any rules of propriety and does not care what the world thinks of her in their social circles. I like that about her. She wanted to run her life as she saw fit and didn't care what others thought of a woman running "loose and free" in society. She hasn't lost her wit (in fact it increases ten fold in this book) and her innermost thoughts still make you chuckle. What I didn't really like about her, is it seemed as if her friends just used her for her magic, and I thought Gemma was a lot stronger than that. Then again she's afraid of being lonely and is only doing what they ask for to please them and to let them stay with her. That being said, underneath that selfishness her friends end up staying fiercely loyal to her and they really do value her as a friend.

Aside from the constant travelling back and forth between the worlds, the last book of this series does a good job tying up loose ends and you're left with a satisfying yet bittersweet ending. Overall a good albeit long book. A great closing to a wonderful trilogy and a must read for fans of Victorian Gothic books. ( )

Love it! Love it! Love it!! ( )

It was a while between reading this and the earlier two volumes of the trilogy, so I admit I was confused for a lot of this book, mostly about the characters of the Realms. It would have helped if there were a list of who's who, like one finds in Cornelia Funke's "Inkheart" books. I suppose I was confused as Gemma was confused, trying to figure out what to do with the magic and who was trustworthy and who wasn't. I also wonder about her desire for independence and a new role for women, how realistic this was for it's time period, although I'm not a student of history and even so, I'm sure women felt this was during Victorian England even if it isn't in the history books. All of that being said, I got teary at the end and really enjoyed the books a lot when it was all over, particularly the denouement. I'll miss Gemma Doyle! ( )