A Great and Terrible Beauty (2003)

Just as good as the first time. :) ( )

God I LOVED this but I would never read it again because I have a strong suspicion I wouldn't like it nearly so much. High drama, big magicks, awesome girls, and scary evil. Recommended for the 10-15 crowd. ( )

There was a feeling that two seperate stories were occuring with this book. There was the story of the young vicotrian women trapped in the world they were told was the proper one for them and the paranormal aspect that allowed the girls to hope for something beyond the barriers set by their society. ( )

I picked this up because a friend kept sending me snippets of the author's bio. After reading her full bio (and even though I swear I can never be her friend because she doesn't like doughnuts), I had to read at least one of Libba Bray's books.

YA is really hit or miss with me. It falls into a few categories:

A) terribly angsty (Twilight); and I never finish,
B) overblown emotions and; I want to put the book down, but can't,
C) perfect balance of angst, emotion, and humor; and I wonder why my adolescence was so dull or boring.

This book falls into C. I was afraid it would fall into A very early on in the book; but I stuck with the story and really loved the whole thing. There's a sense of realism (even in a fantasy novel) that made me mourn the book each time I left it ( )

16 year old Gemma Doyle has grown up in Bombay and is desperate to experience English society. One day, while visiting the markets, Gemma’s mother is killed in mysterious circumstances. Gemma gets her wish and is sent to Spence, a girl’s boarding school in England. Having grown up in India, Gemma initially struggles to fit in with the other young ladies, a situation not helped by the visions she has started to experience. Despite the warnings of Kartik, a young man sent to shadow her, Gemma starts to learn what she can of the visions and the other world they open up.

While I found A Great And Terrible Beauty an easy and mildly interesting read, unfortunately that’s about as effusive as I can be. Set in 1895, the historical scene is well set but I don’t think the characters are in keeping with this time period. If someone needed to be put in their place, well bred ladies would do it with a cold shoulder or chilly and exacting politeness. Felicity and Pippa are downright nasty and cruel and reflect a more modern high school clique attitude. Gemma initially is disgusted by them but as the story goes on she becomes part of their group which seems like tacit acceptance of their behaviour. I initially liked that Gemma stood up for what she believed as a character, but was disappointed by her new friendships as the story developed.

I not sure how much influence the romance aspect will have in this series, but what occurs in this book between Gemma and Kartik is superficial and one dimensional, it seems like a bit of an after thought.

While A Great And Terrible Beauty is the first of a trilogy, the world building around the fantasy elements was weak and after finishing the book I know very little about how the magic system works. I can only assume that as the plot develops Gemma, and therefore the readers, will learn more in the upcoming books. There were also issues with the pacing of the book, it takes too long for any real information to be given about the other world and the conflicts going on there, then all of sudden Gemma is thrown into a fight of apparent significance then it’s all over. I was left feeling like I didn't really know what had just happened, and certainly not what it all meant.

This is young adult fiction, and as such I imagine A Great And Terrible Beauty would be a good read for its target age group but ultimately there wasn’t enough depth in either the characters or the plot, and far too many questions not addressed to really engage me. I doubt if I will continue with this series. ( )