This book had me hooked from the start. As the novel opens, Gemma Doyle has just turned 16. Though her parents are English, Gemma has always lived in Bombay, India, where her father does business. Gemma is a wonderfully strong-willed and rebellious character. All she wants in life is to go to London, meet people her own age, and experience all the privileges a girl of her standing is entitled to. When she finally gets to London, nothing happens the way she wanted it to. The Spence Academy for Girls is Gemma's start on a fantastical adventure.
I loved the blending of historical fiction and fantasy. The fantasy world that Libba creates is as realistic as the English boarding school Gemma attends while in the real world. In some ways, it is reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia, though Gemma and her friends travel back and forth more easily, and with more control. Gemma is head-strong and confused about what life expects from her. She makes a few friends at school: Felicity, Pipper, and Ann. Their friendship starts on rocky ground and is always imperfect. Libba does a wonderful job showing how teenage friendships can be both fickle and extremely loyal at the same time. Gemma, Felicity, Pipper and Ann all make their choices, and accept the consequences of those choices, some of which are quite dire, very maturely.

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 with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. [taken from back cover of book]

Firstly, I want to say that I absolutely loved Ms. Bray’s descriptions of colonial India, Victorian England and The Realms - such very different places but so vividly detailed. Oh and Spence... {sighs} I love Victorian finishing schools. I liked Gemma - I thought Ms. Bray did a great job depicting her as a normal teen with all the emotional turmoil, teen angst, pettiness, selfishness, etc., that you would see in any teen. I liked that she wasn't perfect - that she had her flaws and in the end that was what won me over. My only complaint was that (on certain occasions) the way she talked and expressed herself was not very true to that of a Victorian young lady - I found it somewhat modern.

I liked the friendship that the girls sparked - I thought they were all so different (some likeable, some not so much) but in the end, they made it work. I also enjoyed how Kartik was woven into the story - especially in those dream sequences (wink wink). I wasn’t sure if to like him or not (somewhat the way Gemma feels about him) but I think there’s still hope for him yet. I really had to appreciate that Ms. Bray managed to tell an entertaining story, while trying to instill ideas of feminine power.

My only issue with this book is that they paint suicide in such an easy light. I really don’t want to spoil or give anything away, so I won’t be able to discuss this in as much detail as I’d like, but there is more than one suicide and the characters just seem “okay” with this.

All in all, I still thought that the story flowed really well and had plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. There were plenty of loose ends - but alas, there are two more books in this trilogy which I’m sure will remedy that. In the end, I found A Great and Terrible Beauty entertaining and definitely a page-turner. I would definitely recommend to lovers of historical fiction with a (slightly creepy) magical twist. ( )

This is the first in a trilogy and a very quick, entertaining novel. The setting is a english boarding school where things are anything but ordinary. Gemma is still reeling from the death of her mother when things begin to get interesting. she and her new friends are drawn to the realms where the mystic order of women once controlled magic beyond comprehension. Things aren't as they seem however, and soon Gemma and her friends are facing a darkness they can't control. The book is written in lovely imagery and is full of suspense, danger and young love. Romantic and dark, this was a fun one. ( )

First in the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

Sixteen year old Gemma must leave her home in India after she sees her mother commit suicide in a mysterious vision. Gemma is sent off to a girls' boarding school in Victorian England, feeling guilty about her mother's death and ashamed of her father's drug addiction. As a proper British girl, she is, of course, not able to tell anyone the truth about her parents.

She eventually makes some friends at school and they explore a cave on the school grounds. They find that they can enter a magical realm where they can be and do whatever they wish. Heady with the freedom from the strict controls of their daily life, they come to depend on the magic of the realms. As the girls continue their visits, Gemma begins to understand that everything is not as it seems. Will she solve the mystery of the realms before it is too late?

Highly recommended for girls who love a good gothic mystery with a touch of romance. ( )

This book is like a "Harry Potter for girls." It is set in Victorian England. Some of the other books in this series are too mature for most middle school readers, but given the fact that they are lengthy they may attract a more mature audience anyway. ( )