Rebel Angels the second installment of the Gemma Doyle series is even more magnificently written than the first!We find ourselves two months since the last book left off. Gemma is looking forward to Christmas in London, and spending time with her friends Felicity and Ann. Previously Gemma believed she was saving the magic from Circe by destroying the magical runes, but now she has discovered that she unknowingly unbound the magic and made it possible for all to consume its power.Guided by Kartik, her friend of the Rakshana, she must now find the Temple and restore the magic in the Realms. Unbeknownst to Gemma, her trusted Kartik has a mission of his own, that will lead him to a path he has yet to discover.Although Gemma has the help of her friends, they still have their share of obstacles on their journey to find the Temple. First of all there is a new teacher at Spence, Miss McCleethy, whom Gemma finds reasons to distrust. Then there is Nell Hawkins the young girl that is a resident of the hospital where Gemma’s brother is employed. Nell has visions of other Realms and talks of an evil names Circe that is after her. Could it only be a coincidence?Not to mention the tribulations that Gemma faces with her father and making herself appear to be a presentable young lady in society. Through it all Gemma must once again find her courage and herself to uncover the Temple before Circe and claim the magic to save the Realms.I enjoyed Rebel Angels even more so than A Great and Terrible Beauty. There were so many twists and turn that I never knew what was going to happen next. I found myself agitated with Felicity and wondering why Gemma really was her friend, until I found out why Felicity is the way that she is, and now I understand that she needs Gemma’s friendship more than she knows. If you enjoyed reading A Great and Terrible Beauty then you won’t be disappointed with its sequel Rebel Angels! I can’t wait for A Sweet and Far Thing! ( )

Something to read over and over! ( )

“This book was excellent for a second-of-a-series. If you liked the first one, I'm going to guess you'll like this one even more. It was the kind of book that just pulled me right in, leaving me literally speaking out loud to the characters. "Don't do that, you idiot!"

Felicity and Ann drove me a little crazy with their annoying ways, especially in the first half of the book. Why on earth does Gemma hang out with these people, anyway? But I love the way the Kartik storyline is going. I'll definately be reading the final book. ( )

The sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels chronicles the further adventures of Gemma Doyle, the Indian Kartik, and Gemma's family and friends at Spence. This book focuses more on Gemma's character and relationships than on the secrets of the Realms, which I liked a lot. Specifically, we see Gemma's grief at her father's opiate addiction, her guilt at leaving her friend Pippa behind in the Realms, and her growing sexual awareness with both Kartik and the dashing Simon Middleton. A second showdown with Circe (the evil witch who seeks to have all the power of the Realms for herself) is, of course, a feature. If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll enjoy this one too - I actually prefer it.

This is the next book after A Great and Terrible Beauty. It opens just two months after those events, and none of the girls have gone back into the Realms yet. But after a dictate from the Rakshana to go in and bind the magic that Gemma let loose when she broke the Runes, they must all go back. The majority of the event s in this book take place during Christmas vacation for the girls from Spence, allowing them a little more freedom than they had at school. It also introduces potential love interests for Gemma and Ann in the whirl of parties and other events. I felt this book really lagged in its action, and took too long to get moving. I was not as interested in it as I was in A Great and Terrible Beauty, and it seemed to sometimes be too convoluted for its own good. I thought 545 pages was too long for this book, and I don’t think I’ll read the last one in the series. ( )