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The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle #3)

by Libba Bray (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · rating details · 21,352 ratings · 2,261 reviews

* “A huge work of massive ambition.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain per...more

Paperback, 848 pages

Published April 28th 2009 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (first published December 26th 2007)

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Community Reviews

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Feb 18, 2008

Stephanie rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: NO ONE!

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am utterly distraught by this book. My first hour free of it's torture I was a ball of fury. Nothing made sense, the writing was crappy, and I had so many questions. My poor husband didn't want to come near me and I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I had such high hopes for this book. Kartik and Gemma would finally find a way to be together, the magic of the realms would be figured out and dealt with, and Felicity and Ann would finally become real friends of Gemma's or else be rid...moreI am utterly distraught by this book. My first hour free of it's torture I was a ball of fury. Nothing made sense, the writing was crappy, and I had so many questions. My poor husband didn't want to come near me and I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I had such high hopes for this book. Kartik and Gemma would finally find a way to be together, the magic of the realms would be figured out and dealt with, and Felicity and Ann would finally become real friends of Gemma's or else be rid of. I definitely expected a little bir more maturity to be given out by those girls, at least by Gemma, because generally when a person is given a large amount of responsibility, despite their age, and consciously decides that they need to live up to it, they don't act like retarded and petty 12 year olds.

Here are just a few of my troubles...

Why the crap does Kartik turn into a tree? This doesn't make any sense. I understand the sacrifice that he is making, but there is no sign that the magic can't be dealt with in another way until the very point where Libba Bray turns him into a tree. It is retarded. There is no sense in this, unless her goal was to piss people off.

Why are Pippa and Felicity lesbian lovers? I don't get this at all. Some people have mentioned in their reviews that they saw signs of this coming. Whatever signs they saw seemed like normal female friendship to me, especially for Victorian period writing. Besides the fact I think that it was just silly, the kiss was random and out of some teenage boys lesbian lovers fantasy. DUMB! I however, was satisfied when Felicity chose the good side, despite her love for Pippa, who has always irritated me.

The writing was just bad. For someone who has published 2 books already, the writing should have been much better. The plot should have been thought out. The dialogue should have been less George Lucas inspired (by this I am referring to his ability to make very good actors sound like dunces).

I am very frustrated by how poorly the magic of the realms was understood. Obviously Circe was evil, but how did she turn out to be so much better than the the people who were supposed to be good and why did she make so much more sense? Bray turns the evil person back to good - to a degree - and than she turns Kartik into a tree? Whatever!

My final annoyance for this review is that of Bray's obsession with womens rights. Holy crap, she went a bit overboard don't you think? I thought to myself at one point that maybe it was just me and that I was a little sensitive to people and their soap boxes... until at the very end Gemma's last request for the girls to be taught how to think for themselves and blah-blah-blah. Thinking for yourself is not at all a bad idea, but honestly. Themes like that are supposed to be thought provoking, not obnoxiously present.

There are so many, many things that I find very wrong with this book. It was a very huge disappointment. I expected so much more than what I was given here.

There were enough good things that I finished the book, but I definitely would not recommend it to anyone.(less)

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Dec 30, 2007

Angie rated it

· review of another edition

And so ends the trilogy that began with A Great and Terrible Beauty, continued with Rebel Angels, and concludes in this final volume. I liked the first one well enough because of its unique blend of a wild, magical, mythical realm barely constrained behind stiff Victorian curtains. I really got into the second one as the plot became more complex, Gemma came into her own powers, Felicity and Ann's stories became more layered, and poor beautiful Pippa was relegated to the Realms indefinitely. Wh...moreAnd so ends the trilogy that began with A Great and Terrible Beauty, continued with Rebel Angels, and concludes in this final volume. I liked the first one well enough because of its unique blend of a wild, magical, mythical realm barely constrained behind stiff Victorian curtains. I really got into the second one as the plot became more complex, Gemma came into her own powers, Felicity and Ann's stories became more layered, and poor beautiful Pippa was relegated to the Realms indefinitely. When I saw how thick the third one was, my eagerness ratcheted up a notch. After all, I have been sitting around lately asking for longer books. Suddenly, here one is.

Unfortunately, 800 pages later, the best thing about it remains the first four words, it's lovely title, taken from a poem by W.B. Yeats. And it does capture the extremely bittersweet feel of the last portion of the book. But somehow this installment failed to capture my imagination. It frustrated me more than anything. Instead of making good use of everything she fought for in Rebel Angels, Gemma spends the entire novel trying to decide whether or not to do what she decided to do at the end of the last book. Not until the final pages does she get a grip on herself and do what needs to be done. I thought we were done with crippling indecision in the previous books. I wanted the Gorgon to just let loose and throttle her! Meanwhile, Felicity and Ann are apparently thirteen again and spend the majority of their time being petty and distrustful, backstabbing Gemma whenever they get the chance. Pippa is the most interesting of the original friends, munching on the berries of the dead in all her Miss Havisham glory. But her path is extremely predictable. And Kartik? Fiery, beautiful Kartik? Sigh. The end to his story had far too much in common with Merlin's fate for my taste. I will say that the scene where Gemma and Kartik place their hands inside the stone was achingly beautiful. But, as with much in this hefty book, it was too little too late and I'm left feeling sad. Wishing, somehow, it could all have gone differently.(less)

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Dec 14, 2008

Erin rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who love Twilight, Harry Potter, and strong female main characters

Recommended to Erin by: Emily

Shelves: im-ya-and-thats-okay

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

*contains spoilers*

I finished the final installment of the Gemma Doyle trilogy last night. It took me over two weeks to finish and I came very close to throwing the damn book across the room with only 70 pages to go. I have to say that I am very upset that Kartik died. VERY. The tension, and affection between Kartik and Gemma was what kept me reading. I was constantly waiting for her to see his red bandanna or meet him in the boathouse. I will...moreSweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

*contains spoilers*

I finished the final installment of the Gemma Doyle trilogy last night. It took me over two weeks to finish and I came very close to throwing the damn book across the room with only 70 pages to go. I have to say that I am very upset that Kartik died. VERY. The tension, and affection between Kartik and Gemma was what kept me reading. I was constantly waiting for her to see his red bandanna or meet him in the boathouse. I will admit that the book ended very well but I was still very angry.

I have never cried while reading before, and I have told my friends that I don't understand why people do. I cry in all movies but with a book, you control the tempo. You can stop whenever you please. Simply close the book and try again later, that is how I roll. However, I shed a few tears at the end of Sweet Far Thing. When Kartik died and in the end when Ann and Felicity got what they really wanted, I was very emotional. I am so very glad Libba decided to make both of their characters good in the end. Ann irritated me so much in the first two books, but really held her own in this one, especially towards the end, when she had to stand up to Pippa. I felt like she was always ready to abandon Gemma for the others but in the end that proved false. Felicity could have gone either way right up to the very end because of her love for Pippa, but I was happy to see that she got her inheritance and intends to live as she has always wanted, free and daring, and out from under th hold of her father. I also appreciated how she wrote Circe's character. At work I always tell people that this trilogy is a mix between Harry Potter and the Twilight series, and Circe was Snapelike in my opinion.

I am sad that these books are over. I look forward to reading whatever Libba Bray writes next, but can't imagine a character being a strong, confused, and brave as Gemma. Love her. Definitely one of my favorite characters of all time. I think it is important to remember that a young woman can be powerful and challenge authority, but still long for love and romance.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

I think this book could have easily been written into two installments. Not only because it was 800 pages but because SO much happened. I can't really remember what happened at the beginning of the book.

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Jan 05, 2008

Caroline rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Caroline by: Karina

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2008, fantasy, favorite-covers

This was by far my favorite in the series, and I think a lot of it had to do with what Libba Bray was willing to have happen to her characters. The others have had their dark moments, but this was definitely the darkest of the lot. Makes sense, since it is the conclusion of a trilogy, and so there's got to be pretty big events to keep the story going.

It does take a while for the story to pick up, like in the others. Oh, and there's a veritable ton of Victorian society happenings that...moreThis was by far my favorite in the series, and I think a lot of it had to do with what Libba Bray was willing to have happen to her characters. The others have had their dark moments, but this was definitely the darkest of the lot. Makes sense, since it is the conclusion of a trilogy, and so there's got to be pretty big events to keep the story going.

It does take a while for the story to pick up, like in the others. Oh, and there's a veritable ton of Victorian society happenings that some readers might get a little tired of. Gemma also spends a lot of time debating about the decision of what to do with the magic, which might also bore a lot of readers. I actually really loved how much effort Bray put into fleshing out the Victorian culture for her readers, and didn't mind Gemma's brooding. Hey, if I were in her position, I'd totally be brooding, too!

So, while the first half of the book is good but not great, the second half completely makes up for it. This book is packed full of more action and intrigue than the first two, and some really excellent twists.

I just loved how she tied all the characters' individual stories up. Mrs. Nightwing and Mrs. McCleethy both get a lot more interesting in this one, and even Fowlson finally gets some believable characterization rather than coming off as a 1-dimensional jerk. And Pippa. I wasn't sure what would happen with her, but I have to say I loved it.

For the romantics, there are some really beautiful scenes between Gemma and Kartik. I was really glad she resolved things between the two and at least gave them some really great interactions. I can't say much more without spoiling it, though.

The ending was definitely not a perfect, happy conclusion, but it felt fitting for the series. Some readers are actually probably going to be quite disappointed by how some of it ties up, just with how gruesome it could get. Personally, I found the conclusion beautiful and touching, and it really made the series better as a whole than if she had done a cookie-cutter "look, it's a happy ending!" for us. The whole series is bittersweet, and I love it all the more for that very reason.(less)

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Mar 25, 2008

Jess rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

Here's what I expected from this book: that it would maintain the part snarky, part serious, part romantic tone of the first two books; that the characters would grow a bit and the relationships would be as fraught as ever; that there would be some good old fashioned suspense leading up to the conclusion of the trilogy.

If any of those elements were present in this book, they got lost under pages and pages of sub-par writing; I don't come to books like this for Great Literature, but...more

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Jan 13, 2008

Rebecca rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: someone who wants an easy, escapist reading experience

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Can I just start by saying that the 2nd book in this trilogy is the best of all. After reading the third book, I find myself still FULL OF QUESTIONS AND DISAPPOINTED with the ending. Seeing that this book is the last one, I expected to have a lot more resolution to the story of Gemma Doyle. I feel that the book was not edited well enough as well. The plot was all over the place, which means you had no idea where the story could go, and there were no rules to follow. I usually expect that fa...moreCan I just start by saying that the 2nd book in this trilogy is the best of all. After reading the third book, I find myself still FULL OF QUESTIONS AND DISAPPOINTED with the ending. Seeing that this book is the last one, I expected to have a lot more resolution to the story of Gemma Doyle. I feel that the book was not edited well enough as well. The plot was all over the place, which means you had no idea where the story could go, and there were no rules to follow. I usually expect that fantasy or science fiction novels will have a universe full of rules that are followed and explained fairly well! This is not the case! I really the author would've set up better "rules" for the realms and the use of its magic. I kept thinking about what Gemma could do and "why doesn't she do this" with her magic. I really think what Gemma chose to use her magic for was odd. She was so strong at the end of the second book. The third book begins and you discover that she has taken a u-turn and is whiny and uses her magic strangely. I kept thinking, "she is still a teenager, so maybe that is how a teenager would act?" I found myself exhausted at the end of this book. The one true source of light in this book was Kartik! Thank goodness for his character or I would've gave up on the book entirely. I really wish for a fourth book "Kartik's Return: Love Conquers All!" That last sentence is my hopelessly romantic side busting out. Can I also say that some of the writing was a bit lame. I laughed inside when I read that someone was "as pale as cheese." That just doesn't speak to me, for I have never considered cheese to be pale. It's just cheese, you know. There were beautiful parts as well and they all involved Gemma and Kartik's romance! I will remember the tiny bits of romance I was given and center my thoughts there. I will try not to remember the rest. And someone please tell me: Why can't Kartik appear to Gemma from the tree just as Eugenia Spence did?" It's driving me nuts! (less)

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Mar 29, 2008

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-books, favorites

My old review for this sucked so I'll attempt to sum up my thoughts in a slightly better way.

Well, this book is kind of near and dear to my heart because I was reading it on the night right before my little brother was born. (Awww.) So, whenever I think of this book, I think of that. I also remember how it kept me up until like 3 in the morning because it was so scary and thrilling and awesome and whatnot.

The ending was a bit frustrating, but ... oh well. Over all, this is a...more

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Feb 06, 2008

Jennifer rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, read-in-2008

In the final book of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, the Order, the Rakshana and the creatures of the realms all want one thing - the magic. Gemma is caught between as everyone around her tumbles into chaos and the fight for the magic begins in earnest. While the creatures of the winterlands make a bid for control and Circe stirs, Gemma struggles to come to terms with the magic she holds and her place in this world and in the realms. As the story unfolds, Gemma discovers that nothing, and noone, is as ...more

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Jan 13, 2008

Alyssa rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys wearing pants.

Shelves: favorites, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

WOW.

Spoilers ahead.

The Rose of Battle: By William Butler Yeats

ROSE of all Roses, Rose of all the World!
The tall thought-woven sails, that flap unfurled
Above the tide of hours, trouble the air,
And God’s bell buoyed to be the water’s care;
While hushed from fear, or loud with hope, a band 5

With blown, spray-dabbled hair gather at hand.
Turn if you may from battles never done,
I call, as they go b...more

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Mar 14, 2008

Rebecca rated it

· review of another edition

ok. if you can get past the "Realms" and the 800+pages, it's not bad... The ending, while predictable, is a bit better than decent.
it, like great and terrible beauty, hits its mark with the intended audience--well enough that I can acknowledge its accomplishment.

After moaning, audibly, at the kitchen table, a week or so ago, and drawing the attention of my father, I read a passage aloud to him. His response: "Oh my. That's horrendous!"

It was th...more

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Dec 03, 2009

Tatiana rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: only those who want to know how it all ends very badly

Shelves: 2009, ya, tres-annoying, series-dropped-lost-steam, historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thankfully, this is over. I thought I would never get through this last installment of Gemma Doyle trilogy. Why, oh why does this book have to be so long? Take out 300-400 pages of unnecessary secondary characters and going nowhere plot lines, its 5 epilogues, and "The Sweet Far Thing" would be a reasonably decent book (I suppose). But alas, Bray chooses to ruin her own rather original series with this endless and bizarre last installment.

I've read quite a few reviews and k...moreThankfully, this is over. I thought I would never get through this last installment of Gemma Doyle trilogy. Why, oh why does this book have to be so long? Take out 300-400 pages of unnecessary secondary characters and going nowhere plot lines, its 5 epilogues, and "The Sweet Far Thing" would be a reasonably decent book (I suppose). But alas, Bray chooses to ruin her own rather original series with this endless and bizarre last installment.

I've read quite a few reviews and know how many people are disappointed with the ending. I don't really mind where all the characters end up in this story, but I rather mind how and why they get there.

Gemma's books have never been about romance for me. The underlying idea of these books is women's independence, I get it. So I probably wouldn't have minded Kartik's sacrifice if it made any sense. For me, he dies because of Gemma's stupidity. Should she have done what she promised to do in the end of book 2 (divide the magic among the inhabitants of the realms), none of the events in the books would have happened. Thus his death is pointless in my opinion. In fact, the more I think of the details of Kartik's death, the less I understand what and why exactly happened to him. Basically, Gemma stabs the Tree releasing Winterlands' magic, Kartik sucks in this magic, then pours the magic into Gemma and then becomes a part of the Tree. WTH just happened? Why does he even have to do it? If the Tree doesn't have any more magic, how can it have this power to accept his sacrifice and why is it needed? If the Tree still holds on its evil power, how does Kartik's sacrifice change anything? Doesn't it mean that the Tree will continue its evil business in the Winterlands and will eventually corrupt Kartik the same way it did Eugenia? How is this a solution?

Now to Felicity and Pippa. Seriously, where does the gay issue come from? I have no objections to homosexuality being portrayed in YA literature, but it is handled very heavy-handedly by Bray in this book. First of all, there is no clue about this in the first two books - Felicity is caught kissing a gypsy man, Pippa dreams of a knight in shiny armor. This leads me to believe that this turn in the girls' relationship is an afterthought on Bray's part. Another issue here is that considering that Felicity is only 16 and a victim of sexual abuse, can we really be sure that her newly found sexual preference is a real one and not caused by the abuse? I just think Bray shouldn't have brought up this issue if she didn't have time to handle it responsibly and thoughtfully.

Lastly, “The Sweet Far Thing” is an unbearably long and convoluted tale that needs editing badly. First two books have a great balance of real and supernatural with a great women’s independence message. This third book is unnecessarily full of numerous subplots, redundant scenes, and pages of feminist propaganda. I understand Bray wanted to give us her opinion on about every women’s issue out there, but it doesn’t translate into a good book.

Overall, a disappointing conclusion to an imaginative and original series. I don’t necessarily regret reading the trilogy, but I will definitely not recommend it to anyone. Two stars only because I was able to finish it and it gives some kind of closure.

Reading challenge: #14 - 3 of 4
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Oct 26, 2008

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

i’ve finally finished the eight hundred some pages of The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. And I must say that in the last two days I have felt what I believe to be every possible emotion there is. I almost find myself at a loss for words in the shock that I still feel.

We once again join in the adventures of the girls of Spence that we have grown to love. The story once is centered on the magic of the Realms and what Gemma must to with it now that she has bound it to herself. Although ...morei’ve finally finished the eight hundred some pages of The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. And I must say that in the last two days I have felt what I believe to be every possible emotion there is. I almost find myself at a loss for words in the shock that I still feel.

We once again join in the adventures of the girls of Spence that we have grown to love. The story once is centered on the magic of the Realms and what Gemma must to with it now that she has bound it to herself. Although I rather enjoyed the underlying storyline of Gemma and Kartik, which is just one of many that concludes this tale.

It seems that everyone and everything are against Gemma. She can’t seem to open the portal since Christmas and she no longer feels the magic within herself. She fears that the magic has not chosen her to continue in the Order. The mysterious East Wing is being rebuilt and a masked ball is to be held in its wake. And Gemma has still not seen Kartik, and his whereabouts are also a constant strain on her thoughts.

When all else fails Gemma feels she will never return to the realms until a mysterious stone is found in the midst of the East Wing construction. Which turns out to be a secret door in which she has seen in her visions complements of a Miss Wilhelmina Wyatt, former Spence Lady and author of A History of Secret Societies.

Once back in the Realms, Gemma cannot deny the changes that are happening around her, but yet she is still not ready to share the power. Gemma must carry around the responsibility of the magic, figure out whom she can trust, try to help her friends and also work toward her debut season! No wonder it took eight hundred pages!

Bray does not disappoint in the final chapter of Gemma’s tale. The plot twists where plenty! Felicity was her brash self and Ann as insecure as ever, but in the end these girls surprised me for the better! The writing was detailed and painted vivid pictures even more so than the two previous books. I couldn’t put it down, and now that’s it over I fear I will miss these girls.(less)

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May 11, 2008

Britt rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, feminism, fiction, relationships, ya, history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think I liked this one the best of the three in the trilogy. I can’t be sure because I read the other two about two years ago, and I just have a vague impression of them. The first two were interesting, but I didn’t really connect with the story. Clearly, I liked them enough to read the whole trilogy though. Looking at the size of each book, I am guessing the first two were more tightly plotted, at least.

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The Sweet Far Thing had a lot of good and a lot of bad. ...more

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Feb 19, 2008

Sunny Rae rated it

· review of another edition

I cannot even describe my love for this trilogy. It is simply amazing.
Girls finding their wings, and finding their light and dark corners. You will have to read to find out what that means.
lol, it is beautifully written, this author does not twist the truth, which i love. She tells the story as if it might happen to everyone, like the characters own personal plots. There are many unexpected twists(huge crying moments)
I really did find out more about myself. The person i want t...more

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Mar 26, 2008

Elizabeth rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, in-by-of-england, vamps-and-other-mythical-beasts, reviewed, victorians-and-wannabes, senselessness-and-insensibility, revenge-of-the-goths, fantasy-sci-fi

In true Victorian novel fashion, The Sweet Far Thing is too long.

*yawn*

*yawn*

Sorry, even the last 100 pages required skimming to get through them. There was so much self sacrifice, so much coming to understand ones own character, so much facing ones fears, and so much -- writing. This is a long book.

Anyone who has seen my reading lists knows that I'm not afraid of the Victorians and their complex, often moralizing tales of life, love, loss, and th...more

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Dec 31, 2007

Cyndy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, blew-me-away, heart-breakers

Okay, I'm going to start off with a warning. I will be talking in detail about how this book made me feel and if you haven't read it yet it is possible that my feelings will give away a crucial plot point. With that all I can say is I feel raw. Absolutely raw. I couldn't breathe. And I cried. A lot of tears were shed. The ending is by far one of the most brilliant, brave things I have EVER read, that does not mean that it wasn't absolutely horrible to read. And knowing that it was necessary, tha...more

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Dec 03, 2011

Leanne rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: uk-19th-century, high-fantasy, disappointing, ya-pnr-romance, victorian

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Dear Ms.Bray,

I have just finished your massive final book to the Gemma Doyle trilogy, and all I could think now is "why?!" Why did you do this? You had 800+ pages of potential, yet you totally blew it.

I must begin by saying that the first 200 pages were a drag. Gemma and the girls rarely if at all entered the realms, and the plot mostly goes about aimlessly, with little plot lines that lead nowhere. Very tiresome, because I was hoping for magic...more

Dear Ms.Bray,

I have just finished your massive final book to the Gemma Doyle trilogy, and all I could think now is "why?!" Why did you do this? You had 800+ pages of potential, yet you totally blew it.

I must begin by saying that the first 200 pages were a drag. Gemma and the girls rarely if at all entered the realms, and the plot mostly goes about aimlessly, with little plot lines that lead nowhere. Very tiresome, because I was hoping for magic and the realms, and all the good stuff. When the plot finally(!) did turn to the realms, I was already bored out of my mind, and thinking, ok, only 450 pages left to go...380 pages... 200... 150...45... come on, amost there...

And the ending was an unpleasant shock. Like many other of your weeping fans, I hated how you killed Kartik off. However, my issue wasn't that I desperately wanted for Kartik and Gemma to be together, no, it wasn't that. I had a problem with the way you described the *sacrifice* (if it was at all needed). Why, why, why did Kartik have to kill himself to save the realms? The explanation was lacking. And then the ridiculous, baffling, completely unbelievable outcome....no words. Just no words.

Also, Gemma's decision to go to America was just completely unexpected, because it seemed like a snap decision with no forthought or planning. Almost as if you were thinking, "okay, what should I do with Gemma now that Kartik is dead?".

And not to mention, the sexual relationship between Felicity and Pippa, and their eventually passionate kiss MADE. NO. SENSE. In no way did you give any hints in the first two books.

So Libba, I think you better start picking up slack and start writing like you used to. I really adored your first two Gemma Doyle novels, but "The Sweet Far Thing" (even the title doesn't make sense) was a disaster. I'm hoping that this novel was a fluke. Just a mess up. Maybe you had other stuff going on your life, whatever. I only that sometime soon you'll be writing magic again.

Sincerely,

Leanne(less)

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May 29, 2008

Myra rated it

· review of another edition

This book was wonderful! I'm very sad to see the Gemma Doyle trilogy come to an end, but Bray sure took it out with a bang in The Sweet Far Thing.

Rather than talk about what happens in the novel, I want to touch upon one thing that really held my interest throughout all three novels: the discontent that Gemma feels over the restraints and limitations placed upon girls and women. Bray takes the opportunity through Gemma, Felicity, and Ann to make her female readers aware of the exp...moreThis book was wonderful! I'm very sad to see the Gemma Doyle trilogy come to an end, but Bray sure took it out with a bang in The Sweet Far Thing.

Rather than talk about what happens in the novel, I want to touch upon one thing that really held my interest throughout all three novels: the discontent that Gemma feels over the restraints and limitations placed upon girls and women. Bray takes the opportunity through Gemma, Felicity, and Ann to make her female readers aware of the expectations placed upon women during that era. Gemma and Felicity, most markedly, do not want to fall victim to the rank and classification system in regards to being female. Ann tries her best to not fall into the social class of servitude, although she doesn't have nearly quite as much spunk as Gemma and Felicity. These girls see no reason why they shouldn't be able to be who they want to be, dress the way they want to, live they way they want to, etc. There's a good little history lesson here for young girls about the fight that in which women have had to engage in order to gain respect and equality in this world. Bray doesn't go overboard with the idea, but she does drive the point home.

One of my favorite passages from this book is below:

Felicity takes both my hands in hers. My bones ache from her grip. "Gemma, you see how it is. They've planned our entire lives, from what we shall wear to whom we shall marry and where we shall live. It's one lump of sugar in your tea whether you like it or not and you'd best smile even if you're dying deep inside. We're like pretty horses, and just as on horses, they mean to put blinders on us so we can't look left or right but only straight ahead where they would lead." Felicity puts her forehead to mine, holds my hands between hers in a prayer. "Please, please, please, Gemma, let's not die inside before we have to." (page 601)

To me, it seems as if Bray might have left this series open-ended enough for another novel. A reader can always hope, right?(less)

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Jun 21, 2011

Isabel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, reviewed, cover-love

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 04, 2009

Heather rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-historical-fiction, ya-witches-wizards, ya-and-children-loved-to-favorites, loved-to-favorites

I think it is a great testament to an author’s skill in writing prose, when they can evoke within you such emotions that makes you want to throw your book across the room, when the characters are being stupid, blind, or just acting in ways that are so frustrating you want to scream at them. Or, it is a well written story when your own heart beats against your ribcage when the main protagonist is feeling love, fear, or anger.

In my opinion, what also makes for a good book is when y...more

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Dec 27, 2009

♫ נєηη - ѕσυℓ σƒ ѕσυη∂ ♫ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: novel, series, supernatural, books-i-got-shivers-from, covers-i-♥, most-memorable-characters, must-reads-before-you-die, writers-i-look-up-to, favorites

Wow. I am literally searching up all the synonyms for amazing. This book was awesome, fascinating, incredible, marvelous, prodigious, shocking, stunning, surprising, unbelievable, wonderful, astonishing, and beyond. (Thanks, thesaurus.reference.com! XD)) So. Yeah. It was a great ending to the Gemma Doyle series. Not too happy. I like that. Because, truthfully, happy things creep me out. Okay. I have to go to dinner right now. I'll update later.

Okay. Things to discuss... *looks on lon...moreWow. I am literally searching up all the synonyms for amazing. This book was awesome, fascinating, incredible, marvelous, prodigious, shocking, stunning, surprising, unbelievable, wonderful, astonishing, and beyond. (Thanks, thesaurus.reference.com! XD)) So. Yeah. It was a great ending to the Gemma Doyle series. Not too happy. I like that. Because, truthfully, happy things creep me out. Okay. I have to go to dinner right now. I'll update later.

Okay. Things to discuss... *looks on long imaginary list* Yay, lists.

**SPOILERS START HERE**

1.) Kartik becoming the Tree of All Souls or whatever it was called- you know, I'll just call it the TOAS. ._. Cornelius the toad!

Heh. Sorry. XP

Okay. So. Ja. Um, it was really surprising, and *SPOILER FOR THE BOOK THIEF* it reminded me a lot of what happened between Liesel and Rudy. I mean, their friendships built up so high (*shudders* Personification. English is taking an impact on me.), and they just fell down because a.) Rudy died and b.) Kartik became the tree. *SPOILER FOR THE BOOK THIEF OVER* I mean, that truly made me sad. Of course, I wasn't crying, because it's very rare for me to cry about something that happened in a book. My breathing just goes really out of whack and I stare at the book for ten minutes, realizing that my mom is yelling at me to get out of the car. BUT. That's not the point. I also found it really depressing how Kartik's last words were "Gemma", and they seem to echo or something. I don't know. I had to return the book. So. Aw. How cute. And it doesn't disgust me, actually. XP

2.) Pippa: Truthfully, I didn't find Pippa intimidating. I didn't find her scary. I didn't find her evil. I didn't find her cruel. I just found her ANNOYING. She was like one of the people that I've always had the urge to beat up and steal their money, but someone's around watching, just wanting to punish me. And I was like, "Okay, so she sacrificed Mr. Darcy. More reasons for me to hate her.

3.) The Winterlands: Wow, those parts were freaking awesome. The descriptions, and I could just feel the tension. Wonderful. Just. Wonderful. [:

You know, I think that's it. If something else pops up, I will most definitely post it.

:]

*SPOILERS OVER*

Book overview: So. Just. Plain. Great. Wonderful. Whatever you want to call it. If I can read an 819 paged book in about 3 or 4 days, it means I am most definitely entranced.(less)

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Oct 29, 2008

Heather G Gentle rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Beth and Elissa

Apparently my extreme love of this book isn't that common-- but I found this to be a fantastic book! The trilogy in general is one of the most entertaining I've read.
I admit this one was probably a little long-- but I actually thought most of it added to the story detail quite nicely. There were a few odd things that seemed to be thrown in there just for the "surprise value" but it wasn't enough to take away from this book.

Although some say it was predictable-- ...more

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Jul 22, 2008

Jenny rated it

· review of another edition

I love this book. I love the entire series. I found them first in seventh grade, but the third one hadn't come out yet. I was scanning my middle school library's shelves, when I noticed an interesting cover near one of my favorite book series. I read the back and I thought the plot was interesting. So I decided to give it a chance and read it. I thought they were great. I mean, I really didn't consider them as some of my favorite books. Eventually, I went on with my life and sort of forgot about...more

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Mar 21, 2008

Nian rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fantasty, but also for everyone else

Shelves: 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Now that Gemma Doyle has bound the realms magic to herself, she is the only one in possession of great power. Her promise to share that power with other tribes proves a nagging thought—something that must be done, except Gemma is unwilling to part with it. She needs it more now that Ann and Felicity’s freedom depends on it. With all sides forcing her to make allegiances and Gemma struggling to find the perfect solution, no one can be sure what will happen.

I love this series. It’s si...moreNow that Gemma Doyle has bound the realms magic to herself, she is the only one in possession of great power. Her promise to share that power with other tribes proves a nagging thought—something that must be done, except Gemma is unwilling to part with it. She needs it more now that Ann and Felicity’s freedom depends on it. With all sides forcing her to make allegiances and Gemma struggling to find the perfect solution, no one can be sure what will happen.

I love this series. It’s simply amazing. The words, the different characters, the dialogue, the storyline. I have trouble writing reviews for books I simply love, mostly because I don’t know how to word my praises. Everything is just so good that I’m afraid my words don’t do it justice. It’s one of the books that you have to read to find out for yourself just how much you adore it.

This book holds a string of shockers.

First, Felicity. I never expected her to be a lesbian. I can’t believe I never saw Pippa and her relationship as anything deeper than friendship until the moment Gemma realized it. It’s an interesting side-line though, because this is the Victorian times where people don’t think much about sexuality. Or if they do, it’s not such an open issue. I kind of don’t like the way Felicity’s ending isn’t that definite—she might look for love in another girl in France, but you don’t know whether that’s successful or not.

Next, Eugenia Spence. Did not expect her to be behind this at all, or the fact that Circe is actually semi-good. It's a bit confusing, actually. How did Circe become good? Hm. I guess my imagination will have a nice time figuring that out.

Finally, the ending. I’ve been rooting for Gemma and Kartik since the first book. And now that their romance has deepened, why did Kartik have to die? I nearly cried. Anyone else and I wouldn’t have cared (like Felicity; I cannot stand her!) but Kartik? It’s just so sad. He’s the only other character that I loved aside from Gemma, because of how noble and honest he is. He’s a believer in fate, destiny, much like me. But of course, those traits are the very ones that lead him to his death where he sacrifices himself to save Gemma. I like that act, but I still don’t want him dead. Someone else could have done that part, you know.

It’s amazing how much you can learn from this book. It’s not only just a fantasy read with a witty girl heroine and some magic to pass the time. There’s depth: this book explores the idea of possessing power, the consequences, and people feeling as if they don’t belong. It makes you think about what you might do if you’re given that kind of responsibility and magic to use. You can make your life easier with money, beauty, and/or status. Anything and everything within your heart’s desire. It’s a scary thought of what you can accomplish and how that might corrupt your soul in the end. It’s a powerful storyline and message.

Now I’m just hoping Miss Bray will write another book. But let that have a happy ending.
(less)

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Feb 22, 2008

Julie rated it

· review of another edition

After reading the first book it was good enough to keep reading the other books although I didn't love it. I really liked the second book, but after the whole series was finished I was rather disappointed. I thought the story was compelling, but if you're looking for a book appropriate for you teenage girls this is not it. There are far too many points of view that if you call yourself Christian you will probably have a problem with. I really wanted to like these books, but after the insertion o...more

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Feb 14, 2008

Emily rated it

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The gothic-Victorian-fantasy concludes, at last, with an 800-page behemoth of a book that is more of the same; it’s the kind of thing you’ll like if you like that kind of thing. Boarding-school student Gemma Doyle has the power to enter a magical world known as the realms; she also has just bound the magic of the realms to herself, promising to make an alliance with the other creatures of the realms and share her magic. However, everybody is targeting her for her power now, both inside and outsi...moreThe gothic-Victorian-fantasy concludes, at last, with an 800-page behemoth of a book that is more of the same; it’s the kind of thing you’ll like if you like that kind of thing. Boarding-school student Gemma Doyle has the power to enter a magical world known as the realms; she also has just bound the magic of the realms to herself, promising to make an alliance with the other creatures of the realms and share her magic. However, everybody is targeting her for her power now, both inside and outside the realms, and with all the complications in her life and her friends’ lives, she’s tempted to keep the power for herself for just a little longer.

Alas, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first two books. Maybe it’s the sheer length that makes its flaws stand out more. It’s one thing that the voice sounds a lot less authentic when I read it on the heels of a genuinely Victorian novel; it’s another when I find myself getting thrown out of the story by the anachronisms and moralizing and Social Problems. I don’t really want to be confronted with cutting and child abuse when I’m reading a girly-Victorian-gothic, and I’m irritated that Gemma is a 21st century liberal atheist feminist. I’m not saying there weren’t liberal atheist feminists in the 19th century, but their attitudes weren’t 21st century ones!

It wouldn’t be a historical YA novel without unnecessary cameos, but Oscar Wilde pops up just so the author can put lines in a character’s mouth: “True affection and love have a purity which shall always prevail over bigotry.” Admirable sentiment, but it doesn’t have a real motivation in the context of the story. That, and the speeches about war and peace, don’t belong to the time and place of the book. They seem too modern, too political, too Relevant.

Are all upper-class Victorian girls fated to be shallow twits with narrow corsets and narrow minds, or miserable and resigned, or miserable and rebellious? Somehow I can only think it has to be more complicated than that, and in this book it isn’t.

Still, there’s a lot of thrilling scenes, a lot of drama, a lot of adventure, and as a squealy-girly-book it’s a lot more satisfying than that other wildly popular squealy-girly-dark-romantic-paranomal trilogy (you know the one).

(less)

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Feb 14, 2008

JoLee rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, childrens-young-adult, audio

This book is long and the first half takes some slogging through because that is where we see Gemma make so, so many mistakes. It gets rather tiresome to see how she continually doubts what she sees, wallows in indecision, trusts the wrong people, and has run-ins with her friends. Can't Gemma have just one confidant? Just one person who will actually understand that there is sometime serious going on in the Realms? Just one person who doesn't want the magic for her or his own gain? Ok. I gues...more

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Jan 08, 2008

Taylor S rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: anybody

OMG!!! This is one of the best books I've ever read. Gemma is back at Spence for this final chapter in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. She is overcome by visions of a woman in a lavender dress that beckons her to the realms. Aided by her friends, Felicity, Ann, and Kartik, Gemma must destroy a mysterious tree deep in the Winterlands to ensure that the creatures of the Winterlands don't take over the mortal world.
I LOVED this book. It has everything that I really like in a book: Magic, Adventure,...more

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Oct 15, 2008

Emma rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who like fantasy and to people who like the Victorian age

Shelves: favorite-books, romance, action, historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 19, 2008

Cat rated it

· review of another edition

700 pages of this book are totally useless. Seriously. I admit that my reading habits during the term aren't conducive to falling in love with long books because I tend to read them in such fragments. But this book I read mostly in enormous hunks. And even though it is a quick read in terms of style, Bray seems to want to be J.K. Rowling and imagines that she has created this huge world here with lots of intricate characters and terrain and oodles of plot twists in the last book of the trilo...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Pippa	5	32	Jan 16, 2012 12:31pm
The Sweet Far Thing--who loved it?	10	32	Jan 08, 2012 11:24am
Needs a different ending!!	82	247	Aug 30, 2011 06:10pm
what will happen?	1	14	May 05, 2009 01:01pm
What is this?	1	20	Jan 08, 2009 05:52pm
What happens to Kartik and Gemma!	122	156	Sep 12, 2008 02:02pm

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About Libba Bray

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets...more

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A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1)

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The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle #3)

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