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Feb 18, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

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33 comments like (74 people liked it)

Dec 30, 2007

Angie rated it:

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 More...

7 comments like (30 people liked it)

Dec 14, 2008

Erin rated it:

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10 comments like (20 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2008

Caroline rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (19 people liked it)

Mar 25, 2008

Jess rated it:

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...

7 comments like (17 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2008

Rebecca rated it:

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3 comments like (10 people liked it)

Feb 08, 2012

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

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...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 06, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

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...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2008

Alyssa rated it:

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3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Mar 14, 2008

Rebecca rated it:

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...

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 16, 2010

Tatiana rated it:

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23 comments like (17 people liked it)

Feb 26, 2011

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

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 More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

May 11, 2008

Britt rated it:

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4 comments like (11 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2008

Sunny Rae rated it:

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...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Mar 26, 2008

Elizabeth rated it:

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...

6 comments like (21 people liked it)

Dec 31, 2007

Cyndy rated it:

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...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Dec 21, 2011

Leanne rated it:

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0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 29, 2008

Myra rated it:

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 More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 11, 2011

Isabel rated it:

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2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2009

Heather rated it:

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...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 22, 2010

♫ נєηη - ѕσυℓ σƒ ѕσυη∂ ♫ rated it:

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 More...

6 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 29, 2008

Heather G rated it:

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...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 22, 2008

Jenny rated it:

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...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2008

Nian rated it:

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2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 22, 2008

Julie rated it:

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...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2008

Emily rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2008

JoLee rated it:

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...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2008

Taylor S rated it:

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...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 15, 2008

Emma rated it:

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0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 19, 2008

Cat rated it:

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...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

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