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Circes Rückkehr
(Gemma Doyle #2)
by
Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s vis
...more
Paperback, 656 pages
Published
December 1st 2007
by dtv
(first published August 23rd 2005)
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Do NOT read this series if you feel like you hate the whole world. Because these three girls—Gemma, Felicity and Ann—will make you want to bang your head against a wall. But please do read it if the combination of silly and serious intrigues you and you feel like losing yourself in a deeply fascinating world-building.

So I emailed a friend today and explained that the only way I could think of to describe this series was to imagine tossing Mean Girls & The Craft (both of the cheesy teen movie persuasion) into a blender with the whole Harry Potter English boarding school concept just to see what comes out. And what results is an addicting, fast-paced story that is difficult to put down.
I’m actually a bit shocked by how engrossing this story has become. Libba Bray wields literary red herrings quite masterf ...more
I’m actually a bit shocked by how engrossing this story has become. Libba Bray wields literary red herrings quite masterf ...more

WrensReads Review:
I need everyone to read this series. It touches on so many topics and it’s just such a pretty tale.
There will be spoilers from the first book, but no spoilers for this current book.
One of the four has passed away from the real world. Felicity, Ann and Gemma are all dealing with the death of their dear friend Pippa in their own ways. Mostly everyone blames Gemma, including Gemma herself, even though no one forced Pippa to eat from the realms.
They have not been back from the rea ...more
I need everyone to read this series. It touches on so many topics and it’s just such a pretty tale.
There will be spoilers from the first book, but no spoilers for this current book.
One of the four has passed away from the real world. Felicity, Ann and Gemma are all dealing with the death of their dear friend Pippa in their own ways. Mostly everyone blames Gemma, including Gemma herself, even though no one forced Pippa to eat from the realms.
They have not been back from the rea ...more

I loved the GR reviewer's crack that this series was like a mashup of The Craft + Mean Girls in Harry Potter. My take on it just as I was settling into the second book was "Picnic at Hanging Rock on acid." In this one, the Magickal Rules are still just about as bad as the Magickal Geography, there are several entirely unbelievable visits to Bedlam, an OPIUM DEN, a suitor offering absinthe at a ball....you get the idea. But the adolescent female characters are all well-drawn and I love how their
...more

Series review video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2qPN...
Edit: It's only a few weeks since I read this but I have since finished the series and am lowering my rating of this book from 2 stars to 1 star because the things I found to be problematic were never redeemed and I cannot overlook them.
Original review:
There were more things I didn't like than I liked, which causes it to fall just below a middle of the road rating.
TL;DR - Predictable, run of the mill historical fiction with occasional ...more
Edit: It's only a few weeks since I read this but I have since finished the series and am lowering my rating of this book from 2 stars to 1 star because the things I found to be problematic were never redeemed and I cannot overlook them.
Original review:
There were more things I didn't like than I liked, which causes it to fall just below a middle of the road rating.
TL;DR - Predictable, run of the mill historical fiction with occasional ...more

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

I was really scared of how this book would turn out because I loved the first book in the series. And I didn't want any of the characters to die or anything. But I had to pick this book up because I wanted to know what happens next. And I am so glad that I picked it up.
“Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find.”
This book continues off after A Great and Terrible Beauty, it is the second book in the series. If you haven't heard about it, it's pretty much about a girl named Ge ...more
“Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find.”
This book continues off after A Great and Terrible Beauty, it is the second book in the series. If you haven't heard about it, it's pretty much about a girl named Ge ...more

Loved it!! *4.5*
At first I was kind of on the fence about it, but the last 100 pages were awesome, and totally captivated me.
Loved:
-The depth of the relationships between Gemma, Felicity, and Ann. I enjoyed seeing Felicity grow and show a more vulnerable side.
-The change in Gemma. I felt she really matured and stepped up to the plate in the end and I feel more connected to her than I did in the first book.
-The love interests. Now she has Simon and Kartik. I went back and forth on who I was root ...more
At first I was kind of on the fence about it, but the last 100 pages were awesome, and totally captivated me.
Loved:
-The depth of the relationships between Gemma, Felicity, and Ann. I enjoyed seeing Felicity grow and show a more vulnerable side.
-The change in Gemma. I felt she really matured and stepped up to the plate in the end and I feel more connected to her than I did in the first book.
-The love interests. Now she has Simon and Kartik. I went back and forth on who I was root ...more

OMG. Okay. I have to get The Sweet Far Thing. Like. now. Blast... it's only in hardcover... I don't know what to do. My brain isn't working.
So far I love this series way too much to be healthy. You know you've got me hooked when I start going all delusional and forget that there is this thing called reality, and that I shouldn't be sitting in bed with my eyes closed trying to picture a door of light.
But more than just the fantastical element... I really enjoyed how much more we learned about th ...more
So far I love this series way too much to be healthy. You know you've got me hooked when I start going all delusional and forget that there is this thing called reality, and that I shouldn't be sitting in bed with my eyes closed trying to picture a door of light.
But more than just the fantastical element... I really enjoyed how much more we learned about th ...more

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

Dec 08, 2008
Kei
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who hated Twilight for its anti-feminism
Recommended to Kei by:
People who hated Twilight for its alleged anti-feminism
Find the bloody Temple and bind the stupid magic already! All of the contrived riddles and guessing games, near death experiences, etc., just didn't do it for me because this story has been drawn-out with other filler stories just to make the book unnecessarily thick. Oooh 548 pages...why not go for an even 600? Just add another meaningless event, like Simon tells Gemma more juicy gossip or take her on a shoplifting spree.
This one wasn't as enthralling as the first book in the trilogy (A Great ...more
This one wasn't as enthralling as the first book in the trilogy (A Great ...more

I enjoyed "Rebel Angels" just as much as I did its predecessor - "A Great and Terrible Beauty."
In this book Bray continues exploring constraints of Victorian society, and their suffocating effects on young women's lives. This time we go beyond the borders of the finishing school - Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are in London for their Christmas holidays. We accompany them to opera, ball, and various social events. To add to already dark Gothic atmosphere of the story, we visit an insane asylum and an ...more
In this book Bray continues exploring constraints of Victorian society, and their suffocating effects on young women's lives. This time we go beyond the borders of the finishing school - Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are in London for their Christmas holidays. We accompany them to opera, ball, and various social events. To add to already dark Gothic atmosphere of the story, we visit an insane asylum and an ...more

Nov 13, 2014
Lauren Kammerdiener
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
london,
2015,
own,
young-adult,
steampunk,
historical-fiction,
fantasy,
magic,
fiction,
reviewed
Rebel Angels did a lot more for me than its precursor, A Great and Terrible Beauty. This I'm mainly going to attribute to the London setting, which I loved probably too much.
Bray's Victorian London was dark and interesting, and you got to see a lot of it, which I really appreciated. Her London society, however, I found a little wobbly and lacking at certain points, but it still gave the story an enjoyable twist.
One thing I do like about this series is that it addresses certain issues that are ne ...more
Bray's Victorian London was dark and interesting, and you got to see a lot of it, which I really appreciated. Her London society, however, I found a little wobbly and lacking at certain points, but it still gave the story an enjoyable twist.
One thing I do like about this series is that it addresses certain issues that are ne ...more

Jun 28, 2010
Andrez
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
who read the 1st
Shelves:
zzz-2010,
in-english
Book Name: Rebel Angels
Author/s: Libba Bray
Language English
Original Title:Rebel Angels
Publisher, year: Simon and Schuster, 2007
Page total:548
Date Read: june 27-28
Genre/s: YA, fantasy, paranormal, historical fiction
First line of Book:"Herein lies the faithful and true account of my last sixty days, by Kartik, brother of Amar, loyal son of the Rakshana, and of the strange visitation I received that has left me wary on this cold English night."
Review: This is a relatively good sequel to A GREAT AND ...more
Author/s: Libba Bray
Language English
Original Title:Rebel Angels
Publisher, year: Simon and Schuster, 2007
Page total:548
Date Read: june 27-28
Genre/s: YA, fantasy, paranormal, historical fiction
First line of Book:"Herein lies the faithful and true account of my last sixty days, by Kartik, brother of Amar, loyal son of the Rakshana, and of the strange visitation I received that has left me wary on this cold English night."
Review: This is a relatively good sequel to A GREAT AND ...more

Mar 22, 2011
Rhiannon
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned,
lady-writer,
read-in-2011,
snooty-brits,
brrrrr,
past-tenses,
ya-fantasy,
motherless,
whoa-setting,
i-love-this-author
Why do I like Rebel Angels so much more than A Great And Terrible Beauty?
That's easy: Balls.
Not THOSE kinds of balls. These kinds:

Maybe because all those par-tays made the pace of the novel seem faster and the story more compelling. But, also, we get to see Gemma interact with her family and the snooty-high-society all around her. This makes for some excellent characterization of both the major and secondary characters.
Would this series have been able to sustain itself without a love-triangle? ...more
That's easy: Balls.
Not THOSE kinds of balls. These kinds:

Maybe because all those par-tays made the pace of the novel seem faster and the story more compelling. But, also, we get to see Gemma interact with her family and the snooty-high-society all around her. This makes for some excellent characterization of both the major and secondary characters.
Would this series have been able to sustain itself without a love-triangle? ...more

I really loved Rebel Angels, much more than A Great and Terrible Beauty. It was magical, enchanting and truly captivating. I really love Gemma, and I think she is pretty damn awesome. She is intelligent, brave and curious and I think she had some great character development. The same can be said with Ann and Felicity, and while I sometimes dislike them, I have to admire they are pretty great characters. Pippa was a character which really surprised me in Rebel Angels and I can't wait to read more
...more

I think the story is getting even more interesting, and also a bit sad. It didn't take me long to read it either! Truly, these are such fun books, and the world behind the door of light is getting more and more interesting. In this sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, set two months after, a new, mysterious teacher has arrived at Spence, three ghostly girls are trying to give Gemma a message, and Kartik tells Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic that she let loose when she broke t
...more

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

Check out my video review: http://www.youtube.com/user/thereadab...

13-year-old me: these books are the greatest and I'm having an amazing time
25-year-old me: these books are not the greatest but I'm having an amazing time
25-year-old me: these books are not the greatest but I'm having an amazing time

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 I didn't think this was it. There are far too many points of view that conflicted with my beliefs. I really wanted to like these books, but after the insertion on homosexuality (hinted at in
...more

I'm surprised she did not see it coming! If you have read my review of the first book, you'd see at how I might be inconsistent with it. With a really good prose [this time], this is an excellent follow up of the first book.
It's good seeing the development of the characters, although I still think they are a hateful bunch. But it was still nice enough to make me want to read the last book in the series.!
It's good seeing the development of the characters, although I still think they are a hateful bunch. But it was still nice enough to make me want to read the last book in the series.!

Jun 15, 2017
Jessica Avery
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own
So far I'm loving this series. This book was quicker paced than the first one and goes into more detail about the realms. Makes you think you know things but then it turns out you're wrong. Highly recommend

This series is simply sweet droplets of bliss. I was overjoyed the entirety of reading this. These girls and their personalities were even more adored than the first book. READ THESE BOOKS EVERYONE! You won’t be disappointed, for they are lovely. ❤
...more

Aviso: para los que no leyeron el primer libro cierta información puede ser spoiler. Los de este libro los oculté.
Está considerablemente mejor que el primer libro, pero aun así le falta vuelo ¿Será por la cantidad de vida social que Gemma empieza a experimentar? ¿Será porque las amigas de ella siguen irritando, ya que parece que no se dan cuenta de que son las “normales”? ¿O será porque surge otro interés amoroso (como si uno solo no fuera suficiente para arruinar un libro) al que hay que sopo ...more
Está considerablemente mejor que el primer libro, pero aun así le falta vuelo ¿Será por la cantidad de vida social que Gemma empieza a experimentar? ¿Será porque las amigas de ella siguen irritando, ya que parece que no se dan cuenta de que son las “normales”? ¿O será porque surge otro interés amoroso (como si uno solo no fuera suficiente para arruinar un libro) al que hay que sopo ...more

I liked this book less than book 1, A Great and Terrible Beauty, probably because it felt as though the author decided to add a few heaping spoonfuls of More Social Issues to a book that didn't need them. Book 1's take on feminism and ways that teenage girls suck toward each other and themselves was a bit heavy-handed and artless, but certainly in line with general expectations of the genre. And therein, perhaps, lies the problem. I think we may have a case of an author who decided she wanted to
...more

In this is sequel to Libba Bray's excellent YA fantasy novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty, Gemma, Felicity and Anne venture to London over the Christmas holidays. Gemma finds a new love interest among the peerage and Felicity and Anne undertake a daring deception about Anne's social status. Amid the social whirl they continue to venture into the magical land of the realms, seeking to escape the strictures of their lives. But Circe's agents are closing in, hunting Gemma and a way to claim the mag
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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HMSA Summer Reading: Book Review: Rebel Angels | 2 | 7 | Aug 22, 2016 09:27PM | |
Around the Year i...: Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray | 1 | 11 | Jun 05, 2016 02:58AM | |
Simon | 3 | 54 | Sep 19, 2015 05:44AM | |
2017 Reading Chal...: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray | 3 | 24 | May 02, 2015 12:07PM | |
Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 2 | Feb 23, 2015 08:58AM | |
Reading Addicts: Rebel Angels Buddy Read | 24 | 11 | Nov 04, 2014 03:17AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray - start. Feb 28 2014 | 47 | 25 | Mar 05, 2014 04:34AM |
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 left on the cutting room floor. ...more
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 left on the cutting room floor. ...more
Other books in the series
Gemma Doyle
(3 books)
24 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find.”
—
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“What if evil doesn't really exist? What if evil is something dreamed up by man, and there is nothing to struggle against except out own limitations? The constant battle between our will, our desires, and our choices?”
—
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