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What Members Thought
Gemma has just turned 16 in her home in India when she has a strange vision that foretells her mother’s death. From there, she is transported to England to attend Spence, a boarding school for girls. Gemma, along with three of her classmates, uncover a secret society that dabbles in mysticism, and Gemma has the power to harness this magic and transport them all to different realms, to worlds they would never experience otherwise. But danger lurks around every corner in the mystic unknown, and in
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I feel like if I summarize even the first little bit of this book for you, I will spoil some important and suspenseful plot point, so I will give you just some bizarre thematic/scenic details instead. This book is about a teenage girl with supernatural powers. It is also a gothic thriller. It is also a sort of feminist manifesto. It has no perfect characters, which is refreshing. And there is one very cool teacher in it.
I listened to the audio book of A Great and Terrible Beauty, and while I enj ...more
I listened to the audio book of A Great and Terrible Beauty, and while I enj ...more
I'd been hearing so many rave reviews about this book, a Victorian tale about girls at a boarding school who discover a kind of magic that they use without understanding its origin or implications. The main characer, Gemma, is immediately likeable, although her circle of friends isn't - they fall together almost by accident but become the closest of friends after realizing that they can step from their world into some kind of beautiful alternate realm. Only Gemma understands that something sinis
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This excellent YA novel was a clever blend of the historical, supernatural, and boarding-school-drama; on the whole a page-turner to the end. I liked it!
So. I've decided that I like Libba Bray, but I just can't get into the whole petticoats and corsets deal. Steampunk or fantasy or magical realism... regardless. It's just not my bag. And yet I keep trying to read it. I'm glad to tick an item off my "books which have been on my Currently Reading list for months, half-finished" list though.
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I would actually recommend listening to the audio book of this title. The reader is the best I've ever heard. Plus, the story is haunting and beautiful. A great YA mystery.
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This ended up being a good book but the story took sometime to start moving.
Mar 06, 2007
Jenny
marked it as not-compelled-to-read-this-anymore
