From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

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

Libba Bray

Start date: October 1, 2011

Finish date: October 31, 2011

Discussion: Books of the Month

Why we're reading this: We voted and this one was chosen as the October YA BOM. Link to discussion;
http://www.goodreads.com/topic …more
[close] We voted and this one was chosen as the October YA BOM. Link to discussion;
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...

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What Members Thought

Dec 09, 2010 Logan rated it liked it

Shelves: borrowed-library, historical-fiction, young-adult

First impressions: Wow. The first few chapters of this book are gorgeous. Gemma is a feisty 16 British girl living in India with her parents, and witnesses the tragic death of her mother under mysterious circumstances she has a difficult time processing. We don't know what Gemma saw, but it was scary and strange and compelling.

Lasting impressions: I think the summary says it best. This book is complicated. The friends Gemma makes in her new English boarding school are difficult to like, because ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 16, 2008 Jen B rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009

Enjoyed this one far more than I thought I would. A bit Harry Potter-esque (i.e. Lonely, orphaned child sent to boarding school where they unlock magical powers they never knew they possessed), but the Victorian-era spin and girl's perspective give the story a fresh twist. And Gemma's racy fantasies about the mysterious Kartik might leave you a little hot under the corset. Looking forward to the next books in the trilogy. ...more

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Feb 28, 2008 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

Super-duper!!! I don't recall much about it, except really liking it. It was the first fiction in a long time to capture my attention. Such a captivating story and characters!

At the booktalk, I pray I was more eloquent than this. ;) ...more

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