A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1) in The Dusty Bookshelf

May 13, 2012 Rachael rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012, books-i-own, reviewed, 2012-favorites

This review appeared first @ Moosubi Reviews!

Even though this book was released all the way back in 2003, A Great and Terrible Beauty was one of those books that everyone has read, except for me. To be honest, I had heard mixed responses at first about the book, but now I’m so glad I got a chance to read it ^__^

From beginning to end, Gemma was a great protagonist! At times, she has a sharp (but entertaining!) tongue, always fighting and biting back. But of course, at times she also seemed like a This review appeared first @ Moosubi Reviews!

Even though this book was released all the way back in 2003, A Great and Terrible Beauty was one of those books that everyone has read, except for me. To be honest, I had heard mixed responses at first about the book, but now I’m so glad I got a chance to read it ^__^

From beginning to end, Gemma was a great protagonist! At times, she has a sharp (but entertaining!) tongue, always fighting and biting back. But of course, at times she also seemed like a loving daughter or sister, still caring but also vulnerable. I loved seeing her character grow and evolve from beginning to end, while keeping the same charm that enchanted me in the first place! I also loved seeing her friendship with Felicity, Anne and Pippa grow – even though they each had distinctive personalities and backgrounds, they eventually grew to rely and trust each other.

At the beginning, I also found the plot to be only a tad bit slow, but it definitely got really exciting in the end! It's not to say that it was boring in the beginning, but compared to my excitement in the end, I suppose it did seem only a little bit slow, but really well developed! Eventually you also get to experience some enchanting magic, as well as some suspenseful twists (:

The book also takes place mainly in two worlds – the boarding school, and an eventual paradise. Even though the two worlds were very different from each other, I found the school to be haunting and charming in its Victorian fashion, while the “paradise” to be sort of dreamlike, but still haunting with its own magic. The building of the world really enchanted my experience with this book and added to the story!

On a side note, although I personally loved Libba’s fluid language, I do realize that it doesn’t appeal to a certain group of readers. To me it was quite beautiful, with a good amount of descriptions and a charming tone. If you’re at a book store or library, thinking about checking out this book, I suggest reading through the first few pages to see if the language appeals to you.

Overall, A Great and Terrible Beauty was a fantastic read, with a great plot throughout the book, strong characters, and a magical setting. I highly recommend this to all YA readers who haven’t had the chance to pick it up yet, especially if you love fantasy or historical fiction! ...more

Like · see review