The Gemma Doyle Trilogy- Libba Bray

I just realized it's been over a month since I last posted, mostly due to the fact that we welcomed a new little reader to our family and I've been too tired to read (but he's cute, so I forgive him)! But I finally finished "The Gemma Doyle Trilogy" which includes "A Great and Terrible Beauty", "Rebel Angels" and "The Sweet Far Thing." Set in the late 1800s in Victorian England, the story is about Gemma Doyle, who while at market with her mother at their home in India, experiences a terrible vision that comes true- her mother seemingly committing suicide by stabbing herself with a knife. Barely able to grieve, Gemma is shipped off to Spence Academy for girls in England. It's there that Gemma learns she is the heir to a great power that allows her to visit the "realms" where the dead who don't pass on remain, along with mystical and magical creatures all with their own agendas where Gemma is concerned. But the power doesn't come without a price and Gemma soon finds out that she is in the middle of a war between two secret societies and only she has the power to stop it and save both worlds.

I have to say I absolutely loved this trilogy. The juxtaposition of the Victorian era and being a teen-aged girl with incredible powers makes for a supremely interesting read in its own right, and the characters are all multi-faceted. Even those who at first seem nefarious and possibly evil all have many layers. Not one character is perfect in their good or evilness, including the heroine herself. Some are just victims of circumstance and others easily swayed. I absolutely recommend the trilogy as a great read- you won't be disappointed. It's a perfect blend of fantasy, history, mystery and forbidden romance.

I'd also like to thank the folks at 1DatingSite for adding us to their list of 50 Best Chick Lit Blogs!

Reviews coming soon: Superior Saturday and Brisinger.


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