Rating: 
Summary: A remarkable book
Review: One of my biggest complaints about YA books is they tend to be predictable. A Great and Terrible Beauty is not one of those books. With it's historical setting, unique plot twists, a touch of romance, and a little fantasy, this is a great choice for an adolescent girl. Moms and dads won't find anthing objectional in this book, and any daugther that enjoys reading will enjoy this book. A small warning, this is not a light read. If you spend most of your time reading Lemney Snickett or Traveling Pants books, this may be a jump for you!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty decent
Review: The book starts out beautifully. Everything flows well, and it is very well written, until about 3/4ths the way threw the book. After that it starts to get a bit crazy. I dunno, I think the end of the book was just a little to out there for me. I was expecting this book to be light hearted and fun. But its all very dark. I suppose if you like that kind of thing go for it. It is a very quick read and I say if you have the time read it.
Rating:
Summary: Its not great, but its not terrible.
Review: This book I had my eye on for quite some time and when i finally bought it it wasnt what i suspected.
Gemma Doyle is sent to a private school for proper girls after her mother dies. While she is there Gemma finds out that she can go into a realm and find dead people and communicate with them. When she brings friends along with her, Kartrik, a boy who is apart of a group trying to stop her stays close to her. She soon finds herself in trouble and has to get out.
As you can see it was hard to explain it. This book did have its great spots that i really got in to but it was slow. I read this book in about a week and a couple of days (thats long for me) and i finished it mainly to see what would happen to a character and also to see if it got better. Also I felt that the author threw in things everyonce in a while to give it a new spin and it didnt go well with this story.
I really wished I didnt buy this book but oh well, maybe I'll forget about it and maybe read it again later.
Rating:
Summary: My Review on " A Great and Terrible Beauty"...
Review: When I first got this book, I didnt think that it was going to be as good as it really is. The minute you sit down and read this book you are almost "pulled into" the book. The descriptions are so vivid that it makes you feel like you are a character in the book. This book is so captivating it leaves you happy and satisfied at the end, but at the same time it really makes you want to read a sequel.
At first I never really understood why the author would choose the title as "A Great and Terrible Beauty" but as you begin to read more and more you begin to understand. The author is great at combining historical fiction, romance, adventure, danger, secrets, friendships, and enchanted worlds but most of all about the power of the main character, a mysterious girl.
Rating:
Summary: A new classic
Review: While labeled a Young Adult novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty will resonate with women of all ages. Gemma is everywoman -- with all the dreams and conflicts, flaws and exceptional gifts, righteousness and selfishness that weave the fabric of a living, breathing person. Finally, a period novel that doesn't condescend to the reader, or make dutiful "womanly" choices seem somehow noble or predestined. It also doesn't make the mistake of modernizing the characters in a way that would have been socially impossible during the time. When Gemma and her friends try to be more than future wives of rich men, we feel their struggle. And even as 21st Century women, we can relate.This is a book about magic -- to be literal, it is about a magical Order and the powers unlocked by a young, headstrong girl. But it is also about the magic we find (or choose to unleash) in our ordinary, mundane lives. Gemma and her friends represent the choices -- bad, good, well-intentioned and even those with malice -- that we all make. Beyond the themes of this book is the sheer poetry of it. Some passages beg to be read aloud. Bray has a lovely, subtle way with words. She doesn't clutter the story with vocabulary acrobatics -- but she'll knock you over with a spectacular turn of phrase. I was also impressed with the dialogue. It feels authentic without being stilted. I have given this book to all of my friends, and their daughters and nieces! But my husband loved Gemma's story, too. His comment: "It's like Harry Potter only better written and far more quirky and interesting." Gemma is a REAL heroine, not a bodice-ripped caricature. I can't wait to read the next in Gemma's series. More, Ms. Bray, MORE!!!
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