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: A Great Book...And Certainly Not Terrible
Review: "Wow!" was all I could say after reading this book. I was awed by the characters, the setting and the lyracisim of the story, which seemed so believable despite its fantastical plot. The book centers around Gemma Doyle, a 16-year-old British teen living in India during the late 1800's. Anxious to go live in London, Gemma is miserable in this foreign land, to say the least. When her mother dies mysteriously, Gemma is sent to an English boarding school, Spence, to finish her education.
But trouble doesn't stop there. Gemma is haunted by mysterious visions, where she sees her mother, a young girl and a myserious beast. At the same time, she must attempt to assimilate into the elite Spence society. Later, Gemma uncovers the diary of Mary Dowd, which unleases the story of the Order, an old Spence society, no longer existing, that was comprised of girls who traveled to other realms and the spirit world. In addition, the secrets of Mary's death, and her friend Sarah's, are unraveled. When one of Gemma's new friends decides to reinstate the Order, Gemma and two others join her. But this coming-of-age heroine will quickly discover that all is not as it seems...and someone (something?) is after her.
This is an incredible story. It is well-written and captivating. The characters, especially Gemma's friend Felicity, literally seem to step off the pages and enter our world. But what really sets this book apart from any others is the way that Libba Bray has woven a sharp analysis of Victorian society into a gripping fictional tale. A Great and Terrible Beauty is a must-read that will stick with young adult readers long after the last page has been turned.
Rating: 
Summary: An irresistable read about society and magic
Review: I picked up this book because of the interesting cover (which I totally love) and intriguing plot. It didn't dissapoint me. I loved reading about the culture and the first person angle was a good choice for such an emotional and intricate setting. All of the characters are fully imaginable and their fears and triumphs enjoyable. the only reason this didn't get five stars was that the last one hundred or so pages seemed poorly written compared to the others. My interest declined, but by the end of the book, I was begging for more!. I would love to see this made into a movie.
Rating:
Summary: A gothic page turner!
Review: I really enjoyed escaping into this well crafted novel. Though is is classified as a young adult novel, it is in no way limited to that audience. I would characterize the novel as being in a gothic style-- a wonderful blend of mystery, suspense, the supernatural, darkness, and a touch of romance. But there is so much more to be found! _A Great and Terrible Beauty_ is also a story about friendship, the challenges of growing into adulthood, the experiences of burgeoning sexuality, of what it means to be an outsider. It also offers a wonderful glimpse into Victorian society and sensibilities.This is a book that I read in one sitting. I loved the characters, the well-paced plot, the mysteries, and the fact that it did not all turn out as expected. When I was done I immediately passed it along to a friend-- I just couldn't wait to share it.
Rating:
Summary: So Fresh And So Clean
Review: This was a great book so to all of you haters out there talking about this and that oh it was'nt good it was boring all i can say to you is that you are seriously full of sh** and just need to quit hating on my homes l-bray. Now i aint frontin about this book cuz when i say that it is the bomb i mean it. The only tiny flaw in this book in my opinion is that Gemma doesnt hook up with you know who but they prolly did that so they could make that happen in a sequal or sumfin. Now trust me i aint trippin this book is the bomb and one of my favorites Buy It but if ur like me and live in the ghetto than borrow it from someone or check it out from the library so to all my fellow ni***s and SA's find a way to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: 60% great, 20% terrible, 20% beautiful
Review: What, in your opinion, is more important: What an author has to say or how an author chooses to say it? Take, for example, Libby Bray's, "A Great and Terrible Beauty". Set in a Victorian era girl's boarding school, the book has the uneasy task of having a great voice and yet not much in the way of a plot. Bray struggles to weave together the different components that made up (wealthy) women's lives in 19th century Britain. At times she is exceedingly gifted. At others, she falls short of the mark.
Gemma Doyle was born and raised in India with her mother, father, and brother. Having just turned sixteen she is like any other adolescent girl, getting into squabbles with her mom and pouting that she cannot go to live in England. Deliverance for Gemma comes as a very mixed blessing when she witnesses her mother's suicide (in a vision, no less) and is sent to an all-girl's finishing school outside of London. Falling into the usual petty squabbles of popularity and independence, Gemma eventually comes to realize that there is more to the Spence Academy, and herself, than she could ever have known. In a madcap tale of gypsies, magical powers, and deep dark soul-sucking evil Gemma has to face up to her own personal demons as well as the very real spirits that wish her, and her friends, harm.
One one level, this is just your typical romantic bodice-ripper complete with virile dangerous young men and the comedy of manners that set the standards so long ago. Reading this book really seemed to me to be a kind of "The Craft" meets "The Little Princess". Gemma befriends both popular and unpopular alike and much of the book dwells on the problems haunting each of her friends. While Bray has an excellent voice for dialogue and situational comedy, I couldn't quite figure out what she was trying to say with her characters. One minute the two popular girls, Pippa and Felicity, would be playing incredibly cruel tricks on their classmates. Next, Gemma is their best friend and they all bare their souls over cups of whiskey. While the story really does make you feel as if these girls are getting closer, I found it very weird that when some of the girls go over the edge and deal in dark magics and (in a sense) murder, Gemma is perfectly willing to forgive them three pages later and never mention it again. There is no blame in this novel, a thing I found peculiar (especially when you're dealing with sixteen year-olds). When Gemma's friends get an innocent teacher fired, Gemma minds for maybe two hours and then, once more, forgets.
Then there's the fact that we never meet the villain. This book might have just as well plastered the words, "SEQUEL COMING SOON" on its cover for all that it alludes to future books. It is very rare to read an entire book about a villain whose name appears from page seven onwards, and yet we never meet them even once. The resolutions in this book are shaky at best and though the bookflap for "A Great and Terrible Beauty" states this this is "the story of a girl who saw another way" out of the standard roles written for women, by the end Gemma really hasn't changed anything in the least.
And finally there are the gypsies. Why is it that gypsies are always the standard ethnic group for magical doings? There are actual gypsies in the world, you know. This book, however, prefers the romantic version, choosing to forget that they are an actual culture with actual dealings in the world. Turning gypsies into the mythical magical people that exist only in the minds of over-romanticizing white people not only does real gypsies a disservice but it makes books like this one offensive. I won't even dwell on how Bray chose to display natives of India as well. Let's just say this book reads best if you like rooting for Anglo-Saxons.
I'm being harsh on this book, and for good reason. Bray is capable of wonderful writing. The slow building threat of Gemma's situation,and the fact that she is repeatedly told to cease and desist all magic or pay the consequences, all this is very good and dark. Unfortunately, there's never a payoff at the end. The gypsy Kartik tells Gemma to stop or else, but he never makes good on his threat. Gemma never really pays for anything she's done either. I was so confused by what was good and bad in this story that I spent three quarters of the book believing that Gemma's mother, for all intents and purposes, was an illusion or an evil creature in disguise. That's just me, but in all other ways the book is very bad at rewarding the reader for slogging through the foreshadowing. And boy oh boy is there a LOT of foreshadowing. In any case, I think with a little rewriting this could have been an excellent novel. Unfortunately, we'll never know now.
None of this is to say that "A Great and Terrible Beauty" isn't a great read. It really is exciting and interesting. I'm simply warning you that it is possible that you might feel a little let down or cheated at the end. The climaxes never climax as much as they could. The fearful moments are never quite fearful enough. It's a book of halfs, never a whole. But for any reader who wants to dwell in the darkness a little and read a tale about a girl who has the capability of giving herself a great deal of power, go to it. It is, above all things, rather fun.
Rating:
Summary: gripping
Review: I was sucked into this book.... into a world that I'm not sure that I was supposed to discover but it sure was a hellof a ride! Beautiful imagry, espescially when Gemma has visions of being with Kartik.... it makes you ache and long to enter that world. Gorgeous!
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS!!!!!!
Review: This book always leaves you hanging. At the end of each chapter, it is always suspencefull. I think that girls from 7th grade - higher would REALLY enjoy this book! :)
Rating:
Summary: Great and Terrible Beauty
Review: This is a captivevating novel that you just can not stop reading. I has just the right amount of every thing. The end is good if it is going to be a single book but leaves it open for a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book for girls
Review: This was an absolutely incredible book!!! I got it because the cover looked interesting, and it turned out to be a fabulous book! The characters are developed very well, and the story grabs you, especially the way the author just leaves the end of every chapter hanging! This was a great book to read since it was all about growing up and wanting independence. I bet each and every person out there can relate to one of the characters and what they chose to do with their lives. Don't miss this!!
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