Rebel Angels

October 12, 2007 at 12:56 am · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, Young Adult Literature

107. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray (Young Adult, Historical Fantasy) 548 p.

2nds Challenge

I’m glad to say that Rebel Angels not only lived up to its prequel, A Great and Terrible Beauty, but also whet my appetite for its sequel, The Sweet Far Thing, due out on Boxing Day.

In A Great and Terrible Beauty, Gemma Doyle witnessed her mother’s murder, was sent to an English boarding school, and discovered that she had the power of an ancient circle of priestesses known as the Order. Now, she finds that the enemy she thought defeated is still very much alive, that a friend she thought dead is not entirely gone, and that a London Christmas, despite all its glamours, may not be so wonderful after all.

Also, Kartik’s back. After Gemma, he’s my favourite character, and I only wish the two had more interactions. I was also glad to see that Gemma’s brother Tom improves a bit on closer acquaintance; Rebel Angels reveals some details about him that make him a more sympathetic character. Ditto for Felicity: the revelation about her was one I only saw coming a page or two ahead of time.

I’m quite pleased with Rebel Angels; it looks like Libba Bray is well on her way to creating a consistently brilliant series of YA historical fantasy novels.

Books read: 107
Pages read: 31,882

Tags: 2nds Challenge, 50 Book Challenge 2007, Gemma Doyle, Libba Bray

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A Great and Terrible Beauty

April 21, 2007 at 6:35 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, Young Adult Literature

38. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Historical Fantasy)

My dad bought this for my little sister, but she kindly let me borrow it on Wednesday night. I didn’t realize that it was a YA novel until after I started reading it (not that that would have stopped me), because the cover doesn’t immediately suggest it. Consequently, this book wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was in no way a disappointment.

Gemma Doyle is a 16-year-old English girl living with her parents in Victorian India. She’s just an ordinary, sullen teenager, until the day her mother is approached on the street by an Indian merchant, and tragedy strikes her family. It isn’t until she’s sent to Spence, a finishing school in London, that she begins to understand who and what she is.

The story is well-told, and moves quite quickly. And is surprisingly humorous at times. I was impressed by the writing, especially since it contains a sophistication that few authors seem to think is appropriate for YA readers, and which was probably a large part of what made it a national bestseller. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, Rebel Angels, and the third novel in the series, The Sweet Far Thing, comes out on December 26. Maybe I’ll even buy them—one of the things that makes YA novels so appealing is how much cheaper they are than adult books, even in editions of equal quality.

Books read: 38/300 (12.7%)
Pages read: 9,956/75,000 (13.3%)
Days passed: 111/365 (30.4%)

Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2007, Gemma Doyle, Libba Bray

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