“There are times when I wish I could go back and change the course of my life. Make different choices…But the past cannot be changed, and we carry our choices with us, forward, into the unknown. We can only move on.”
— Libba Bray
What About That Book?
A Little Something For Book Lovers Like Us…
Tagged with Libba Bray …
Quote Day
“In each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice. We’re each of us our own chiaroscuro, our own bit of illusion fighting to emerge into something solid, something real. We’ve got to forgive ourselves that. I must remember to forgive myself. Because there is a lot of grey to work with. No one can live in the light all the time.”
— Libba Bray
Mission Re-Read The Book Shelf: A Great And Terrible Beauty
Average 4 1/2 stars.
Ah, yes, I have completed yet another great YA series, this one by LIBBA BRAY. A great and terrible beauty was another one of my favorite series at the time, and even when the third and final book came out in 2007 (closer to 2008), I was very excited.
Now that I have re-read them, I think the very main reason, was, again, female empowerment. I know for a fact that I also liked the Victorian part of it, and the magic part. Mix it all up and you have a book that a young girl like me would like.
The writing is very good. Even reading it a few years later, I find I still like it, even if it is still meant to to to a younger audience. Sometimes the writing does reflect that, but for the most part the author does a great job on all three of the books.
What is interesting about this is that the book went places that the author never thought it would go…I can relate to that with my writing. She would also read it to her son each night, and he gave her feedback. Her original editor was her 10 year old son! 
And with that, here are my quick synopsis.
A Great And Terrible Beauty
A mix of Victorian England, mysterious societies, and magic. Also, of course, our heroine, Miss Gemma Doyle, whose mother has recently died in the market place at home in India…of causes that only Gemma knows. Moving to England, she is sent to a boarding school where everything deep and dark unfolds, leaving four girls to unravel a mystery beyond the walls of Spence.
Built on the idea of secret societies and tearing down expectations for women, this novel will bring everything it promises.
Author: Libba Bray
Published:
July 4th 2005 by Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (first published 2003)
Page Count: 416
ISBN: 0689875347 (isbn13: 9780689875342)
Rebel Angels
Gemma and her friends get to leave dear old Spence during the Christmas season; but this season is not just a relaxing one. With magic unbound in the realms, and a mission to fufuill, Gemma, Felicity and Ann are never far from trouble.
Then comes Simon Middleton. Charming, handsome, rich, and in love with the wild Gemma, she has to decide her fate.
Built more on the walls of Spence, Circe, and magic, this novel will draw you in the the Victorian era that also bites.
Author: Libba Bray
Published: December 26th 2006 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (first published 2003)
Page Count: 548 pages
ISBN: 0385730292 (isbn13: 9780385730297)
The Sweet Far Thing
The girls are back yet again, but they have bigger problems to worry about than learning how to dance and pour tea. The Order and the Rakshanna are both pushing her hard. The creatures are becoming mangled. And Pippa…Pippa is changing. All through the realms is change, and the air is thick with magic.
In the last novel of A Great And Terrible Beauty, by the end, this novel will satisfy everything the reader has asked for.
Author: Libba Bray
Published: December 26th 2007 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 819 Pages
ISBN: 0385730306 (isbn13: 9780385730303)
http://libbabray.com/books.html
And, here comes the next series to explore!!!
Quote Day
“I know because I read…Your mind is not a cage. It’s a garden. And it requires cultivating.”
— Libba Bray
