A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)

Reader reviewed by Brenny

This book didn't look or sound too good,but a friend of mine promised me I would love it. I listen to my friends alot,even if they told me I would not die if I jumped off a cliff I'd believe them. I got the book and I had never read a book with so much mystery,adventure,and surprises. with a new mystery popping up around every corner and giving an unbelievable solving to it. I think this might have been my favorite book,but i'm only 10.

Reader reviewed by Susan

An excellent venture into the realm of gothic fantasy. There is a nice mix of old English boarding school drama with a mysterious alternative world excitement. Libba Brey brings her characters to life! No characature here. The protagonist react with real emotions and not always as the reader will expect. While the girls deal with growing up in the victorian age they must also deal with the mystery surrounding the main character. Excellent and suspenseful read!

Reader reviewed by Jessie

This book is so great I cant even describe it in words. It's a story of a girl in a prep school learning to become a lady, after her mother is killed by come sort of monster. A boy who follows her, a magic most corrupt, and an ending most unique. To read this book is to read the very core of perfection in writing!!

Reader reviewed by Jessie

This book had me riveted from the begining. I was shocked and thrilled by the twists and turns of this marvelous novel. Emma Doyle and her friends from Spence get into trouble, get out of it and then get into more! This book will have you laughing and weeping.

Reader reviewed by JessaRulez

If there was an award for World's Best Female Book, this book would win, hands down. It has everything; an awesome female role model, a mysterious stranger (Kartik), new friends, suspense, romance, spoilers, surprises around every corner, and, most of all, magic!!!!!! I will never forget this book!

Reader reviewed by I LOVE Kartik

I agreet with JessaRulez. This book is one of my favorite books! This book was so interesting and captivating that I stayed up until 2:30 a.m reading it! I LOVE Kartik! And Jessa does rule!

Reader reviewed by Leah



This book was so not what i expected. I was looking for something new and different to read and i thought i'd try this. I really loved it because it was so different and un-cliche and it was a plot you've never heard of. I can't wait to read Rebel Angels!!!

Reader reviewed by ALA

On her 16th birthday, Gemma Doyle's mother is hunted down and killed by a dark creature. Gemma's world spirals out of control as she is sent to Spence, a boarding school for young ladies. She is still haunted by images of the creature, and of a young girl. After a rocky start, Gemma begins to make friends. Soon she has a small circle of girls, and they decide upon visiting some primitive caves on the school grounds to form an order, a recreation of a group of powerful women long ago. Only then does Gemma discover that she has the power to enter the realms; a magical place where anything is possible and dark battles light. Gemma can bring her friends with her-and together they share many happy days, that is, until Gemma discovers a terrile secret. Will it be too late to save the realms, her friends, and herself?

I found this book very exciting and mysterious, and the late 1800s Victorian setting only added to that. I loved it, and its companion Rebel Angels, and I hope that more follow the first two.

Reader reviewed by Val

Gemma Doyle has lived most of her life in India with her mother but she really wants to visit England the place shes only heard about in her grandmothers letters.Her mother dies and she is sent to a finishing school called Spencer Academy in England. It is there were she befriends the popular girls and learns dangerous secrets she wishes that she'd never heard. She falls into the temptation of peer pressure, love and the utter pleasure that comes with power. Thequestion is what will happen when she learns the consequences of her choices? This book was incredible it has a strong sense of scenery and a great plot!

Reader reviewed by Ayesha

this book has it all. magic, romance, secrets, betrayal, love, and friendship. it's a book that will keep going with twist and turns. it has a plot that revolves around sophisticated girls. it is a perfect read for it all.