A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)

Gemma Doyle is a rebellious young lady who lives with her mother in India in the 1800s. She hates her life there and wishes to go to England, where she can live a more uptown life with her brother and father.
The story starts with Gemma and her mother going through a market on Gemma's birthday. They are heading to a friend's house for tea, when they are stopped by a man. He takes Gemma's mother aside, and speaks with her.
After the man speaks with Gemma's mom, the mom gets sort of weird, and she says that she has to go to tea alone, then leaves. Gemma doesn't know what is up, so she starts to walk around the store. Suddenly she feels very faint. Just before she goes down, Gemma sees a young man about her age, then she is out. She dreams about something terrible, her mother's murder.
When she wakes up, she is shocked to find that her dream was true. It was a vision, the first of many. If you like mystery, romance, and magical/mystical tales, you will love this book.

Clearly, Ms. Bray is a talented writer. I was immediately intrigued by the story (and the FREAKY stuff that happens almost from page one!), and I liked Gemma. The school setting is fabulous. Gemma is smart and has a backbone. I also liked the paranormal aspects (creepy!), but sometimes the descriptions in the paranormal realm felt confusing and I got a bit lost. Overall, though, this book is a good read, and I love the plot twists at the end!

When i first pick this book but i was like wow! because the book was hugee!! I usually read books that are about 200-300pages but this has a total of 400pages!! This book was also my first by Libba Bray, so i wasnt use to her work! But was i gald i read it!! One of the BEST hictorical romance i have read ever! Also a great series! and sadly i was disappionted in the ending. I was still remember reading this :)
It was a joy! yet tragic! Be sure you got some tissue with you when reading this series! haha.
xx candyyx3(Tuyen)

I liked the story, but the characters were a bit underdeveloped and the story was extremely slow, except for at the end where it felt like the author rushed the story.

I can't wait for more.

Reader reviewed by Emily H.

I liked the story, but the
characters were a bit underdeveloped and the story was extremely slow,
except for at the end where it felt like the author rushed the story. I understand that this is to be part of a series, but I think the author could have cut out big sections of the descriptions and focused more on character development so that the reader better understood the secondary characters.

Reader reviewed by jedi145

Many people really enjoyed this book and series but it didn't do much for me. Historical fiction isn't normally what I read but I have read a few other historical paranormal books that I have enjoyed. The writing was good but the plot was confusing to me.  I like Gemma but I didn't connect to the other characters.  The plot just didn't captivate me. If you like historical fiction I'd recommend it. 

Reader reviewed by ash

in this inexplicable chain of events that lead to something much bigger than a dour bordings school, it's bullies, unpopularity, or the society of the late 1700's, gemma doyle and her best friends fight for their lives. truley a pandora's box... 

Reader reviewed by Alex (Tales of a Teenage Book Lover)

Reader reviewed by Julie

I started reading this book with a skeptical attitude. It seemed like it would be an ok book, but not very exciting. It is set at a Victorian Boarding school and I thought it would be a normal book. But, it wasn't! The mystery of the book, even in the first few pages got me hooked. With each turn of the page, you uncovered something else. I was left yearning for more information, so I read it quickly. I HAD to know everything! Overall the book was wonderful; it had the right touch of creepiness, along with happiness and fun. The title, A Great and Terrible Beauty fits it perfectly!

5 stars! Perfect!