Still antsily waiting for the third in the series | Rebel Angels (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)

The unexpected twist. | Rebel Angels (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) | Libba Bray

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	• Rebel Angels (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) Libba Bray Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2006 - 592 pages average customer review:based on 118 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Better Than Its Already Amazing Predecessor

Rebel Angels has to be one of my all-time favorite books. I loved Bray's first novel of the trilogy, had high expectations for her second, and I was not disappointed at all. As someone of Gemma's age, I thoroughly enjoyed the romance, suspense, and conflicts that she encountered and overcame. The story begins back at Spence, around Christmas time. A new, mysterious teacher has arrived, and Gemma, having not returned to the Realms since what happened to Pippa, is curious as to what this teacher is all about. Kartik returns with a message, and Gemma must find the Temple, and bind the magic that she let loose in the last novel. A new love interest appears (other than Kartik), and will keep you wondering what happens next. Finding the Temple becomes a harder mission as the story progresses, and Gemma must make vital decisions deciding the fate of those that are dear to her. This story keeps you on your toes and wanting more!

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Still antsily waiting for the third in the series

My name is Heather. I am 34 years old, and yes, I do still read YA novels. In fact, I live for YA, fantasy/sci-fi, and horror novels, and have read many of all these categories. I did not peruse any of the Amazon customer reviews before buying `A Great and Terrible Beauty' or `Rebel Angels'; I went by the Editorial Reviews. Seeing that they both had 5 out of 5 stars from previous readers when I purchased them, only made it that much harder waiting for the books to arrive in the mail. I was not disappointed in the least, and it took me less than 3 days to read both of them back to back. These are not your ordinary everyday, extremely predictable girly romance novels. They are both exemplary, and I am on my toes waiting for the third in the set to come out. Gemma and her crew, including the enigmatic and alluring Kartik are portrayed so well that I almost expect to find out somewhere that they are in fact living human beings. Kartik and Gemma's connection is something most girls (including myself) only dream about, and I dearly hope that it continues on into the third book as well. Although I know Mrs. Bray doesn't like cookie cutter romances where the guy always gets the girl, this is one series where I will be seriously disappointed if that isn't the case. I understand that a relationship of this magnitude would have been frowned upon during the period it takes place in, and Kartik would more than likely be considered below Gemma's station, being a different nationality than she is. But anything can happen in the realms, and if he were to save her from a great and terrible demise, maybe her family would be swayed by his chivalry and make an exception....

Although this is only supposed to be a three part series, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see another set of books just as good as these are, continuing on with the exciting tales of the immortal Gemma and her friends, spring from the author's mind at a later date. They would be greatly anticipated by many people.

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The unexpected twist.

I first fell in love with the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty. In this book, you will be taken on Gemma's emotional roller coaster with her love interests, friends, family and even her enemies. Those she thought were trust worthy turn out to be her enemies and visa versa. I truly suggest reading this book. You don't have to read Libba's first book to enjoy this one. But, I suggest it just so you have some background as to how she got to be where she's at in the beginning of this book and to be taken on an adventure all of its own. Both books are great reads.

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A Worthy, if Manic, Sequel

Rebel Angels takes up the story of Gemma and her school friends from A Great and Terrible Beauty as they are getting ready for the Christmas break. After having lost their dear friend Pippa, the girls are anxious yet frightened to re-enter the Realms, the magical place where the source of magic is found. Once they do, they discover that in breaking the ancient runes, Gemma has unleashed the magic into the Realms which has allowed all the creatures there access to it. And this cannot be allowed to happen.

Gemma is back as her wry, chaotic, secretive self in this worthy sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. However, we see much more of her home life and family in this book, and it goes a long way to explaining why she acts as she does. Felicity and Ann do not seem overly changed in personality, at least at first. The scenes set in the "real" world give a realistic flavor of life in Victorian England, and the girls struggle against what is proper and what they wish to do. There is a love interest thrown in as well, and Tom's internship as a doctor in a mental hospital affords the girls a chance to interact with the less fortunate in society. This particular aspect of the novel is perhaps the best part; we can feel Gemma's distress and intrigue, especially as she tries to identify where Circe is in time to save the Realms from utter chaos.

A minor quibble for me was the introduction of a numerous fantastic creatures in the Realms; some seemed added simply to pad the story and did little to advance the story. But overall the pace of the novel is well-done and the twists and turns make this a page-turner. Bray has done a fine job of expanding both the worlds of Victorian England and her magical Realms, and this one is sure to engage and enchant. Recommended.

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A quick, enjoyable read, but the writing style is immature and the plot twists are poorly planned. Only recommended as a sequel.

The sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels continues the story of Gemma and her friends. Also set in Victorian England, this time over a school holiday, it is another gothic story of magic, otherworlds, and a battle of good against evil. Although Gemma did what she could in the last book to prevent the magic of the Realms from falling in to the wrong hands, that magic still needs to be safely sealed away. Gemma and her friends search the Realms for the Temple, a magical strong hold where Gemma will be able to seal the magic. Meanwhile, Circe is still on the lose, in search of Gemma and of power, and the girls are distracted by the social and family issues as they spend Christmas break in London. Rebel Angels improves over the original novel, offering a more coherent and satisfying plotline, additional character backstories, and a more mature writing style on Bray's part. However, the plot twists that make up the end of the novel are forced and unrealistically unpredictable, and both the protagonist and story remain a little bit immature, abrasive, and insulting. I don't really recommend either book in the series, but if you do read A Great and Terrible Beauty then I highly recommend you also read Rebel Angels. It moves quickly and shows a lot of improvement over the first book, creating a more enjoyable and complete story.

I read this book in a single day, in only one or two sittings--the book isn't challenging but it is easy to get immersed in and it reads quickly. It serves well as an amusing, light summer read. It's also a vast improvement over A Great and Terrible Beauty, and is a necessary companion to that novel. The writing style is cleaner, moves faster, and doesn't seem as gothic-horror-cliche as Beauty did. Gemma remains the narrator, but now that Bray's writing style has improved the combination of narrator and author is easier to read and less abrasive. The plot of Rebel Angels picks up where the prequel left off and provides a much needed continuation in terms of plot, characters, and resolution. Beauty has a climax, but the outcome is left largely unresolved and the size of the climax doesn't seem to fit the scope of the build up. Rebel Angels, however, resolves the previous book and also provides a solid plot of its own with a climax that is a pretty close fit to the build up and scope of the novel. The reader is left much more satisfied, the text feels more complete, and everything is much more exciting and worthwhile.

Rebel Angels is definitely not without its faults, however. Much of the book is spent on researching the history of the Order and attempting to determine the identity of Circe. When identities are finally revealed, they come as a shock--a huge shock that makes them seem entirely unjustified. When the reader can look back and the text and see, in retrospect, that despite the surprising twist it all makes sense now, the writer has truly accomplished a skillful plot twist. When the reader, as is the case with Rebel Angels feels confused, cheated, and worried even after reflecting back on the text, the writer has failed. The only sensical part of the plot twists are that they don't make any sense, and are rather done to surprise the reader and keep her on her toes. It's an insulting trope and made the end of the book, in terms of character more than action, very disappointing. I felt like Bray had resorted to dirty tricks in order to keep her novel dramatic and interesting--not exactly the mark of a fine author.

I think there are many good children's and young adults' series out there that are worth reading, and I would recommend all of them before Libba Bray's work. Her settings are cliche, she is an immature, clumsy writer, and her first person narration is grating. That said, both A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels are amusing, quick reads. However faulted they are, they are fun, move quickly, and provide a nice, light read with some truly enjoyable gothic and magical elements. If you chose to read the first, I highly recommend you read the second. It puts the first in perspective and finishes up the story, creating a more satisfying plot. These aren't books I plan to come back to, but they were fun, if disappointing and frustrating, reads.

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