A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty
by Libba Bray

Delacorte Books (2003)

403 pages

Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Drama, Friendship

http://www.libbabray.com/
http://www.agreatandterriblebeauty.com/

4 stars

"It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?"

At first I found it a little hard to get into the book because of Bray's writing style. First-person, present-tense. Wow. I'd never seen that used in a novel before. By the third chapter you get used to it, but it's still strange.

There are many times when I enjoy side-characters to main characters in a novel. However, this is the first time when I wished someone would kill the main character so that I could start following the amazing side-character and find out more about her.

Gemma Doyle, in my opinion, is a spoiled little brat throwing a tantrum because she's not getting what she wants at the beginning of the novel. For growing up away from England and the rich girls of Spence that she meets later, she does a fine job of acting like them, complaning to her mother and their housekeeper, Sarita.

I found the first half of the story very boring. Even the mysterious death of Gemma's mother didn't help to liven the story. It only got remotely interesting when Gemma was sent to Spence Academy two months later and met Felicity and Pippa, the two most powerful and cruel girls there. I originally took pity on her roommate, Ann, thinking she was just shy, like me. But at least I make some sort of effort to get to know people, whereas she prefers to keep to herself rather than be hurt by the rich girls who play pranks on her.

I temporarily gave Gemma a break, as she was still grieving her mother, whose death she thought she caused. But there comes a point when you have to scream at her "What the hell are you thinking?!" sneaking off in the middle of the night with Felicity's group, and nearly getting herself expelled. I suppose it was worth it, though, in the end.

After finding out a secret of Felicity's, Gemma becomes her new best friend and is allowed to join her group. Instead, she uses her newfound social power to take Ann to a meeting in the caves on the Spence grounds, where Gemma shows the girls the diary of Mary Dowd, which she found in that very cave by following one of her visions, and the four of them become The Order. And eventually she is able to bring her friends into the Realms - where all dreams take place and anything is possible. This is where the story gets interesting, when we start to learn about the magic and the evil Circe who is after Gemma as she's the only one who can bring the Power back to the Realms.

Of course, I love Felicity, and the way she takes charge to get them in and out of trouble. Pippa, though a little vain, was also a really good character in an unfortunate situation. Ann just got on my nerves most of the time. You know my early feelings on Gemma, but I have to admit that near the end I did start to like her a bit. My favorite is still Felicity though. I also liked Mademoiselle LeFarge and Miss Moore, two of their teachers.

The plot of the story I think is very good. The characters are well thought out and have their flaws, and it's understandable why the girls would become friends - even if Gemma never seemed like she was truly enjoying their company until later on, when she said she loved all of them. Being fascinated by the nineteenth century, I loved learning about everything from speech, to the way girls dressed and were supposed to act in that time. Bray's descriptions were one thing that made this book so good. She puts so much detail into even the smallest of things, like the pomegranate that Sarita picks up at the beginning.

And finishing the book, and crying at a certain part in the thirty-eighth chapter (pages 395-396)that I will not spoil for all of you, I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, Rebel Angels that I happen to have with me right now. So, my final virdict is that, if you can, definitely read this book. Gemma may be whiny, and things may not always turn out good, but it's certainly worth reading.

Quote of the Day:
"Once upon a time there were four girls. One was pretty. One was clever. One was charming. And one ... One was mysterious. But they were all damaged, you see. Bad blood. Big dreams. Oh, I left that part out. Sorry, that should have come before. They were all dreamers, these girls." - Felicity, pages 313-314

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So, there you have it, the first review of March. Now, I have no idea what to go to next. I have three library books waiting to be read. So I've put a little poll in the sidebar. See it there, beneath my contact list? Good. Go vote. The poll ends at midnight tonight, because I needed to get reading right away.

I'm off to prepare for the Oscars. If you're watching tonight, comment and let me know who you want to win. =)

-Lizzy<3

The Supernaturalist

Well, hello there, blog! It's been a while!

Yeah, so I've been kinda busy this month. I'll be making a post on my personal blog in a little while if anyone wants to know why, but it's time to get down to business.


The Supernaturalist
by Eoin Colfer

Miramax Books (2004)

267 pages

Sci-Fi fantasy

Official Website:
http://www.eoincolfer.com/

5 stars

"In the future, in a place called Satellite City, Cosmo Hill enters the world, unwanted by his parents. He's sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. Freight Class.

Here, the boys are put to work by the state, testing highly dangerous products. Cosmo realizes he must get away, and escapes with the help of the Supernaturalists, a group of kids who have the same special abilities as Cosmo - they can see supernatural Parasites, creatures that fee on the life force of humans. The Supernaturalists patrol the city at night, hunting the Parasites in hopes of saving what is left of humanity in Satellite City. But soon they find themselves caught in a web far more complicated than they'd imagined, and they discover a horrifying secret that will force them to question everything they believe in."

For someone who's not a big fan of Science Fiction - like me - this is the perfect book. It also happens to be my favorite of Colfer's books (I've read eight and a half).

You're immediately thrown into the action of the novel when we see what a day in the life of Cosmo Hill is like, and hear his escape plotting - and see the actual job - all in the first chapter. And the action never stops for long, though it's well balanced with the non-action scenes.

Cosmo is a great protagonist. Someone you really want to see succeed - and just feel sorry for during most of the book. I enjoyed learning about the orphans - or "no-sponsors" - and the results of their upbringing. Like how Cosmo received never went to school, but learned everything from testing educational software, and has perfect teeth thanks to teeth-whitening products. And The Chemist: a boy who watched medical dramas on tv and was the only doctor the no-sponsors had.

The three other main characters, Stefan, Mona and Ditto, were also funny and mysterious. So much so that I can't really decide who my favorite character in this novel is. Stefan, at eighteen, is the guilt-ridden leader of the group with a deep hatred for the Parasites. Mona, the Latina fifteen year old, used to be a mechanic for the Sweetheart gang before a near-death experience brought her to the others. And Ditto, a twenty-eight year old, had been a test subject of Doctor Bartoli as a child and, as a result, has the height and looks of a six year old, along with some very special talents outside of his natural skills as a doctor.

While finding out the pasts of the characters was something that made me love the book, the plot twists were definitely my favorite thing about it. Someone's life is in danger in nearly every scene of the book. You never know who you can trust. Or what's real. Even while re-reading it, it kept me on the edge of my seat!

Attention to detail is one of Colfer's talents. Minor characters and villains like Ziplock Murphy and Marshall Redwood had their moments of glory where we would find out a little bit about them and their histories. Satellite City, weaponry, futuristic car mechanics, and even outer space were described in great detail.

It's hard not to feel a little sad after finishing this book (though Eoin has said he's planning a sequel!). It's even harder not to love it.

Quote of the Day:

"Yes, this grumpy little man is Granddad. And Mona is our kid sister. It's a dysfunctional group, but we're all we have. We're all anybody has. Sometimes it seems like we can never win, but we save who can. You, for example. If it hadn't been for us, that Parasite would've sucked you dry, and no one would have ever known." - Stefan, page 48

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I finished Suite Scarlett today, so expect the review for that in a couple of hours - or maybe tomorrow. It's getting kinda late here.

Comments? Pretty please?

-Lizzy

Etched in Stone

Last October I started the 50 Book Challenge off but had to stop after finishing the first book. I've only just realized that because of this I never got to give that one book a review, so here it is.

Etched in Stone (Book One of the Skyla Chronicles)
by Tiffany Marie Saxe

Strategic Book Publishing (2009)

112 pages

Modern fantasy

Official website: http://www.tiffanysaxe.com/

5 stars

"In this fresh twist on a modern-day Phantom of the Opera, sixteen-year-old Luienna "Enna" Evans runs away from boarding school to Paris, France where she joins a theater company and lives under the roof of the Le Chateaux En Espagne Opera House.

Enna's new life is full of romance, drama and love. But, although surrounded by friends and family, Enna often feels alone. When she learns of a mysterious person named Skyla connected to the opera house, she delves into the mystery, only to become entangled in its curse as tragedy strikes the company. Can Enna unravel the truth in time to save her best friend? And can she find out whose name is etched in stone on a grave marker outside of Paris..."

There are not many bad things to say about this book. In fact, I could quite honestly say it was the best book I read last year - beating out the Twilight saga and Sign of the Zodiac series (all of which I love). However, the summary is something I want to complain about.

"Fresh twist on a modern-day Phantom of the Opera" ... really? That sentence alone was enough to make me want to put the book down before I even started reading. I don't like the Phantom of the Opera, perhaps I should give it another shot but that's besides the point. Etched in Stone was, in my opinion, completely different. Did they both take place at an opera house? Yes. Was there a big mystery at the opera house? Yes. But that's where the similarities end.

Also, the last line of the summary: "And can she find out whose name is etched in stone on a grave marker outside of Paris..." makes no sense. We find out whose name it is in the third chapter. Nothing mysterious about that. I'm putting the blame for these mistakes on the publisher for now.

For the real review: I think the story was very well-written. We follow Enna from her boarding school in London to Le Chateaux in Paris in the very beginning, and start meeting the new characters quickly. At first things seemed a little rushed, but everything worked itself out by the second chapter. The author's descriptions - of everything from the weather to the opera house itself - were wonderful. I especially liked the decorations in the dorm hallway.

The characters were believable. Perhaps a little eccentric at times, but that's to be expected. I did have trouble keeping track of them at times. I repeatedly mixed up the sisters Karma and Keela. I found Enna and Jason very intriguing and I loved learning about their secrets as well as Skyla's. Some other characters I liked were Enna's best friend Rain, Nathalie, and Enna's little sister Via (at times).

The book is filled with too-long paragraphs and grammatical errors. All of which I, again, blame the publishing company for not correcting. Despite these mistakes, I can't give this book a lower rating because there's really nothing wrong with it. The rating is for the story and characters, not the formatting. I would probably think twice about looking at any other books from Strategic Book Publishing, but I'd definitely read more from the author. I mean, she made me cry. I don't cry over just any books, you know.

All in all I loved this book and am in the process of reading it for a second time. It's a short read (I finished it in two days) but a very good one for fans of fantasy or operas. I look forward to the next book in the series. =)

And now, my favorite quote:
"I'm no rose, just another leaf with a few layers and a need for a stem." - Enna

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So, everyone comment and let me know how I did for my first review? I admit, I kinda stole the layout of the review from Ari @ Reading in Color. Sorry.

I'm already reading the first book for this year, so I'll post again hopefully sometime next week when I'm finished.

-Lizzy<3