Reviews

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

a_strix_named_strix's review against another edition

2.0

I think the ornate Victorian(esque) setting has run its course. This book is essentially dark academia before its revival.

carlaj1082's review against another edition

3.0

The pacing of this book is slow. As in nothing much happens until the second third of the book. Characters are one dimensional. It was entertaining and that’s about it.

oconnorlizzy's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.5

bszymaniak's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

sklus's review against another edition

4.0

It was a little bit of a slow start for me but I ended up really enjoying it. I maybe have put off a little bit of studying to finish the book- I just needed to know how it was going to end! Definitely going to read the sequels!

ladyellegee's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

4.5

whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition

5.0

I was extremely surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It's well written and paced and the story kept me fascinated the entire time. I am really looking forward to reading the next ones. In some ways, I'm questioning the 5 stars, but in others it feels completely right. It's YA, but it's a really good tale.

spaceemacee's review against another edition

5.0

Best storyline! The other books of this series are even more amazing and I highly recommend people reading the other books to gain a better understanding of the story. It gets super good, super fast! The first book can be a bit slow but it's definitely worth the read. You can get so lost in the storyline and you fall in love with the characters by the end of the series. The ending is unexpected but it's still amazing. If you love fantasy mixed with history, this is the series for you!

jahoody's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 4 stars for being just the thing I needed, but 15 years too late.

Reviewing as a trilogy because I binged them so hard.

This book is like historical fiction Harry Potter with an all girls cast. The bad guys are big evil, and there are characters who are brilliantly in between. The magic system is cool and well built. Characters are complex and do not fall to stereotypes. The writing draws on emotions well.

Cons: the characters are overly wealthy, self-involved, and make poor decisions that could save them trouble.

RATED G for emotional trauma

Eyballs or Ears? ears
Fluff or Heft: fluffff
Vibe: historical rich girl fights magic
Wordliness: YA diction
Worldy-ness: historical and fantasy
Test of time and Re-readablility: instant nostalgia, yes
Thoughts provoked? nope
Did I grow? beautifully no 

bookph1le's review against another edition

3.0

There were numerous things I liked about this book, but it didn't quite tip over into that territory that makes me love a book. On the one hand, I liked the feminist undertones, liked that the characters were allowed to be petty and flawed creatures as it made them more human. On the other, the book felt erratic to me at times, and Gemma came across as somewhat wishy washy. One moment she could see through the other characters' facades, and the next she was going along with the crowd. She's hard to like at times, which perversely made me like her, probably because YA is so insistent that female characters must be likable--with the end result that they're often bland, insufferable Mary Sues. The fact that the book takes these risks is hugely to its credit, and it does set it apart from the glut of palatable, derivative YA fiction.