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_hexposito's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Child abuse and Pedophilia
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Rebel Angels continues Gemma Doyle’s journey into understanding the mysterious Order her mother belonged to prior to her death, her quest to bind magic she had previously set free, and her duty to be a flawless daughter, sister and possible future wife. Her companions Ann and Felicity join her over their Christmas break from school and together the three grapple with how to find the Order’s Temple along with the daily challenges of being upstanding young ladies in London society. Gemma also finds herself enchanted by Simon Middleton- a young gentleman who would make a wise match for her- despite her lingering feelings for her “guard” Kartik.
This feels more YA than its predecessor and I found it easier to follow along. It does drag a little through the first half of the book but it speeds up and the majority of the plot wraps up quite succinctly in about 50 pages. There’s still plenty of juice left to warrant another installment.
Content warnings with spoilers below:
Drug Use/Abuse:Gemma’s father is addicted to laudanum and opium. She tries to cure him with magic but he’s drawn back in due to hearing voices in his head telling him the truth about his late wife and his magical daughter.
Racism/Classism/Misogyny :As would be typical for this time period. Much stock is put into someone’s class and Gemma’s brother in particular takes issue with Kartik’s Indian heritage. Women are constantly put down by the men.
Mental Illness/Psychosis:Gemma’s brother Tom works at Bedlam Asylum and Gemma meets a girl named Nell who has been driven mad through her association with Circe. Nell tries to warn Gemma as much as she can but everyone views her ramblings as madness.
Sexual Assault (implied):Implications are made that Felicity’s father regularly assaulted her as a little girl which she internalized and blames herself for. This is discovered by Gemma as she sees Felicity warning a young orphan in the care of her family to lock her door at night and to avoid her father. It is also later used by the Poppy warriors to taunt Felicity.
Self Harm:References are made to Ann’s self harm which Gemma sees evidence of and the Poppy warriors later use it to taunt Ann.
This feels more YA than its predecessor and I found it easier to follow along. It does drag a little through the first half of the book but it speeds up and the majority of the plot wraps up quite succinctly in about 50 pages. There’s still plenty of juice left to warrant another installment.
Content warnings with spoilers below:
Drug Use/Abuse:
Racism/Classism/Misogyny :
Mental Illness/Psychosis:
Sexual Assault (implied):
Self Harm:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Racism, Misogyny, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual assault and Self harm
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