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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This series just got a bit blah for me now, I don't know if its because its YA or I just grew bored but I don't see myself reading the last book.
I loved this second book in the trilogy. It never stops being exciting and interesting from the start of the book. As a bonus, Libba Bray did her research when it comes to Victorian life. She threw in a lot of details that help to make the world real.
3.75ish stars
I enjoyed the storyline of Rebel Angels more than I did for A Great and Terrible Beauty, but like its predecessor, I both liked and disliked this book.
The story itself seemed to have less dead zones than the first book did, and it kept a better pace….kind of.. Gemma knows she needs to find the temple and bind the magic, but doesn’t really put much effort into actually going and trying to do that. But we do get to see a lot of what life was like for young ladies in that time period – balls and operas and courting boys. I did end up guessing the plot twist at the end way before it happened, so I didn’t enjoy the shock factor there. It was just alright I suppose. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t see that coming a mile away.
The girls are all still selfish and rude, especially to each other, so I don’t see how they can claim they love each other. Felicity fat shames Ann, they constantly comment on how she’s not beautiful or pretty or worth anything…but get mad at her when she is down on herself? Hello? Y’all are down on her all the time, where do you think she learns it from??? Felicity still blames Gemma for the death of Pippa when it was really out of Gemma’s control. If she didn’t get the other girls out, they’d all be dead. So she can’t win with any decision there. There is no character growth from any of them except Gemma who, while being appropriately naive on certain things, really comes into her own by the end of the book.
Did I love this book? No. Do I love the characters? Also no. Am I going to read the last book anyway to see how it all ends? Why yes I am.
I enjoyed the storyline of Rebel Angels more than I did for A Great and Terrible Beauty, but like its predecessor, I both liked and disliked this book.
The story itself seemed to have less dead zones than the first book did, and it kept a better pace….kind of.. Gemma knows she needs to find the temple and bind the magic, but doesn’t really put much effort into actually going and trying to do that. But we do get to see a lot of what life was like for young ladies in that time period – balls and operas and courting boys. I did end up guessing the plot twist at the end way before it happened, so I didn’t enjoy the shock factor there. It was just alright I suppose. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t see that coming a mile away.
The girls are all still selfish and rude, especially to each other, so I don’t see how they can claim they love each other. Felicity fat shames Ann, they constantly comment on how she’s not beautiful or pretty or worth anything…but get mad at her when she is down on herself? Hello? Y’all are down on her all the time, where do you think she learns it from??? Felicity still blames Gemma for the death of Pippa when it was really out of Gemma’s control. If she didn’t get the other girls out, they’d all be dead. So she can’t win with any decision there. There is no character growth from any of them except Gemma who, while being appropriately naive on certain things, really comes into her own by the end of the book.
Did I love this book? No. Do I love the characters? Also no. Am I going to read the last book anyway to see how it all ends? Why yes I am.
Great book! Loved it a lot more than the first book. I think this writer is definitely on a roll. This being her second book in the trilogy, and her second book ever written, I was really impressed with the depth found in Rebel Angels. I will be recommending Rebel Angels and the Gemma Doyle trilogy to my friends.
Great story skillfully mixing Victorian England with magic, but I've got to say, Gemma is a bit naive. It took her forever to make sense of Nell's warning.
This second book is better than the first. Gemma is told not to trust anyone regarding binding the power of the realm. But she does and she puts her trust in the wrong person. I had a problem with the person she chooses to bring into the realm. The author should have found a better reason for Gemma to bring this character into the realm.
But I did like that she was mature enough to find alternatives to sharing the power and not giving it all to the Order. I may just give #3 a try.
But I did like that she was mature enough to find alternatives to sharing the power and not giving it all to the Order. I may just give #3 a try.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Incest, Pedophilia
Minor: Self harm
The second in Bray's Gemma Doyle series set in Victorian England, this book delves farther into the mysterious Realms and Gemma's role in re-balancing the magic within them. Meanwhile, Gemma's social life becomes more hectic over the Christmas holidays as she attends her first ball and meets a would-be suitor. Lovely writing and just an all-around entertaining book.
After rereading the first book for the first time since I was 15 or 16, I knew what to be prepared for heading into this sequel - that I would need to reinsert myself back into my teenage years to make the most sense of this book. The melodrama of it all, the feeling of freedom and also impending doom of approaching adult years (largely unfounded, I recognize from the other side, but I remember the feeling), the anger and independence and the horror of coming from a place of privilege and recognizing exactly how terrible the world can be sometimes. I really enjoyed the more political plot in this book, all of the forces striving for power in the Realms and how Gemma interacts with all of them. I also loved establishing more to the Realms in general than just the "magic garden" we saw in the first one. Additionally, I remember hating the love triangle before but I really appreciated it here because the two men are perfect foils to each other for Gemma, and the love stories were not the focus of the narrative or the point of Gemma's journey.
However, I still feel like Gemma is sprinting around without taking any time to ask any questions of herself, of the magic, of the Realms, of the people around her who she knows all have motives, etc. and could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she just took a deep breath and - my biggest frustration with her - COMMUNICATED. Talk to your friends, Gemma. Talk to your family. Think for five seconds about *why* you don't want to communicate with them, for all your desire to throw off the shackles and restraints in society, maybe take the opportunity to throw the taboos on certain topics out too. I was constantly rolling my eyes at her choices and just mentally begging her to just stop and take stock of where she was before making brash decisions.
That all being said, I've already checked out the third from the library and I'm excited to round out the series!
However, I still feel like Gemma is sprinting around without taking any time to ask any questions of herself, of the magic, of the Realms, of the people around her who she knows all have motives, etc. and could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she just took a deep breath and - my biggest frustration with her - COMMUNICATED. Talk to your friends, Gemma. Talk to your family. Think for five seconds about *why* you don't want to communicate with them, for all your desire to throw off the shackles and restraints in society, maybe take the opportunity to throw the taboos on certain topics out too. I was constantly rolling my eyes at her choices and just mentally begging her to just stop and take stock of where she was before making brash decisions.
That all being said, I've already checked out the third from the library and I'm excited to round out the series!