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Welcome to The Romantic Scholar, a book review blog. Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy your stay.

After an eight month long hiatus, I am back. And I could not be more excited about it.



***My comments are located at the top of my posts***

Thursday, November 19, 2009


My Overall Rating:
4/5

Cover Art:
I love the cover. It's very delicate, just like the way Gemma portrays herself. But it also has an air of secrecy. The life Gemma leads. I think it is a well done cover for the book, and the entire series.

Age Recommendation:
I'd recommend late middle school early high school for this book. It's not so much risque, but because of the themes, you should be aware before you read it. It is not a light read either. So a strong young adult reader should be fine.

Summary:
Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy -- spending time with her friends in the city, attending balls in fancy gowns with plunging necklines, and dallying with the handsome Lord Denby. Yet amid these distractions, her visions intensify -- visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened that only the realms can explain.

The lure is strong, and soon Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world that Gemma takes them to. To the girls' great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.

But all is not well in the realms -- or out. Kartik is back, desperately insisting to Gemma that she must bind the magic, lest colossal disaster befall her. Gemma is willing to comply, for this would bring her face-to-face with her late mother's greatest friend, now Gemma's foe -- Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task. . . .

This sumptuous companion to A Great and Terrible Beauty teems with Victorian thrills and chills that play out against the rich backdrop of 1895 London, a place of shadows and light . . . where inside great beauty can lie a rebel angel.

My Thoughts:
This book was for the most part a page turner just like it's prequel. But there was a rather large section in which I had to force myself to move forward. It was beautifully written just as the previous book was and I quite enjoyed it.

This book answers many questions left from it's predecessor while creating it's own for the next book to answer. It's a book filled with romance, mystery, passion, sorrow, and pain. All the angst of a teenager. Except there is magic.

Gemma is once again on the hunt to find the temple to seal the magic she released in the first book. She is joined by her old friends and makes some new ones. This tale of a journey of a young girl to fulfill her purpose in life and to understand who she is is one any girl can relate to and is quite a joy to read. I was on edge while reading for the majority of the book. There was a lot of gasping and "NO!"s along with the occasional "Oh my gosh!".

I would definitely recommend this book to any reader looking for a journey to venture on. And I would strongly suggest that if you get stuck on a part like I did, KEEP PUSHING, it is well worth it. So many unexpected twists and turns await you in this wonderful book.

5 comments:

Tales of Whimsy said...

Good review. I love the cover.

Natascha De Marco said...

This is a great series! Next book is even better =]

Ali said...

Haha I'm glad to hear that. I could not believe some of the things that happened in this book! I can't wait to read The Sweet Far Thing

Eli said...

Yaaay! You're finished! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :3

Kath said...

I really need to give this series a try. I love the covers!

By the way, congrats!
You just won an award at my blog (www.bookwormnation.blogspot.com)

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