A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle Trilogy, #1)

by Libba Bray

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

For whatever reason, the idea of writing this review over the last couple days has simply been exhausting. I really liked this book. It has a lot of problems. I enjoyed the characters, even though all of them were deeply flawed. I felt as though there were situations that were not fully played out (i.e. Miss Moore and the East Wing) but I liked the storyline I got.

So, the good stuff:

- I think Libba Bray inserted the magic really well. It felt subtle and on the edges of things, which is how I feel magical realism should be. Anything bigger is just fantasy.
- I really liked all four girls and their relationship. Their friendship is interesting, because none of them are really friends so much as symbiotic relationship where on one had the girls benefit off Felicity's influence and on the other enjoy Gemma's gift. The way they fell into accidental friendship (but not really loyalty) was interesting to me.
- I just... I really liked Pippa's storyline? I feel like no other reviewer I've read enjoyed the girls outside Gemma, but I loved Pippa's story. It made me sad.

The bad:

- The romantic story is honestly awful and pointless. It adds nothing to the story and feels out of place.
- The Romani people are one big fat stereotype and that's not cool. ESPECIALLY because they also don't add much to the story!!!
- There are a lot of open ends where it feels like the story *could* have gone to be richer, and then didn't. I feel like I missed something that could have been good.

Overall, liked the book a lot. It's a great story - Libba Bray is a great storyteller! But there are some technical issues which I feel needed to be acknowledged to make it a five-star read. I'll be grabbing the next of Gemma's series to be sure.