A Great and Terrible Beauty is the first book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy and was our latest Y Teen Book Club selection. Part Victorian Gothic romance, part fantasy and part chick lit made this a very interesting read. Four friends attending an English boarding school discover magical powers that take them into a place called The Realms to battle against a secret society of women, called The Order, and a secret men's society, called the Rakshana.
Did I like the trilogy? It was outside my comfort zone but it kept my attention and I respect Libba Bray's efforts. There was a lot to discuss, if only anyone were interested.
This trilogy is good for sophisticated Y readers who can handle the sexual fantasy scenes and the violence and the mystical elements. Don't be fooled by the covers and think it will work for an historical fiction assignment because the Victorian setting is outweighed by the fatastical otherworld.
