Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle, #2) in Pick-a-Shelf

May 13, 2009 Misty rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-challenge, read-in-2009, juvenile-ya, sci_fi-fantasy, historical, timesuck

I was a little leery of reading this. I didn't really like the first book all that much, though I thought it had potential. But I am taking part in a summer YA reading challenge, so I thought I'd give this a shot.

But first:
Rebel Angels continues the story of Gemma Doyle, a 16 year old girl at Spence, an English boarding school. In A Great and Terrible Beauty Gemma discovers she is a very powerful girl, daughter of a member of a group called the Order, and able to enter "the Realms" and use magi ...more

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Jan 22, 2009 Lizzy rated it it was amazing

An amazing sequel! A riviting addition to the tales of the girls at Spence, with all their joys, hurts, adventures, and so much more. They create new illusions in this sequel but also discover illusions they did not know exsisited. This novel sparkles with all the brilliance of the first and unearths some interesting questions to ponder. These questions stretch from religion, to society, to tradition, to romance, to 'forbidden' things, to so much more. Gemma and her friends will captivate you an ...more

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Jul 11, 2008 Luann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, gr-author, fantasy, young-adult, historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In my review of A Great and Terrible Beauty, I said that I wouldn't rush out and buy the sequel, but that I would get it from the library one of these days. One of these days came sooner than I thought, because I found myself choosing Rebel Angels as one of my historical fiction reads for a GR reading group.

In Rebel Angels, Gemma and her friends have to deal with the consequences of choices and mistakes made in the last book. Kartik tells Gemma that her actions in breaking the runes have unleas In my review of A Great and Terrible Beauty, I said that I wouldn't rush out and buy the sequel, but that I would get it from the library one of these days. One of these days came sooner than I thought, because I found myself choosing Rebel Angels as one of my historical fiction reads for a GR reading group.

In Rebel Angels, Gemma and her friends have to deal with the consequences of choices and mistakes made in the last book. Kartik tells Gemma that her actions in breaking the runes have unleashed the magical power and allowed all the creatures of the realms access to it. He tells Gemma that she needs to find the Temple in the realms in order to once again bind the magic.

I didn't enjoy Rebel Angels quite as much as A Great and Terrible Beauty for most of the book. Some of my irritation with the characters from last time spilled over into this time. I knew some of the wrong choices they would make right from the beginning and it really irritated me - especially when I was right. For most of the book, I was planning to give it a three-star rating. I wasn't completely hating it. The setting, atmosphere, and magical elements were as interesting and mysterious as before. But as I said, the characters and their predictable choices were really irritating. I felt that I certainly wouldn't need to worry about reading the next book in the series. But then I got to the end, and I really loved it! Gemma actually made some good choices at the end. I liked how some of the loose ends from last time were wrapped up. It brought the entire book up to four stars for me (3.5 if we had half stars). I guess I WILL be reading The Sweet Far Thing one of these days.

I also enjoyed finding a few literary references that were probably just part of the historical setting, but still fun. For example, Miss Moore has an apartment on Baker Street. I don't think the address was ever mentioned, but the time period works out so she could have been living next door to Sherlock Holmes. Also, when Miss Moore invites the girls to her apartment, she says she will prepare Turkish delight for them. Maybe this one was foreshadowing (White Witch in Narnia) as well as a literary reference. Either way, fun. I'm sure there were others I missed. ...more

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Nov 12, 2008 Julianne rated it really liked it

This series is always a bit confusing to me. I have a bit of a hard time keeping up with the Realms, Untouchables, Winterlands, Rakshanah, and the Order (not to mention London's high society).

But I enjoy the story and hope to reflect more on it once I finish The Sweet Far Thing. ...more

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