The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray book trailer

:D

Here's the cast:

Moira Dennis --- Gemma
Devon Jordan --- Pippa
Kasia Cylc --- Felicity
Joanna Wilson --- Ann
Manish Dayal --- Kartik
Diane Love --- Eugenia Spence
Piper Kenny --- Poppy Warrior
Sarah Carl --- Wilhemina
Meg McQuillan --- Circe
Jessica Carlson --- Bessie
Alyse Binder --- Mae
Catherine Melillo --- Wendy
Lucy Rayner --- Voiceover

Book Review - The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Rating: 10/10

The Sweet Far Thing is the last book in New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray's trilogy. Gemma Doyle successfully bound the magic to herself but soon she has to let go of it and share it with the others. But who will these be? The Order? The Rakshana? Or her new alliance? Plus, her debut is near and she will have to make a decision: the society's "corset" or her freedom?

Oh, I love love love this book (and the whole trilogy)! It's bursting with more illusions, lies, betrayals, doubts, magic, and, most of all, love. Libba Bray weaves a lovely tale. I appreciated every chapter, every paragraph, every word. The things she's written in it are real jewels, no illusions. She has successfully made the reader feel what the characters feel. I mean, it's fantastic! I so love this woman and her craft!

For the first time ever, Libba Bray made me hate centaurs. I've always loved centaurs. But, in this novel I hate them. Haha! And also that Neela. Argh. Gorgon is amazing! I love her! Brigid is also a nice character. I didn't like Ms. McCleethy before but when she did that, I think I liked her character. Cecily, Martha, and Elizabeth are still as hateful as they bloody were before.

The dark scenes in the novel are written out so well that I was continuously afraid of a pixie's hand grabbing my foot. Haha! It was that effective, readers.

The [forbidden] romance between Kartik and Gemma is true and sadly bittersweet. I could swear that I didn't like it when Kartik died, but it just showed how truly he felt for Gemma when he gave his life to the Tree of All Souls. It's also lovely to note that he constantly appears in her dreams, waving to her from the other side. Their love story is one of the best I've read. (Really, I was heartbroken when he died.)

Libba Bray's trilogy is not only a tale of fantasy and love, it also serves as a book that will empower women anywhere. This quote from page 811 says it all:

"Why should we girls not have the same privileges as men? Why do we police ourselves so stringently - whittling each other down with cutting remarks or holding ourselves back from the greatness with a harness woven of fear and shame and longing? If we do not deem ourselves worthy first, how shall we ever ask for more?"

I'm really glad I got to read this treasure of a book.

(This is where it ends, eh? I'm severely heartbroken because the beloved trilogy is finished; I desperately want more. Libba Bray, this bloody novel captivated me. XD)

COMPLETE!!!

HA! I have completed the Gemma Doyle trilogy by purchasing the last book: The Sweet Far Thing. I think, so far, it has been the most expensive of my collections with the total cost amounting to 959 pesos. Booyeah.

COMPLETE!!!

HA! I have completed the Gemma Doyle trilogy by purchasing the last book: The Sweet Far Thing. I think, so far, it has been the most expensive of my collections with the total cost amounting to 959 pesos. Booyeah.

Book Review - Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Rating: 9/10

Rebel Angels is the second book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, the sequel to the New York Times Bestseller A Great and Terrible Beauty. With the destruction of the Runes, Gemma Doyle has set the magic loose in the realms, free for anyone to use. Everything in the realms is changing, becoming corrupted, even their beloved Pippa. Now, Gemma must find the temple and bind the magic, defeating her mother's friend turned foe - Circe, Sarah Rees-Toome.

I'm afraid I've enjoyed A Great and Terrible Beauty more. While Libba Bray's humor and dark mystery is still captivating, I find Rebel Angels... Um... Lacking, in some way I cannot name. Anyway, it is great that Kartik narrates the Prologue. There is some mention of the "last sixty days" of his life and I feared that I would lose him (HA!). But it was different. Anyway, I shan't spoil the fun.

The novel, in its entirety, pulsates with lies and illusions, but mostly the latter. The mystery that is Circe is... Err... Mysterious. I think Ms. Bray did a good job with it although some parts of it are, for me, a bit rusty. I don't know, but like I said something in it is lacking. Perhaps it is a trait of an in-between book. Perhaps... Perhaps it is the romance that is lacking?..

Booyeah. I'm turning into a dreadful romantic with each passing day. But there, I think I have adapted the language from the Victorian era. Anyway, that is good because it shows the influence of the book. Anyway, Rebel Angels is fascinating in some way and it ends in a way that will leave the reader wanting for more. :D

Book Review - A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Rating: 10/10

A Great and Terrible Beauty is a New York Times Bestseller book by Libba Bray. It tells the mystical story of Gemma Doyle, a rebellious sixteen year old girl living in the Victorian era of England. After her mother's mysterious death in India, Gemma travels to London and attends Spence Academy, a finishing school in London, where she is expected to learn French, dance waltz, paint lively still life paintings, sing beautifully, and learn impeccable manners. But Gemma Doyle is no ordinary girl; she possesses a supernatural power that enables her to see visions of the future and travel to a utopia-like world behind a door of light...

It is rare, in this day and age, to find a gem of a book, much less a gem of a writer. But here, in A Great and Terrible Beauty, I believe I have found both of them. The novel is stirring, passionate, terrible and beautiful all at the same time. It's a beautiful work of art and I would very much like to see a movie adaptation of it (because it's so interesting!). Libba Bray is able to revive the Victorian era through her writing. The supernatural mixed with the Bray's humor will delight and thrill audiences alike. It's a wonderful mix of terror and fantasy that will leave you wanting for more. There's are also beautiful lessons weaved into the text that, most likely, I will never forget. Plus, it is also kind of rare that I finish a 400+ page book in a few hours. I only do that if I'm really interested in it (and if I'm interested, it means that the book is very good). :)

And the characters! Oh, the characters are riveting!!! I simply love -swoonswoonswoon- Kartik's character. He reminds me of that assassin (forgot the name) from one of the Fire Emblem GBA games who is tall, dark and handsome. KARTIK!!! Yes, yes, I am freaking out... So this is how Libba Bray describes him:

He isn't much older than I am, probably seventeen if a day, with brown skin, a full mouth, and the longest eyelashes I have ever seen. I know I'm not supposed to find Indian men attractive, but I don't see many young men and I find I'm blushing in spite of myself. (page 7)


Focus on his face, his full lips, perfect as a bow. His thick dark curls fall across from his eyes, deep, brown, foot-long-lashes eyes. Alarmed eyes. (page 13)

There's a lot more descriptions of him but this will do because I can't... -swoonfaintswoon-

Ahem. -cough- Okay, so enough of Kartik.

Gemma and her four friends (Felicity, Pippa, and Ann) are well-rounded characters. By that, I mean that it feels like they're real and not just a bunch of words written by a writer. They sound so real, so insecure, so... Much like a girl. They're believable characters, that's what.

So the plot thickens and the ending feels like the beginning of everything else. Circe (Sarah Rees-Toome) is never revealed because that (damned) picture of the 1871 class didn't show her face. Argh. I was just about to jump out of the bed and scream when I came to that part. Err. So yeah. I am spoiling the fun.

And because the ending had me screaming for more, I'm looking forward to owning the sequels, Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing , sometime this year if I ever find a copy. After all, I want to read more about Ka-- Gemma.

P.S. I just noticed that I've been reading a lot of books about empowered women lately... And I love it dearly!!!

P.S.2. If they're ever going to make a movie adaptation of this, please, please, please, please, puhleeze don't cast Dev Patel as Kartik. I beseech you!! And don't let this be a chick flick, for pity's sake. Nor another Twilight thing.

P.S.3. Okay. So Icon relinquished the rights something. So there's no movie. But I'm still crossing my fingers. (KARTIK!!!)