Tag Archives: Book Review

Book Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray mixes fantasy and reality at an all-girls academy in 19th Century England

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A Great and Terrible Beauty is the first book in a trilogy, written by Libba Bray. The book is about a teenage girl named Gemma Doyle who moves from her home in India to Spence; an all girls academy in 19th century England, after her mother dies in a terrible accident. At Spence, Gemma meets three very special girls; Pippa, a beautiful girl with both icy-mean and lovable sides to her, Felicity, a strong and cunning leader with a lust for power, and Ann, a timid, insecure girl who longs for beauty and friendship.

The four girls sneak off from their dorms at night to escape the expectations and pressures of reality and Gemma soon decides that she can trust Pippa, Felicity and Ann with her biggest secret. Gemma Doyle can see the future. She has vivid dreams that seem to take her into a whole different world when she least expects it. Gemma learns to control her powers and starts bringing her friends into this dreamlike fairy tale world at every chance they get. There, everything is perfect; Pippa finds love, Felicity is powerful, Ann is beautiful and Gemma finds her mother, or so she believes. What Gemma and her friends must learn is that all good things must come to an end and that this perfect world isn’t at all what it may seems to be.

I loved this book mostly because of how relatable it was. Even though Libba Bray describes a girl in a time I was never a part of and deals with such an unworldly subject, she uses Gemma and her friend’s detailed personalities and character development throughout the book to make you feel as if you could very well be in the same situation.

Gemma has many conflicts in her relationships with her friends and family that involve problems like jealousy, and learning tolerance of others, such as her older brother Tom. She also suffers from the loss of her mother, and her fathers laudanum addiction. This creates a very emotional part of the plot as Gemma longs for her family to be whole and happy as it once was.

One the major themes of the book was the idea of women with power. The four girls represent powerful female leaders in a time when women were trained to be reserved and proper, serving as possessions to their male counterparts. I thought this added a very interesting side to the story because it shows the rebellious, strong sides of the women that are sometimes misconceived as proper or even weak.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mix of fantasy, drama and a hint of romance.

Book Review: Someone Else’s Life by Katie Dale

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Someone Else’s Life offers a dramatic look into something a lot of us have considered at one point or another: what if the family we grew up with wasn’t the family we were supposed to have? That is exactly what Rosie faces after the death of her mother, when she is told that her biological family is out there somewhere, with no idea that the daughter they raised isn’t theirs. Rosie wants to be content with the memories of the mother who loved and raised her, but sometimes the only thing you can do is look for answers and discover who you really are…

You’ll love it if you like: ABC Family’s Switched At Birth

Read it: When you need a break from your family

While you read, listen to:  Pentatonix

Lend it to: A friend so close to you, she feels like your sister

Read Kellie’s blog at www.reawrite.com

Book Review: Going Bovine by Libba Bray captures a Mad Cow-fuelled road trip led by a garden gnome and a punk rock angel

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I recently finished reading a book called Going Bovine, written by Libba Bray. In this surreal and darkly comedic novel, Libba Bray tells the story of Cameron, a boy who begins as your average aimless, lazy, angst-ridden 16-year-old when suddenly, he is diagnosed with a rare disease called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, otherwise known as Mad Cow disease. As Cameron’s brain is slowly eaten away by his condition, he begins to lose control of himself both mentally and physically. After discovering that he has a very limited amount of time left to live, he proceeds to go on the adventure of his life. Accompanied by a misunderstood garden gnome, his hypochondriacal friend Gonzo and lead by Dulcie (a mysterious punk rock angel); Cameron travels across the country in the hopes of saving himself, and the world, from greater evil forces. In the meantime, he discovers and mends valuable relationships between his friends and family, and accomplishes everything that he once held back from doing.

The quirky, interesting and creative way in which the novel is written pushes the reader to constantly question the difference between reality and Cameron’s hallucinations. This novel focuses on the theme of self deception; the way in which you can make yourself believe something that is not true. I think that the most intriguing question that this novel leaves us to consider is; which is stronger, the raw reality of our world or the way in which we perceive it? And how does that affect our actions and decisions?

Throughout the story, Libba Bray hints at a connection between this book and the novel Don Quixote; the famous story of a man named Alonso Quijano who reads so many books about romance and chivalry that he begins to perceive himself as a character of fantasy. Both Cameron and Alonso lead very simple, average lives that are turned into opposite realities though their own perceptions/hallucinations.

Libba Bray has an outstanding writing style that will intrigue and carry the reader into a whole new world. I would certainly recommend this book to readers of all different genres and those who can appreciate a good cliffhanger.