Book Review: The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Title: The Sweet Far Thing Author: Libba Bray Published: Delacorte Press, 2007 Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order—the mysterious group her mother was once part of—is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

It’s been two days since I’ve finished The Gemma Doyle Trilogy and I’m still processing my feelings. One thing I know for sure is that I have a pretty serious book hangover.  You know that feeling when you finish a book and you're like... WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED. Is this it? Is it over, it can't be over...

That's how I felt when I turned the last page of The Sweet Far Thing. Complete shock and confusion, but in the best possible way.

Just like my review of Rebel Angels, this one may contain spoilers so if you have not yet read this series, what are you waiting for? It’s fabulous. It’s a dark fantasy meets a coming-of-age story meets a supernatural thriller, meets historical fiction. This final book in the series felt in a word, Epic. I felt like I was reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was a no holds barred fight to save the world from evil.

When we catch up with Gemma she and Felicity are preparing for their debuts and Ann is dreaming about how she can become an actress rather than a governess. At the end of the last book Gemma imprisoned Circe in the temple and decided to bind the magic of the realms to herself rather than turn it over to someone(s) who would only use it for their own personal gain, but she promised a share of the magic with the creatures of the realms who helped her along the way. However Gemma is unable to make the door of light appear and return to the realms. The slow start of this book was a huge step backwards after all the excitement of Rebel Angels. I was impatiently waiting for the action to pick up.

But things don’t stay that way for long. They are rebuilding the East Wing at Spence that was once burned down and Gemma quickly learns that there is a secret door in the turret that will allow her and the others to travel into the realms. When she makes it back there the creatures want her to live up to her bargain and share the magic with them but Gemma’s not really ready to share. It causes some strife between not only her and the tribes of the realms but also among her friends. She doesn’t want to take them into the realms and she only wants to share the magic when it’s convenient for her. In fact she is being kind of reckless with the magic. There is an overarching theme throughout the series about power and who you should share it with. This book in particular felt very much like a criticism of government and society. The tribes are fighting amongst themselves, and those who most need the power don't seem to think they deserve it, ironically this makes them the ones who deserve it the most. But in every debate over power there is the idea that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Gemma is kind of an absolute ruler, she is the one who controls the magic, and we see her get a little corrupted by the power. 

But it's not just Gemma that gets corrupted by power. All of the characters are complex and slightly menacing. Gemma doesn't know who to trust because to be completely honest no one is trustworthy. She gets burned more than once trusting the wrong people.  These are some of the best written characters I have ever experienced. They are all so interesting, mysterious, and full of surprises. In my review of Rebel Angels I said that every time you thought you had them figured out they would do something to surprise you, and that is absolutely the case in this book. Probably my two favorites in this book were Pippa who gets corrupted by the magic and Miss Moore who goes full circle by the end. And then there is Gemma. She is a reluctant hero who is being kind of petulant when it comes to completing the tasks she alone can complete. She is also back to being snarky in this book as she and Felicity try to become who they want to be and not who is expected of them. The feminist overtones in the first two books become pretty overt in this one as the characters not only prepare to become ladies, but try to decide their futures, and the future of the magic.

"We're like pretty horses, and just as horses, they mean to put blinders on I'd so we can't look left or right but only straight ahead where they lead" 
p. 601 The Sweet Far Thing

The debate over whether it is our destiny or our choices that decides our path in life is one of the biggest themes throughout the series. Gemma and the others spends much of their time speculating that they can decide the way everything will shake out, that it is not predetermined. And when it comes to those choices, Gemma has made some real doozies. She has incredibly poor judgment and is forced to live with the consequences of these terrible actions. She also still doesn’t trust anyone, but then who can blame her. Every one of them is morally ambiguous and a little malicious, but then that’s what I love about them. And while the relationships are what got her through the first two books, in this book Gemma must find the power to do what she needs to do on her own. In Rebel Angels I didn’t want her to do it alone but in this book I was ready for it. I was ready for her to strike out on her own and be her own person. I was ready for her to take responsibility of her actions and to choose to fulfill her destiny (you see what I did there?), I was ready for her to become the hero I knew she could be. It is only then that she can make everything right. 

Just like the last book, The Sweet Far Thing is an incredible mystery. I spent most of the beginning of the book with my mind racing wondering what this clue or that clue would lead to. When the final mystery was revealed I wasn’t entirely shocked because I suspected it all along but the clues weren’t as obvious as the previous book. But perhaps I wasn’t all that shocked about the major reveal because the book had about five smaller shocking twists. Some of them caught me completely off guard while others made me say to myself “took you long enough.” The shocking twists and intriguing mysteries are one of the best parts of this series. This final book in the series was not just full of mystery it was also full of action. It was much more epic than previous two books. It was full of battle scenes including a final fight to save the world from evil that felt very much like a classic dark fantasy stories.

As great as it was there were some pacing issues in The Sweet Far Thing. It took awhile for the action to pick up and when it did there would be a big shocking twist and then nothing exciting for awhile. Some scenes dragged on and on while others were over in the blink of an eye. There was so much build up and when everything was concluded I was left completely dumb-founded. The last forty pages were completely pointless and while they concluded the story I was completely numb to them. If I’m being completely honest I think that the book was too long. I normally love a long final book in a series but in this case I think that everything could have been conveyed in 600 pages instead of 800. 

In general however it was a great ending to a great series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes coming-of age stories, dark fantasy, historical fiction, and/or supernatural thrillers. It left me wondering what took me so long in finding this series but at least I did. It was fabulous! I give it 8 out of 10 stars.  

 

I can't really put into words exactly how I feel about this series. There are so many facets to it that I wish I could communicate but that would make this review longer than it already is. But if you have read this series I would love to hear your thoughts. What was your favorite thing about it? Who was your favorite character? What did you think about the ending? Leave me a comment. I need someone to talk to about it!

Book Review: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Title: Rebel Angels Author: Libba Bray Series: The Gemma Doyle Trilogy Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2006 Goodreads Amazon Synopsis (from Goodreads): Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain... The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship. But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task

This is second book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, which if you haven’t read A Great and Terrible Beauty you should but only so you can read this book (and also this review because it contains Book 1 spoilers). It was light years better than the first book. That one's good, this one's great! Maybe it was because I knew what I was getting into, or maybe it was that all the kinks were worked out, but this one was so much more enjoyable. I went into A Great and Terrible Beauty expecting a Gothic horror novel but that’s not what it was at all. The series really can’t be pigeonholed into one specific genre it’s Historical Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Thriller, and a Coming-of-Age story all rolled into one. The elements of the story could have been placed in the modern era but the fact that they were in Victorian London gave it a different tone all together.

Gemma and her friends are back and still reeling from the conclusion of the first book. Gemma in particular is torn about her supposed destiny and her personal ties to The Realms. She’s learning that her choices have drastic consequences and it’s leading to some pretty serious inner turmoil. The continued exploration of the dark magical world that they discovered in the first book and Gemma’s path of binding the magic is held in contrast with the world of London at Christmastime. Gemma and her friends, Felicity and Ann, are attending balls, being courted by strapping young gentlemen, trying to become ladies of high society, and dealing with their fair share of family drama. Gemma is literally living in two different worlds and trying to find her place in both of them.  

The book also delves deeper into the idea of power and control that was just a minor theme in the first book. It is Gemma, and Gemma alone, who is able to enter The Realms but once they are there the magic can be shared with the others, especially after Gemma released it in the first book. The fact that the others are reliant on Gemma creates some moments of jealousy and resentment, especially among Felicity who is used to being the one in control. The jealously of Gemma and her power is also shared by the creatures and residents in The Realms who have been stifled by The Order and not able to use the magic in their own land. As Gemma seeks help on her quest many of them ask for their share of the power that they have been denied. There is also the struggle between the Rakshana who were denied power from The Order, former members of The Order who want their power and control over The Realms to be restored, and of course Circe who wants the power for herself. Gemma has to decide what to do with the magic now that she has released it. Should she let it be free or should she turn it over to someone? If she turns it over, who should she turn it over too? These decisions are made more complicated by the fact that Gemma really feels like she can’t trust anyone.

One of my favorite parts of this series is the characters that Libba Bray has created. They are all complex and flawed, and every single one of them was full of surprises. Just when you thought you had figured them out they did something to shock you. Gemma has become much less snarky, which I dislike, and throughout most of the book she has incredibly bad judgment. It was a bit frustrating but it’s these character flaws that make her a compelling anti-hero. I still love Felicity, who is a giant ball of contradiction. One minute she’s a nasty spoiled brat and the next she’s doing something selfless. You meet her family and learn a little bit more about her past in this book. You start to realize why she is the way she is and empathize with her a lot more (as if I needed another reason to like Felicity). We also get to spend more time with some older characters like Miss Moore, the girls’ former teacher, Gemma’s family including her father and her brother Tom, and of course Kartik. Each of them continues the trend of being flawed but likable because of the fact that they are so complicated. We also meet some interesting and mysterious new characters like Miss McCleethy a new teacher at Spence, Simon Middleton who is Gemma’s dashing suitor, and Nell Hawkins a mental patient that seems to know about The Realms. And in The Realms there are a host of new characters who are just as complex. Pippa is still in The Realms and she hasn’t crossed over and is being corrupted by the magic (I actually like this darker Pippa, she seemed very one-note before). And Circe is still lurking on the periphery threatening to take control of the magic and worrying Gemma.

At first I was a bit unimpressed by the romance of the story, finding it distracting, but it served to address the deeper theme of the power of human relationships and who you should surround yourself with on your path of life. Gemma doesn’t know who she should put her faith and trust in throughout the novel. She is entrusted with this task but she doesn’t want to and can’t really do it alone. No one is purely good and no one is purely evil (even the villain Circe makes you wonder sometimes), and this fact leaves Gemma wondering who to put her faith in to help her complete her task. You are told often throughout the story to trust no one, and I felt like things were leading down a path where Gemma would choose just that. She would find the strength in herself to accomplish her goals alone but it hasn’t yet lead to that, and I’m glad of that.  The soul of this book is the story of the friendships and relationships that continue to develop and deepen as the series goes on.

“And for a moment I understand that I have friends on this lonely path, that sometimes your place is not something you find, but something you have when you need it” p. 547

Do you get it?

But the best part of this book for me was the mystery. I spent much of the first half with my mind racing trying to figure out what was going to happen and what this clue or that clue meant. I didn’t fall for the red herring (good try Libba Bray) but I was actually glad that I didn’t. There were good enough clues throughout the book that led me to solve the big conclusion at the end and I was proud of myself when I did. The fact that I knew something the characters didn't made me nervous of Gemma’s actions for the rest of the book and for the first time I actually enjoyed the dramatic irony. Gone was the lack of action that A Great and Terrible Beauty was plagued with, this one is much more thrilling and suspenseful. It kept building and building and just when I thought that there was nowhere new that the action could go, something else crazy happened. It wasn’t until the last twenty pages that the expected conflict between Gemma and the antagonist occurred. The ending left me with this unsettled feeling where things didn’t at all feel resolved but in the best possible way. It left me hungry for more, it left me hungry for the final book in the series The Sweet Far Thing.

I give Rebel Angels by Libba Bray a 9 out of 10

I recommend this book to anyone who likes Coming-of-Age stories, Supernatural Thrillers, and/or Dark Fantasy. It was a great second book in what is shaping up to being an amazing series. If you’ve read this book let me know your thoughts in the comments and HAPPY READING!