Title: Rebel Angels
Author: Libba Bray
Series: The Gemma Doyle Trilogy
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2006
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
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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
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| Do you get it? |
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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!
