Helpful Score: 1
The third book in the Gemma Doyle series is definitely not a let down. It was my favorite out of the trilogy.
A definite must read.
A definite must read.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 1
I must admit, I began THE SWEET FAR THING, the last in Libba Bray's enormously successful magical series, with some trepidation, having heard some bad things about it. However, I was far from being disappointed. This novel wraps up the series in a bittersweet way, and yet, knowing how the series concentrated so much on flawed characters and radical opinions (for their time, anyway), I would not expect anything else as its ending.
It is nearing the season of Gemma's debut, where she will be presented to the queen as a lady, but Gemma has far more important things on her mind than pretty gowns and airheaded girls. For one thing, Mrs. Nightwing, the headmistress of Spence Academy, and her friend Miss McCleethy, a member of the Order who wants Gemma to relinquish her magic, are finally putting into action plans to rebuild the East Wing, destroyed in a fire years ago when one of the last great priestesses of the Order and former headmistress of Spence, sealed the Realms shut for the time being. Bad things soon start to happen: workmen disappear forever in the middle of the night, and the disappearances are blamed on the gypsies.
The Rakshana continue to threaten Gemma if she does not give her magic to them, and she fears they may start to hurt her family if she does not give them what they want. Kartik, the disowned Rakshana who is linked to Gemma by the death of her mother and his brother, does not act toward Gemma how she wish he would act toward her. To top it all off, Felicity's in danger of losing her inheritance if she doesn't rein herself in for her debut, and Ann seems to be digging her own grave as a governess when she will not seize the opportunity to make something out of herself with her singing and acting talent.
And then, things go from bad to worse. A lady in a lavender dress begins to appear to Gemma in visions of warning, and rebellion is definitely stirring in the Winterlands. Pippa has gone beyond just petty with her delusions of grandeur, and the forest folk are beginning to distrust Gemma as she has not shared her magic with them. And when a particular day in May arrives, it may be the end of the world as everyone knows it, unless Gemma and her motley group of friends give it their all...and win some and lose some in the end.
I get the feeling that a lot of people don't like this book because it does not have a happy ending. But this is a fact that I appreciate because, hey, in real life, there are few perfect happy endings. Do not be daunted by its length (800+ pages), because the finale, a bittersweet one that left me crying for hours, is something that cannot be imagined: it must be read.
It is nearing the season of Gemma's debut, where she will be presented to the queen as a lady, but Gemma has far more important things on her mind than pretty gowns and airheaded girls. For one thing, Mrs. Nightwing, the headmistress of Spence Academy, and her friend Miss McCleethy, a member of the Order who wants Gemma to relinquish her magic, are finally putting into action plans to rebuild the East Wing, destroyed in a fire years ago when one of the last great priestesses of the Order and former headmistress of Spence, sealed the Realms shut for the time being. Bad things soon start to happen: workmen disappear forever in the middle of the night, and the disappearances are blamed on the gypsies.
The Rakshana continue to threaten Gemma if she does not give her magic to them, and she fears they may start to hurt her family if she does not give them what they want. Kartik, the disowned Rakshana who is linked to Gemma by the death of her mother and his brother, does not act toward Gemma how she wish he would act toward her. To top it all off, Felicity's in danger of losing her inheritance if she doesn't rein herself in for her debut, and Ann seems to be digging her own grave as a governess when she will not seize the opportunity to make something out of herself with her singing and acting talent.
And then, things go from bad to worse. A lady in a lavender dress begins to appear to Gemma in visions of warning, and rebellion is definitely stirring in the Winterlands. Pippa has gone beyond just petty with her delusions of grandeur, and the forest folk are beginning to distrust Gemma as she has not shared her magic with them. And when a particular day in May arrives, it may be the end of the world as everyone knows it, unless Gemma and her motley group of friends give it their all...and win some and lose some in the end.
I get the feeling that a lot of people don't like this book because it does not have a happy ending. But this is a fact that I appreciate because, hey, in real life, there are few perfect happy endings. Do not be daunted by its length (800+ pages), because the finale, a bittersweet one that left me crying for hours, is something that cannot be imagined: it must be read.
Helpful Score: 1
What an incredibly long book.
What I liked, well, sadly not too much. This story has been going on now for three books and nothing gets resolved until the last 50 pages. So why then are there so many other pages? I think my main problem with this series/book is that the scenes are not long enough. As soon as I felt like I was getting into what was going on the Author moved on. Because of this I had very little attachment to the characters.
I do however think that Bray is a very poetic writer. Her descriptions are new and original and very image provoking. For example tasting her name on my tongue like an exotic new curry.
As for the young adult aspect. Todays teens are faced with a multitude of things and many of them were addressed in this book: cutting, death, sexual orientation, love, betrayal, discovery etc To me the author spends the most time on the parts of life that all teens experience loved, betrayal and discovery but she does not ignore the more difficult ones however she does kind of gloss over them.
All in all I am glad I read the books but I did not enjoy them as much as I have others.
What I liked, well, sadly not too much. This story has been going on now for three books and nothing gets resolved until the last 50 pages. So why then are there so many other pages? I think my main problem with this series/book is that the scenes are not long enough. As soon as I felt like I was getting into what was going on the Author moved on. Because of this I had very little attachment to the characters.
I do however think that Bray is a very poetic writer. Her descriptions are new and original and very image provoking. For example tasting her name on my tongue like an exotic new curry.
As for the young adult aspect. Todays teens are faced with a multitude of things and many of them were addressed in this book: cutting, death, sexual orientation, love, betrayal, discovery etc To me the author spends the most time on the parts of life that all teens experience loved, betrayal and discovery but she does not ignore the more difficult ones however she does kind of gloss over them.
All in all I am glad I read the books but I did not enjoy them as much as I have others.
Helpful Score: 1
I wish that Libba Bray loved happy endings as much a J.K. Rowling does. It would have made my review of The Sweet Far Thing a little sweeter.
This book is the darkest of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. It begins as Gemma and her friends prepare for their seasons, when they will be presented before the queen at their society debut and signaling their readiness for marriage. Gemma can't master her curtsey, and that's the least of her problems. The magical realms are out of control, with mythical creatures finding ways through the cracks and into the real world. Gemma no longer holds all the power, and is having problems controlling the power she does have. And her confusing relationship with and feelings for Kartik are only getting more complicated.
The book's ending prevented me from giving this book five stars - but its a satisfying conclusion to the series. I was happy to see Gemma follow her heart - a great message for the young women readers who are the author's target audience.
This book is the darkest of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. It begins as Gemma and her friends prepare for their seasons, when they will be presented before the queen at their society debut and signaling their readiness for marriage. Gemma can't master her curtsey, and that's the least of her problems. The magical realms are out of control, with mythical creatures finding ways through the cracks and into the real world. Gemma no longer holds all the power, and is having problems controlling the power she does have. And her confusing relationship with and feelings for Kartik are only getting more complicated.
The book's ending prevented me from giving this book five stars - but its a satisfying conclusion to the series. I was happy to see Gemma follow her heart - a great message for the young women readers who are the author's target audience.
can't say I loved the ending, but the fantisy of the story made it hard to put down
Kathy N. (addicated-to-reading) reviewed The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, Bk 3) on + 151 more book reviews
I got this series as gifts for a friend's daughter. Have not read them myself.
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, Bk 3) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com
The third and final book in Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy, THE SWEET FAR THING picks up a few months after REBEL ANGELS ended.
It's now spring, and Gemma has been unable to reenter the realms with or without her friends since the Christmas holidays, when she sealed all the magic inside herself. She has grown uneasy with dreams of the supposedly dead Circe and the absence of Kartrik, despite his pledge to support her. As Mrs. Nightwing oversees the rebuilding of Spence Academy's long destroyed East Wing, Gemma discovers a door that leads into the realms. Soon she, Felicity, and Ann have rejoined Pippa in the realms.
All is far from well, however. Within the realms, the various tribes strive to convince Gemma to share her magic, and she finds herself unable to trust any of them. Circe is not dead after all, and her warnings frighten Gemma. And what of the new visions, in which Gemma sees a former student of Spence Academy, who writes of the Tree of All Souls?
Outside the realms, there is just as much uncertainty. Gemma prepares for her debut and tries to make her peace with her father and brother. Felicity's headstrong behavior has put her on the verge of losing her inheritance and freedom. Ann must decide whether to risk everything on the chance of a career in the theatre.
As dark forces spread through the realms and the girls' debuts approach, Gemma must find more strength in herself than she ever thought possible, and decide just what kind of woman she wants to be -- for herself, not anyone else.
Fans of the trilogy will tear through this book, eager to reach its conclusion and learn the fates of all its characters. Bray's descriptions of Victorian life and the mysterious realms are as colorful as ever. Gemma makes a sympathetic if sometimes frustrating narrator, believable in her struggle to make the right decision. At over 800 pages, THE SWEET FAR THING is far longer than either of the books before it, and there is some repetition to the earlier scenes, but those who love the world will be happy to spend as much time there as they can. Toward the end, the plot picks up to a heart-pounding pace. Between cheering the happier parts of the ending, and grieving over its inevitable sadness, readers will be glad to have lived through this tale with Gemma and her friends.
The third and final book in Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy, THE SWEET FAR THING picks up a few months after REBEL ANGELS ended.
It's now spring, and Gemma has been unable to reenter the realms with or without her friends since the Christmas holidays, when she sealed all the magic inside herself. She has grown uneasy with dreams of the supposedly dead Circe and the absence of Kartrik, despite his pledge to support her. As Mrs. Nightwing oversees the rebuilding of Spence Academy's long destroyed East Wing, Gemma discovers a door that leads into the realms. Soon she, Felicity, and Ann have rejoined Pippa in the realms.
All is far from well, however. Within the realms, the various tribes strive to convince Gemma to share her magic, and she finds herself unable to trust any of them. Circe is not dead after all, and her warnings frighten Gemma. And what of the new visions, in which Gemma sees a former student of Spence Academy, who writes of the Tree of All Souls?
Outside the realms, there is just as much uncertainty. Gemma prepares for her debut and tries to make her peace with her father and brother. Felicity's headstrong behavior has put her on the verge of losing her inheritance and freedom. Ann must decide whether to risk everything on the chance of a career in the theatre.
As dark forces spread through the realms and the girls' debuts approach, Gemma must find more strength in herself than she ever thought possible, and decide just what kind of woman she wants to be -- for herself, not anyone else.
Fans of the trilogy will tear through this book, eager to reach its conclusion and learn the fates of all its characters. Bray's descriptions of Victorian life and the mysterious realms are as colorful as ever. Gemma makes a sympathetic if sometimes frustrating narrator, believable in her struggle to make the right decision. At over 800 pages, THE SWEET FAR THING is far longer than either of the books before it, and there is some repetition to the earlier scenes, but those who love the world will be happy to spend as much time there as they can. Toward the end, the plot picks up to a heart-pounding pace. Between cheering the happier parts of the ending, and grieving over its inevitable sadness, readers will be glad to have lived through this tale with Gemma and her friends.
The Gemma Doyle series is a great read!! There were realistic characters with realistic problems... well, aside from the supernatural aspects. :o) The book was well written and enjoyable to read.
I enjoyed this series of books
I found it was a little long in some areas, but overall it was a decent book.
I wish this series continued on.
