Friday Spines Book Review:
This riveting trilogy combines (fairly gentle) horror, vivid historical fiction, and coming-of-age, but you won't be thinking about anything except Gemma Doyle, debutante-in-training at Spence Academy for Young Ladies, also known--quite eloquently--as hell.
On her sixteenth birthday, Gemma has a mysterious, haunting vision of her mother committing suicide, in the middle of a public market, on Gemma's sixteenth birthday. It turns even more disturbing when every detail the first of her many visions is proven true. Red-haired, too-tall Gemma is then sent to Spence, in accordance with her mother's wishes. She's used to not fitting in, and is not surprised when the other girls at her new boarding school subtly but unreservedly shun her. Her social standing changes dramatically when she catches Felicity, who has the most power at the school, doing something decidedly un-ladylike: Gemma's immediately welcomed into the inner circle.
Even with the promised friendship of Felicity and her best friend Pippa (as well as Gemma's roommate, Ann) and the grudging admiration of the rest of the Spence girls, Gemma's life still isn't what she wishes for. There's Kartik, the young Indian who's been shadowing her since her mother's death, as well as the visions that have followed her in much the same way. She shares these visions with the circle of girls she tentatively calls friends, and together they discover a magical world that only Gemma can take them to, that they call the Realms.
The writing in this book is beautifully old-fashioned, fitting in with the corsets and mincing steps while still being concise and easy-to-understand. Libba Bray's storytelling is excellent; the plot will keep you drawn in as long as your house isn't burning down. I recommend this trilogy for ages 10 and up--the romance bits aren't inappropriate and the horror isn't vivid enough to scare off younger readers, but readers with more context around expectations of women during the Victorian era will be far more able to empathize with Gemma.
Other things I like about this book:
"'While we can and will teach you the necessary skills to become England's future wives and mothers, hostesses and bearers of the Empire's feminine traditions, it will be up to each of you to nurture and feed your souls, and to apply yourselves with grace, charm, and beauty. This is the Spence motto: Grace, charm, and beauty. Let us all rise and say it together.'
There is a great rustling as fifty girls stand at attention and recite the pledge, chins tilted upward toward the future."
On her sixteenth birthday, Gemma has a mysterious, haunting vision of her mother committing suicide, in the middle of a public market, on Gemma's sixteenth birthday. It turns even more disturbing when every detail the first of her many visions is proven true. Red-haired, too-tall Gemma is then sent to Spence, in accordance with her mother's wishes. She's used to not fitting in, and is not surprised when the other girls at her new boarding school subtly but unreservedly shun her. Her social standing changes dramatically when she catches Felicity, who has the most power at the school, doing something decidedly un-ladylike: Gemma's immediately welcomed into the inner circle.
Even with the promised friendship of Felicity and her best friend Pippa (as well as Gemma's roommate, Ann) and the grudging admiration of the rest of the Spence girls, Gemma's life still isn't what she wishes for. There's Kartik, the young Indian who's been shadowing her since her mother's death, as well as the visions that have followed her in much the same way. She shares these visions with the circle of girls she tentatively calls friends, and together they discover a magical world that only Gemma can take them to, that they call the Realms.
The writing in this book is beautifully old-fashioned, fitting in with the corsets and mincing steps while still being concise and easy-to-understand. Libba Bray's storytelling is excellent; the plot will keep you drawn in as long as your house isn't burning down. I recommend this trilogy for ages 10 and up--the romance bits aren't inappropriate and the horror isn't vivid enough to scare off younger readers, but readers with more context around expectations of women during the Victorian era will be far more able to empathize with Gemma.
Other things I like about this book:
- The covers of all books in the Gemma Doyle trilogy are intriguing and fit the story perfectly.
- Although the majority of the book is narrated by Gemma, there's a few chapters from Kartik's perspective: The transitions are eloquent and concise, providing enough contrast to make the reader notice but not enough to distract from the story.
- The portrayal of the world's expectations of Gemma as a young woman are historically accurate but still easy for us, in modern times, to identify with. Also, although she and her friends are constantly breaking the constraints of society, it's handled in a way that seems realistic, perfectly blending fantasy with history.
- Just enough wishes come true in the Realms to make us wonder whether or not anything is possible.
Other books you might enjoy: The Luxe series, by Anna Godbersen; Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marilier; and Ophelia, by Lisa Klein.
Themes:
Happy reading!
M. Gabrielle
Themes:
- Heaven/hell
- Magic
- Social class
- Religion
- Friendship/love
- Historical fiction
- Equality: Gender and racial
- Etiquette
Happy reading!
M. Gabrielle
No comments:
Post a Comment