The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, Book Three) by Libba Bray

The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle, Book Three) 
by Libba Bray


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Sweet Far Thing is the final book of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. This is our last visit to the Spence Academy for Young Ladies and to the Realms, but there is still quite and lot that needs to be accomplished before the end of this book, which is why it is a pretty big book!

Mrs. Nightwing has finally raised the funds to restore the damaged East Wing and so construction on the East Wing has begun and it is suppose to be done in time for a large gala ball for the end of term in May. Of course this has all the ladies atwitter wanting to watch the workers instead of doing their studies. The scariest thing for the girls has been that Gemma has not been able to open the door to the realms since they imprisoned Circee in the Temple Well.

Gemma had thought you was done when she destroyed the runes, but no she needed to find the temple and then she imprisoned Circee in the Temple Well, but in the process gave herself all the Magic, now she needs to give the magic back but to who and how. Should she give it to the Order, to the Rakshana, or to the different tribes in the realms? Maybe she should make all the tribes of the realm come together and share it equally. As Gemma is trying to figure that out new and more disturbing visions start coming to her, and she is pretty sure they have something to do with her decision but she just isn't sure how.

While dealing with the visions, the girls have to deal with Ann's cousins wanting to come take her to be their governess, and them wanting to help Ann control her own destiny. Then there is the matter of Felicity's inheritance, for her to get it she must be presented to the queen and have her debut ball, but Lady Markham, who has always promised to do that is having second thoughts after talking to the snob Lady Denby, so plan appease Lady Markham is in full effect. That of course has unwanted marriage prospects that no one realized might be coming.

Pippa did not want to be forced to marry a man three times her age and made a drastic decision to stay in the realms, without realizing the costs until too late, yet she still took control of her life. Fee wanted her inheritance and to live on her own, away from her parents where she was safe, and she could keep Polly safe. Ann wanted to make her own way in the world through her own talent and Gemma wanted to decide for herself what to do with her future. These were still radical ideas for 1896, but there time was coming.

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Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle, Book Two) by Libba Bray

Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle, Book Two) 
by Libba Bray


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rebel Angels is the second book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. This book picks up as book one ends, with Gemma destroying the runes in the realms. The first of the book is Katrik, and his being called back to London by the Rakshana. They give him orders to watch Gemma and have her find the Temple in the realms and bind the magic to the Temple.

After having not been in the realms for two months, when the girls finally do go back, they are surprised to find Pippa there. They had assumed that she had crossed over the river when her body died, but she told them that she was told she didn't have to cross over, she could stay in the realms, although Gemma's mother told her that anyone who didn't cross over would become corrupted, Felicity and Ann don't want to believe that, they want to have Pip back with them and be all together again.

Since we have now hit the Christmas holidays, everyone will be heading home, except Ann who will stay at Spence, until Felicity comes up with the "brilliant" idea to pass Ann off as a long lost niece of a distant Russia Duke and cousin to the Czar himself. Gemma isn't sure this will work, but there is not stopping Fee once she has an idea in her head, and well, maybe that can be a good thing at times. Ann will get to see society and how it really works and may it will shatter her fantasies of it all.

At Gemma's house, nothing is going the way it should be. Grandmama is dour. Tom feels neglected and like he has to do everything and yet nothing he does is good enough for his father, and their father is broken and addicted to laudanum or opium. And for Gemma, the visions are getting worse and nothing is making sense, she can't find the temple and she doesn't understand what they mean.

Then on top of all that we have your regular Victorian Society Snobbery storyline. Who is invited to what balls and who isn't, who sits with who at the opera and who is invited into what Gentleman's club. Also tucked into the story in the off paragraphs in a little blurb here and there about the workers movement, this is very late in the year 1895, and so when the ladies are about town you will hear talk of the workers movement, the factory fire, taking up money for the families. So many layers of story.

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