Mickey's Very Eclectic Bookshelf

This is the last book of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. It is the longest of the three and it happens to be the weakest. I found myself constantly annoyed with Gemma throughout this book. She makes so many choices that are so obviously wrong I couldn't help but groan. I kept trying to remind myself that she is supposed to be 17 and a typical 17-year-old would make these stupid choices but Gemma isn't the typical 17 year old. She's been through a lot and it feels as if the lessons from the past 2 books have failed to stick. It doesn't feel as if she's grown any between the first book and this one.The action is revved up a bit in this book, particularly in the realms which leads me to the second thing that bothered me a lot about this book. The conflict in the realms is so much more interesting and seemingly more urgent than the conflict going on in the real world. The girls are basically preparing to make their debuts and leave school and become adults. They're learning table manners and how to curtsy and all the things that made good Victorian wives. There will be one chapter set in the realms where people's lives are at stake quickly followed by another chapter set in our world where Gemma's ability not to snap at gossipers is the only thing at stake. On one hand I want to believe that Bray does this on purpose to help us see the difference between the life of power and action the girls lead in the realms versus the one of pettiness they are expected to lead in their world. However, there are many times where the two seemed to be given equal weight especially near the end of the book. There are several chapters where horrible things start to happen in the realms, things that you would think demanded immediate action but are followed by several chapters of Gemma playing nice and going about her life in the real world. It slowed the book down a lot and made the last half of the book harder to get through.The one thing I hated the most about this book is what Bray did to the character of Felicity. I've always found her such an intriguing character. She's selfish and yet fiercely loyal and dangerously attracted to power. You can never really tell if she is friend or foe to Gemma. She's very similar to Circe. In previous books she's often motivated by her desire to possess the magic and to be a powerful woman in charge of her own life. In this book she's motivated by...love. The love story may not be what most people expect, which I do applaud Bray for, but all the same, she spends the majority of the book desperately trying to save her lover. She's less of the fierce warrior she's been in the past two books and more like a lovesick puppy. Some may say it adds dimension to her character and seeing her struggle with her sexuality was interesting, but I found her character sort of weak and a lot less interesting in this book.I did like Ann is this book however. She's the first person to realize that she can't use magic to change her life. That only she can do it and of the three girls she's the one who has to fight the hardest and she really does grow a lot in this book. Gemma and Kartik's relationship was also done very nicely. Their love appears genuine and not forced.Overall the book is okay especially if you've read the other two. Just make sure you read the other two first. If this book is your introduction to the series you might be disappointed.

This wasn't as quick of a read as A Great and Terrible Beauty (possibly because it's longer) but I still enjoyed it. I really think Gemma is a great protagonist and I really like how Libba Bray handled the romance in this novel. Like so many other female characters in young adult novels nowadays, Gemma is involved in a love triangle but she never lets her romance interfere with her main objective. It never overpowers the story and Gemma is never defined by it. I like how complex Gemma's relationship is with Felicity. How the two of them both adore each other and yet they're envious of one another. I think that's a realistic portrayal of some teenage friendships (and some adult ones). The plot moves a lot faster in this book and there's a lot more action in this one, most of it occurring outside of the realms, which I really liked. There's also a wonderful mystery to be unraveled and I'm a sucker for a good mystery. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has read the first book or for anyone who likes young adult fantasy novels.

I read this book back in high school and really enjoyed it and it was still a very entertaining read the second time around. I greatly enjoyed all of the characters and enjoyed how wonderfully flawed the four main characters are. Gemma is a wonderful strong female protagonist and you enjoy watching her and her friends attempt to defy the constraints that their Victorian society tries to place on their sex. Even though I had read it before, I had a hard time putting it down. It isn't perfect, of course (I don't believe any book is). The fantasy part of the book is a little muddy to me. Who or what The Order actually is is never quite explained and Bray sometimes resorts to corny cliches to describe things (it happens to the best of them). But at the end of the day the good outweighs the bad. I found myself really moved by the Assembly Day chapter. Would definitely recommend if you like young adult fantasy novels with strong female characters.

As a playwright I really appreciate this play. The characters are well rounded and incredible to watch. There's a wonderful musical rhythm to Parks' writing that shines in this piece. The set up of two brothers named Booth and Lincoln with Lincoln dressing up part time as Honest Abe at an arcade pretty much tells you how it's going to end but watching them get there is a incredible journey. Booth's desperate desire to be like his brother when he was a hustler and Lincoln's desire to avoid becoming that person again really drives the play. One of my favorite plays by one of my favorite playwrights.

I liked this a lot more than I liked the Lioness Quartet. The writing is better and the subject matter is much more complex. Pierce has an annoying habit of writing out a characters subtext and telling and not showing. I swear if I had to read another sentence talking about how quiet and observant Dove was I was going to scream. We get it, Tamora! How about showing us her quiet calculation in scene. Aly is a likable heroine although she does appear a little too perfect. The plot moves along nicely although the climax could've been a lot better. It's not the best example of a YA Fantasy novel but it was fun to read and it did make me want to read the sequel.

The first half of the book is actually really good. The tension is high and I am really afraid for the women in the book but midway through the tension is lost. It starts to feel more like a story of the school outcast being picked on by the popular girls instead of a story about racial relations in the Jim Crow south. I didn't find Skeeter a compelling character and her relationship with Abileen didn't interest me much. I did really like the relationship between Minny and Celia because from the very beginning of the relationship the two were always on equal ground. From the beginning of their relationship Skeeter is using Abileen to further her writing career. Of course we realize that Skeeter learns a lot from Abileen and they both sort of benefit from the relationship but I found this predictable and boring. Overall, I had a hard time finishing this book and would not read it again.