Throwback Thursday: A Great and Terrible Beauty

In which I share vague recollections of books I read long ago that have stuck with me.

In this Gothic story, Gemma Doyle attends a boarding school with a mysterious burned-out wing and a connection to another world. Gemma involves her clique of friends in her strange other-worldly journeys, which become very dark and dangerous. But the promise of a future as something other than an oppressed Victorian wife is enough to keep them going back.

I loved this book so much! The story and the characters and the writing all came together to create such an immersive experience. I read this probably ten years ago and still remember how much I loved it. Immediately after finishing I grabbed the second one, Rebel Angels, which I also loved. I had to wait for the next book to come out, but by the time The Sweet Far Thing was released a couple of years later I had forgotten enough that I felt like I should re-read the first two before tackling it. And that's where it all ended.

I still have fantasies that someday I'll re-read the whole series, and I think it would really be worth it. I'd love to relive the first two books and finally experience the conclusion. Maybe some day when I'm caught up on everything else I want to read...