The Sweet Far Thing: Amazon.ca: Libba Bray: Books

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Review

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, October 29, 2007:
“A huge work of massive ambition.”

Review, People, December 24, 2007:
"This is a rare treat that offers a bit of everything--romance, magic, history, Gothic intrigue--and delivers on all of it in 819 beautifully crafted pages."

Book Description

IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a
laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.

The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, Feb 12 2008

By

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sweet Far Thing (Hardcover)

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.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great ending, Sep 10 2009

By

Karoline (Richmond BC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Sweet Far Thing (Hardcover)

The Sweet Far Thing carries right after the events of Rebel Angels. Alliances have to be made. The magic has to be given equally to all tribes but Gemma hestitates. She loves the magic too much and likes helping her friends and loved ones by using it. Yet bad terrible things are happening in the realms and there's a strange eerie power that's growing in the dreaded Winterlands.

Be forewarned, this is a BIG book. It's slightly over 800 pages. So give yourself ample time to read it. This is a lot to read through and I'm afraid to say it, but it does seem to drag a bit. The girls go into the realms, then they're back to reality. This goes back and forth a lot and it gets tiring a bit. The reader can't help but get frustrated but, when you progress through the novel, the ending and the climax makes up for it tenfold. That being said though, there's a lot of action in this book. Fans of Victorian gothic and magic will love this. There's a good balance between the "real world" of Victorian England and the "other side" where magic, and fantasy come to life.

I still adore Gemma. She's not afraid of breaking any rules of propriety and does not care what the world thinks of her in their social circles. I like that about her. She wanted to run her life as she saw fit and didn't care what others thought of a woman running "loose and free" in society. She hasn't lost her wit (in fact it increases ten fold in this book) and her innermost thoughts still make you chuckle. What I didn't really like about her, is it seemed as if her friends just used her for her magic, and I thought Gemma was a lot stronger than that. Then again she's afraid of being lonely and is only doing what they ask for to please them and to let them stay with her. That being said, underneath that selfishness her friends end up staying fiercely loyal to her and they really do value her as a friend.

Aside from the constant travelling back and forth between the worlds, the last book of this series does a good job tying up loose ends and you're left with a satisfying yet bittersweet ending. Overall a good albeit long book. A great closing to a wonderful trilogy and a must read for fans of Victorian Gothic books.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressive, Feb 23 2011

By

Jessie (Cochrane, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sweet Far Thing (Paperback)

I didn't like this series very much. This book was worst one of the series I couldn't even finish it. I found the characters extremely frustrating and annoying. Gemma is not a very strong heroine, she is always needing other peoples help and can never make up her mind to do anything. Her relationship with Kartik is a joke, it is childish and lacking passion.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Least favorite of the trilogy
First of all, I found this book too long. I actually enjoy when books are long (more to read!) but in this case there was too much. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Book lover

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Outstanding!!!!
i am actually sad that the trilogy is over.
i feel like this books conveys the message that it does not matter how many times you have fallen, but by how many times you have... Read more

Published on Jan 22 2009 by Krisel Q.