Every once in awhile a story comes along that takes your breath away. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray is definitely one of those stories.
Set in India, the novel follows Gemma Doyle, a 16-year-old in the time of Jane Austen’s famous novels. It begins as Gemma and her mother are walking in the markets of Bombay.
The plot thickens when Gemma runs away and, through a vision, sees her mother and a man being killed by a shadow creature.
When the smoke clears, Gemma is sent to London’s Spence Academy, a finishing school for upper-class girls.
Upon her arrival, stranger things begin to happen, and Gemma must distinguish between enemies and friends. With the help of beautiful Pippa, drab Ann, high spirited Felicity, and the dark Kartik, Gemma must make sense of a new power she is given and the dangers that come with it.
You will never be bored with this novel. It’s the perfect book to curl up under the covers with, and it will have you jumping with every shadow.
