Product Description

Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain. . . .
The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.
But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #198704 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-23
• Released on: 2005-08-23
• Format: Deckle Edge
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 548 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780385730297
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
In this sequel to the Victorian fantasy A Great and Terrible Beauty, Gemma continues to pursue her role as the one destined to bind the magic of the Realms and restore it to the Order--a mysterious group who have been overthrown by a rebellion. Gemma, Felicity and Ann, (her girlfriends at Spence Academy for Young Ladies), use magical power to transport themselves on visits from their corseted world to the visionary country of the Realms, with its strange beauty and menace. There they search for the lost Temple, the key to Gemma's mission, and comfort Pippa, their friend who has been left behind in the Realms. After these visits they bring back magical power for a short time to use in their own world. Meanwhile, Gemma is torn between her attraction to the exotic Kartik, the messenger from the opposing forces of the Rakshana, and the handsome but clueless Simon, a young man of good family who is courting her. The complicated plot thickens when Gemma discovers a woman in Bedlam madhouse who knows where to find the Temple; Ann shows signs of being enamored of Gemma's loutish brother Tom, and their father's addiction to laudanum lands him in an opium den. A large part of the enjoyment of this unusual fantasy comes from the Victorian milieu and its restrictive rules about the behavior of proper young ladies, as contrasted with the unimaginable possibilities of the Realms, where Gemma has power to confront gorgons and ghosts and the responsibility to save a world. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–At the end of A Great and Terrible Beauty (Delacorte, 2003), Gemma Doyle was determined to rebuild the Order and find and destroy Circe. Now the teen finds that she must do one more thing–find the Temple and bind the magic she released into the realms when she destroyed the runes. Her task will not be easy; Kartik and the Rakshana have their own plans, which threaten her; a mysterious new teacher may be Circe; and Christmas in London challenges the careful facades that Gemma and her friends Ann and Felicity have built. Dark things are stirring within the realms, including a possibly corrupted Pippa, and the only guides are Gemma's horrifying visions of three girls and the gibberish of a girl confined to Bedlam. Like the first volume, this is a remarkable fantasy steeped in Victorian sensibility; even as the girls fight to bind the magic, they are seduced by London society and the temptation to be proper young ladies. Gemma and her friends are pitch perfect as young women in a world poised for change, uncertain of their places. In many ways, this volume surpasses the first. The writing never falters, and the revelations (such as Felicity's childhood of abuse, discreetly revealed) only strengthen the characters. Clever foreshadowing abounds, and clues to the mystery of Circe may have readers thinking they have figured everything out; they will still be surprised. This volume does not stand alone; however, any collection that doesn't already have the first should just get both volumes.–Karyn N. Silverman, Elizabeth Irwin High School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 9-12. Once again, Gemma Doyle slips into the realm beyond her Victorian world, this time to find the fabled Temple and rebind the magic loosed in A Great and Terrible Beauty (2003). To accomplish her task, she journeys to London, where she sifts through terrifying visions and clues from a young madwoman, weeds out friend from foe, and defends herself and her friends from those, including the clever, evil Circe, who want the magic for themselves. Bray reprises previous events as the story moves along, but readers familiar with the first book will feel most at home here. They will find the same rich social commentary, romance, and adventure, even more sumptuously created. Gemma's relationship with her friends Anne and Felicity is one of the strengths of the book: the girls fight, support one another, and change as the story progresses--in both the real and magical worlds. Bray occasionally relies on magic to cover up bumps in the plot, but readers will sink into her compelling, well-paced story anyway, and relish the combination of historical novel and imaginative fantasy world building. Teens will long for another sequel. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Excellent, engrossing sequel!
A Great and Terrible Beauty was one of the best literary revelations I've had this year. I couldn't wait to pick up the sequel, Rebel Angels. Again, Libba Bray has failed to disappoint me. No sophomore slump here! In this wonderful follow-up to Beauty, Gemma Doyle is getting ready for Christmas and a break from the Spence Academy. This is her first Christmas in London after spending all of her life in India. She looks forward to attending tea parties and balls and traveling around in the city with her friends, Ann and Felicity. Despite her friends' protests, she has left the realms behind and is living a normal life. That is until Kartik, sent by the Rakshana, resurfaces and tells her that the magic of the realms is loose for anyone to grab and this could cause chaos. She had shattered the runes that kept the magic safe and things in order (this happened in Beauty). And now Gemma, with the help of Felicity and Ann, must return to the realms and find the Temple that will put everything in order again. But she will face many obstacles. The Rakshana want the magic for themselves, a mysterious and suspicious new teacher appears at the Spence Academy, and Circe is still on the loose. There are various twists throughout the novel.

This is a wonderful continuation to A Great and Terrible Beauty. It is just as dark, gothic and fanciful as the aforementioned novel. In this offering, the author tightens up the loose ends left in the previous book but leaves new story possibilities for the next installment. The reader gets many answers regarding the realms, that beautiful and wonderful place where all dreams are possible. I was right about the person I had suspected was Circe since the first book. I am pleased with that development. We also get to see Gemma experience Victorian London society in all its glory. She even has a proper suitor, a young, attractive Englishman named Simon Middleton. The characterization is excellent. There are more layers to the characters, especially Felicity and Ann, that add more depth to the story. We see just how much Ann desires to be a proper, upper-crust young lady instead of the scholarship student, governess-to-be nobody that she is in the face of the nobles. We also get to know Felicity in a deeper level. She is sort of a loose canon with shades of gray -- neither good nor bad. I picked up on various foreshadows regarding her desire to obtain her own magical powers. And that is another thing. You are not certain whether she and Ann would be Gemma's friends were it not for the realms. The scenes with Pippa (from AGATB) are quite disturbing. It was nice to see Pippa again, but she is quite changed. There is some development regarding Gemma and Kartik as well. They really are cute when they're together. Despite her special abilities, Gemma is an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl going through the usual teenage angst. She is a three-dimensional heroine through and through. There are great historical references regarding Victorian London. I also like the gothic feel of the novel. And we get timeless, troubling issues like date rape, sexual abuse, and drug and alcohol addiction. The aforementioned issues make the characters all the more real and relatable. All in all, as said earlier, Rebel Angels is an awesome follow-up. There is a lot of symbolism in the language, signs of more wonderful installments to come. I cannot wait for the next book! Hats down to Ms. Bray for creating such a unique world for people of all ages, not just for young adults.

As the story deepens the characters grow more interesting.
Libba Bray has lived up to my greatest expectations with her sequel to A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY. More precisely, REBEL ANGELS is the second installment of what is proving to be a well-crafted and nicely plotted trilogy. In this second novel, we are allowed to see the lives of Gemma, Ann and Felicity outside of their finishing school (Spence) as well as outside of the realms. It is generally accurate upper-class Victorian world of dinner parties, teas and evenings at the opera spiced with the gothic-fantasy intrigue of magic and mystery. As I had hoped, Bray further develops her characters - and not just the endearing Gemma. We gain insight into Felicity, Ann, Kartik and even Gemma's brother, Tom. These characters become more complex and compelling as the story progresses and I would imagine that many of those who found the characters to be less-than likable in BEAUTY will find them more appealing. The central plot line revolve around Gemma's quest to find The Temple, now abandoned by The Order, and bind the magic that she freed in the first installment, but the subplots, including a budding romance, the health of Gemma's father and a particularly delightful scheme to present Ann as a member of aristocratic society are just as compelling as what goes on in the magic of the realms. Pippa returns as well, although even more mystery surrounds her new spirit-self.

I must commend Ms. Bray on walking a careful and thoughtful like between historical accuracy and pure enjoyment. While she takes a few historical liberties (for example, the freedom with which Gemma moves about in London), she seems to do so in order to maintain a sense of adventure that modern readers would be able to relate to. And, while still centering her novel firmly in the Victorian mindset (for example, Ann's distress over her future), she introduces some timeless and complex issues (trust, power struggles, racism, poverty, child abuse, self-mutilation) that modern readers face as well.

Above all, this is a novel to be enjoyed by teens and adults alike and I highly recommend it to all. My only negative comment (if you could even call it that) is that I strongly suggest that one read A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY first and then move on to REBEL ANGELS. The plot is so intricate that it would be difficult to simply jump into the middle. Thanks, Libba, for another wonderful story!

Harry Potter for teenage girls...
Victorian Era? Snore. A magical world? Been there, done that. Exclusive girls' school? Do we really need more insight into the lives of the rich and fabulous a la Trading Up?

When I picked up Bray's first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty, I was unsure of how good the book would turn out to be. I'm glad that I bought it though because these books are anything but unoriginal or boring. Libba Bray sets up a startling but realistic picture of the Victorian era from the perspective of one of the least powerful people of the time -- a teenage girl. Through her eyes, we're able to get to know the ins and outs of two worlds, the conflicted "real world" we all live in and the seemingly serene "realms" where women can have power and dewdrops turn to butterflies. The main character, Gemma, isn't some overly heroic contrived character either. Bray sets her up to be defiant enough, yet Gemma also has the same concerns and needs as any other normal girl, which is to fit in and be accepted.

I loved these books not only for the intricately weaved plot and the bodice-ripping, fast pace that kept me reading more. I also felt like the books addressed other concerns of teenagers and problems that anyone, from any era, can relate to.