When I came to the end of Libba Bray’s Victorian-themed novel of the supernatural, I was a little disappointed. Loose ends hadn’t been tied up to my satisfaction. I had just fallen in love with some of the characters, and it had taken me much of the book to learn to sympathize with them.<\/p>\n
And then, I was gratified to find out that yes, this book has a sequel.<\/p>\n
I liked so many things about this book. Though it raised some minor questions in my mind, in the end, it was truly a fun and compelling read that has made me anxious for the next installment. Firstly, it’s a playful look at tradition–the literary tradition of the ghostly Victorian tale, in a direct line from Henry James’s somewhat stuffy classic The Turn of the Screw, and another Victorian literary tradition of the young woman who defies convention yet remains within societally safe boundaries, à la Bronte. Whether or not you actually enjoy Victorian literature, there’s something about the setting that is strangely attractive. Bray has depicted that setting in loving detail that no doubt required a ton of research and reading, and I commend her for that. It’s certainly a believable and vivid look at how society worked at the time. <\/p>\n
The beginning is set in colonial India–another subtle allusion to the Victorian obsession with their “strange and exotic” colonies–already setting a tone for the unusual life of the main character. This is where I started asking a few questions. Bearing in mind that Gemma Doyle has had an unusual life in an unusual family, is recently starting to experience unearthly visions, and recently lost a mother whom she’s just found out is involved with the supernatural, is it still believable that she’d be so outspoken and daring? Was her character too anachronistic, too much a modern-day woman?<\/p>\n
What I decided was that I liked the idea that there were extraordinary women here and there in the Victorian age–maybe more commonly than the male-authored books documenting the time period might have us believe. I liked Gemma Doyle, and her fiery, smart personality, and the fact that she was not without her own weaknesses. I liked that all of her new friends at the strange Spence Academy boarding school started off surprisingly unlikeable, and then had to earn my sympathy. That was a great technique for keeping me on edge throughout the whole novel–I never knew if or when one of the friends might betray Gemma, because they all had their own problems, their own fears and weaknesses. And lastly, I am a sucker for the supernatural angle and the idea of grand shadowy conspiracies.<\/p>\n
If you like the Victorian setting, if you like reading about strong women who truly defy convention, and\/or if you like stories about supernatural powers getting out of hand, then you will probably enjoy this one. Though I occasionally wondered if a Victorian girl could possibly ever be that sassy, I thought this book was a lot of fun, and I look forward to reading more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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