Review: Rebel Angels

by Libba Bray
publisher: Delacorte BFYR
date published: December 26, 2006
format: hardcover
pages: 548
source: library
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From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

Rebel Angels had many of the aspects that I enjoyed most about A Great and Terrible Beauty. It held all of the magic and descriptions of Victorian London that AGaTB did. There was just one problem. Her name is Ann. For all of the speed in which I read Rebel Angels, I had much more trouble actually drumming up enthusiasm for what was going on. Every time I would begin to feel any shred of enthusiasm, Ann would come along and pour the proverbial bucket of cold water over my head. In this book, she changed from a sad, lonely girl to a needy, pessimistic suck up. It was a bit too much this time around, and I was really disappointed at how ramped up her worst traits were. It would seem that power is not a good influence upon Ann Bradshaw.

Something I actually enjoyed about the novel was Gemma's continuing development as a character. She had a bit more depth this time around, which left me liking her even more. I also like that she's not perfect. She struggles with jealousy, self-doubt, and self-blame in her own right. However, she doesn't seem to let it affect her treatment of others as Ann does, nor does she spend the majority of the book making disparaging remarks about herself. It is a nice balance of conflict and confidence. For all of that, Gemma did have some "oops" moments, such as her disastrous foray into drinking absinthe. That part had me wishing I could tell her how idiotic she was behaving.

The element of surprise was, unfortunately, lacking in Rebel Angels. This is due to an unfortunately obvious hint that takes place in the middle of the book that made possible the discernment of the real identity of Circe. I was pretty well upset at that point and almost didn't want to continue. I did wind up sticking it out, however, only to be proved correct. Luckily, there were things that made continuing to read worth it, such as the search for the Temple and the girls' harrowing escapes. Those elements became my favorite parts of the story and redeemed the rest of the book for me.

I wish I could rave about Rebel Angels as much as I did for A Great and Terrible Beauty. However, I just can not do so due to the aforementioned problems (Ann and the dead giveaway as to the "whodunnit"). Though it had its shining moments, Rebel Angels left me feeling disappointed at the end and regretful of the loss of suspense that took place. I don't do half ratings, so I give Rebel Angels 3 hoots, though it probably earned closer to 2 1/2 hoots.