Miss Barnes finally reads and reviews the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, by Libba Bray

I finally finished the second book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray, titled "Rebel Angels," last night before heading to bed and I have to say, "Wow!" I am totally sucked into this series! For those of you who haven't read any of these books yet ("A Great and Terrible Beauty" is the first, and "A Sweet Far Thing," the final), I'll give you a quick rundown. Gemma Doyle was a British girl living in India in the late 19th century, just going about her daily life when something really weird happens. Her mother dies under suspicious circumstances and she suddenly gets swept into an alternate reality; she hears and sees things that are not really going on around her. She and her family move back to London, and she is sent to a finishing school (fancy boarding school for girls of good breeding) called Spence. It is there that she makes new friends in Pippa, Felicity, and her roommate Ann, but most importantly, it is there that she learns about The Order, gains access to the realms, and takes her friends there.

Now, I am not one for fantasies, normally, or even a lot of historical fiction, but this series has totally captivated me. It's all because of the main character, Gemma Doyle. Gemma is a girl that doesn't take no for an answer. She seeks out the things she needs to know, whether its the proper thing to do or not, and she doesn't let guys rule her life. Sure, she has some crushes, but unlike Bella in "Twilight," she doesn't feel like she needs a guy in her life to complete her. Given that she lives in a totally different time period when women couldn't even vote, this fact really says something.

Clearly, Gemma has hit a chord with other readers, catapulting this series to the top of the New York Times bestseller list each time a new title comes out. If you like books about boarding school, fantasies, historical fiction, suspense, or mysteries, then definitely, check out the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray.

So far, I am giving this series 4 stars * * * *

Hopefully, I will read "A Sweet Far Thing" very soon because it is very overdue!

Book Review - Princess Mia, by Meg Cabot

The latest in Meg Cabot's popular series about Mia Thermopolis is finally out, but unfortunately, I didn't get my request in early enough, so I didn't get to read it until a few days ago. In Princess Mia, Mia finds herself absolutely wallowing in the news that her longtime boyfriend (and the brother of her ex-best friend Lilly) Michael has brokee up with her. (FYI: Michael is also in Japan, working to build a robotic arm. Readers first learned of the breakup in the previous book.)

To make matters worse, Lilly isn't speaking to Mia, because she thinks J.P. (the guy who gets really upset when the cafeteria puts corn in the chili), her ex-boyfriend, dumped her because he is in love with Mia. Mia has never felt so alone and depressed, spending days in her room wearing the same smelly Hello Kitty pajamas and realizing that she may never again get to sniff Michael's neck (one of her favorite activities and smells!). At her family's encouragement, Mia goes to see a renowned psychologist, who advises her to do something every day that scares her. So, that is exactly what Mia does over the course of this, the ninth book in the beloved series. Here, we see a Mia that has matured a bit -- but don't worry, she's still funny, even in her misery. We also get a taste of Genovia's past, when Mia reads the diary of a young queen who died during the plague, and left behind a secret that Mia unearths, a secret that can change Genovia forever.

Recommended for fans of the series, and anyone looking for a comical, light read. Written in diary form.

****

Four out of five stars