A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray - 5 stars

I waited a long time to read this book because of all the hype the series was getting, back when it was super popular. I guess I am just tired of being disappointed falling into all the hype of a supposed fantastic book or series. It has happened to the best of us. Well this one did not disappoint! It truly is fantastic and I am so glad that I have decided to jump on board and become fully immersed into this story.

The plot is amazing, engaging, exciting and super energetic. It is written in a great era as well, where so many things were unacceptable for women, but so very tempting. Tempting and forbidding enough for women to cling to and try to change them. I love that! I also love the writing style of this author so much, but I knew that already when I read The Diviners. I just found myself lost within the story so many times. It is that feeling of being lost that you never want to be rescued from.

The characters are absolutely stunning. Their development is amazing and I am sure they will grow even more over the course of this series. I can't say enough about Gemma. She is strong and brave. And can I say she doesn't take anything from anyone. She knows what she wants, she knows what is right and true, and she is not afraid to let people know. She is a warrior! I can't wait to see how far she goes in this story. I am sure it will be pretty far. Her sidekicks, Pippa, Ann and Felicity are also great characters that steadily grow on readers as they progress through the story.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good action packed fantasy, because this one has it all, a little something for everyone. I really don't think too many people would be disappointed with this one. I so look forward to the other books in this series, and will hopefully get to them all very soon.