Lori M. (lormac) reviewed A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, Bk 1) (Unabridged Audio Cassette) on + 120 more book reviews
Another for my "Simply could not finish it" shelf. I had wanted to read this book for a while. It sounded so interesting - set in Victorian England, mysterious setting, plucky heroine, etc., etc. When I saw the book CD in the library, I grabbed it. I was surprised to see it was a "Young Adult" novel - none of the ads when it came out mentioned that, but I figured, "So what! 'I Am The Messenger' is technically a 'YA' novel and I thought that was a fascinating book." Well, this book is a mess. The characters are cardboard stereotypes, they behave in ways that no sane (or insane) person would, and the mystery is ridiculous. Yeah, it supposed to be magical but there is a difference between magical and nonsensical. Sorry, but I could not get past Disk 4. (For example: And I do not believe this is a Spoiler: Where the heck does that Indian youth live between popping out and saving (or scaring)the heroine, again and again and again....)
