Gemma Doyle
Juvenile Fiction
Ember
2007
Hardcover
819
It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances.
Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.
WrensReads Review:
This was a reread of a reread of a reread et cetera (literally can’t tell you how many times I have put myself through this book). But I knew I needed to read this book again to have it fresh in my mind in order to review it correctly.
When asking my sister (who introduced this series to me in grade school) how I should review this book, she stated that I should just use crying gifs… so here are a few of those:
Libba Bray does not hold back when it comes to your heart. Yes, this book is a really, really long one, but Bray likes her descriptions and her character development. There are so many things going on in this book that are just on the side, but are so important to the characters and why they make the decisions that they make.
I will let you know that some people believe there is some “fat shaming” in this, and I can see where they are coming from, but you also have to see when the book was written and what time period this is in. You also have to understand this is a bunch of girls who are just trying to get the upper hand on each other, and that is an easy stab. And it isn’t anything that is glorified. Libba is very big in the diversity and acceptance community; with that said, that would never be her intent to do that to anyone.
Our three girls Gemma, Felicity and Anne believe they are in the clear. They put Circe in her place and all they have to do is share the magic with some of the creatures and people in The Realms and things will be great.
But what if Gemma doesn’t want to give up the magic? What if Felicity and Anne want the magic to change the path their parents and guardians carved for them to take? What if, putting Circe in her place actually was exactly where she wanted to be? What if changing the path of the magic opened new doors for the Winterlands?
I can’t review this book properly. It breaks my heart every time I read it and it legitimately makes me cry every time. I read this with a friend this time, knowing she would need emotional support, and she got mad at me because I put her through that roller coaster.
This series is so close to my heart. It is the series that made me not just love books but into a reader.
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