#libba brey

The magic in this book was amazing. I liked the realms, even though we only really get to see a portion of them. I loved how anything was possible there and the imagery of dreams becoming reality. I also liked how spirits ended up there. It was almost a spirit world or a sort of dangerous limbo. But I think the thing I liked the most was that the magic itself was based in illusion. The contrast between reality and the imaginary was interesting, and I liked how the magic was always fleeting. It was creative and fantastic and unique and I can't wait to learn more in the next books.

I also liked how this book was set in 1800's England. Even though at times I felt like the characters didn't really act or think like someone would from that era, I still think it made the story more interesting. Women really didn't have a lot of options and I liked the contrast between having power in the realms and being powerless in the real world. It was interesting to see how this effected the female characters. 

I also really loved Gemma. She is a great narrator. Strong willed, independent and smart she was very likeable. Her commentary was often hilarious and I loved that she would stand up for what she believed was right but still had a need to be accepted. 

Felicity, Pippa, and Ann were equally well developed and interesting characters even if they were less likeable. I did however like their friendship. It wasn't perfect and they are petty and mean to each other at times. But I almost liked it better because for it. I definitely knew friends like this when I was that age and this sort of imperfect friendship was almost more realistic to me. 

Kartik was mysterious and sexy. I found Gemma's dreams about him hot, but I did wish there had been more to his character. I felt like his relationship with Gemma was more about attraction and fantasy than actual knowledge of each other's personalities. I wish there had been more moments where they just talked to each other. Hopefully we'll get more of that in Rebel Angels.

I also just loved how the story played out. I liked the mystery of the Diary and Gemma's mother's death. I'll admit it had its predictable moments, but overall I felt it was crafted and paced well. The climax itself was a page-turner. It was fast paced and exciting and almost frustratingly out of control. There was a lot of strong magical imagery. And while I didn't really understand all of the flying-over-different-lands parts, I did find the result and Pippa's choice compelling.