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Post by * amanda on Jan 10, 2006 23:55:49 GMT -5
Interesting book, as I wrote on the General Discussion thread. I have been enjoying the trilogy (2/3 are published thus far), although the first book in the series (AGaTB) left me feeling somewhat disoriented for most of the book until the end when it suddenly became clearer what was going on. It's an interesting story about a girl who goes to a British boarding school who at the age of 16 gains the mysterious power to cross over into a "realm" - a purgatory of sorts - yet realizes that her power is both amazing and a curse because it comes with great responsibility. She is the only one with the power to prevent the evil (I'm being vague in this description so as not to spoil anything) from getting a hold of the power that the realms hold. This fantasy sort of adventure is tied in with the everyday trials and tribulations of a girl who is new to a boarding school, who has just lost her mom who died a bizarre death, is distanced from her family, who is trying to make friends (who are realistically fickle), who is coping with falling in love with a mysterious stranger who appears to be a foe, and who is trying to find her place in the Victorian world. It's not quite Harry Potter, but it deals with many similar themes and in many ways has a similar angle as HP. Plus, it's a relatively quick and easy read. Amazon.com
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Post by blackngold on Mar 11, 2007 8:46:42 GMT -5
We just read this book in my book club. I found it to be somewhat derivative. Another boarding school story. At first I kept comparing it to HP where it came off much worse. Once I stopped doing that I liked it a bit better. I found the lead character rather anachronistic. Only this time it seemed the author placed someone with current day attitudes and plunked her in Victorian England. I am not saying that women in those times might not have felt many of those things, but it is not reflected in books written during that time period by women. Lastly, I didn't really understand how, the main character defeated the evil. It sort of had a Wrinkle in Time feeling to it for me. I might read more of the series, but I am not going out of my way to find it.
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Post by * amanda on Aug 31, 2008 22:23:11 GMT -5
Just thought I'd quickly mention that I finished the final book in this series last winter.
I found the first book intriguing, but vaguely lost interest after the 2nd. I do agree that the girls had modern (not to mention irritatingly snobby) attitudes that didn't often seem fitting of Victorian England. But if you get past that, its a story with some clever moments in a surreal setting. I dragged my feet before reading the 3rd book. About 2/3 of the way through the 3rd book I again lost interest, read a few other books, then went back to finish it. It has a bizarre ending; somewhat unexpected, but thoughtful and well-written. What I didn't like was that I felt the story wasn't quite focused enough... it went off on so many different paths that were confusing and many of the tangents were uninteresting. I also found the fantasy aspect got a little out of hand by the final part of the book. But again, I thought it had an interesting ending and that really made the experience worthwhile.
Overall... the series was a mildly entertaining read, but I read it over a 2 year period and it didn't stick with me at all vs. other series or books have. Reflecting back on it, I don't think I could even describe it in much detail... it just didn't make a huge impact on me.
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