Diamonds.Are.Dead

Over the March Break, I went on a reading spree. I finished a trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, & The Sweet Far Thing) within a week and it was one of the craziest rides I've ever been on. My opinion on the books probably doesn't matter to those reading this blog, if any are, but I want to give my two cents, even if it is just to bring some peace to my frenzied mind.

The trilogy, written by Libba Bray, begins in Victorian times with a young English girl, Gemma Doyle, who finds herself at a boarding school with fresh memories of her dead mother. As her time at the Spence Academy for Young Ladies continues, she learns some shocking secrets involving her mother who is not the woman Gemma had always thought to be. Guided by visions and unknown powers, Gemma discovers an incredible world: the realms. From there, she learns things about her mother and more importantly, herself, that ultimately changes the course of her life.

Now, I know that this story may sound similar to that of Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia, but let me be the first to say that it holds a life of its own. I have read the Harry Potter series, and some from Narnia as well, but I have never felt so compelled to write about any of those books as I have this one. I'm not entirely sure what it is about the way Libba Bray writes, but I completely dive into her books and never want to emerge.

Perhaps it is the perfect mixture of comedy, adventure, suspicion, doubt, fear, love, and unknowing nature of the book(s) that pulls me in. In reading most stories, I am capable of predicting much of what is to come; however, this trilogy surprised me every single time I turned the page. There were a few elements that couldn't have been more predictable (you'd have to be a complete idiot not to see them), but for the life of me, I could never have braced myself for some of the events nearing the end of novels.

What's more is Bray brings to light the social injustices that the world faces even to this day: workers' rights, women's rights, race, class, etc. It's not your generic tale of a girl too weak to do anything for herself; in fact, it's the binary opposite. Gemma comes out the strongest of even the men, and the beginnings of change brighten her uncertain future. She finally has what many women were never given, or even offered, during that time: a voice.

I guess what is most compelling about the novel though, is how readily I can relate to Gemma; at least the Gemma presented in the beginning of her adventure. Obviously, I don't hold any mystical powers and my mother's well and breathing, but the role she plays within her group of friends and the way she feels in certain situations is something I can fully understand without question.

But I will rant no more, and not spoil the book(s) for anyone who wishes to read them...assuming that there are those that even take my opinion into consideration. I have had the opportunity to reflect on what I've filled my head with during this past week; now I am done and the choice of what to do with the information I have presented, remains completely up to you.