lightreads

In 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma Doyle is sent from Bombay to a British finishing school upon the death of her mother. There she comes into her power as a member of the Order, a secret organization of women sorcerers who can access the Realms. Blah blah past tragedy blah mortal enemycakes.

Okay, let me tell you what I like about these books. It's not the plot (unobjectionable, but shaped exactly like you think it is, down to the predictable twists). And it's definitely not the characterization (laughably anachronistic where it's not historicized romantic). No, see, the awesome thing about these books are the girls. Teenage girls. Who are friends like teenaged girls, which means they love each other passionately and spend large chunks of the books hating each other. There are no easy stereotypes for the poor scholarship student – no shining virtue or storybook ending. And everyone revolves in this intricate pattern of resentment and jealousy and anger and fear and affection in this totally awesome way.

Actual teenage girls in a young adult novel! Huh!