Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray 5 of 5 stars.
Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Acadmey--spending time with her friends in the city, attending balls in fancy gowns with plunging necklines, and dallying with the handsome Simon Middleton. Yet amid these distractions, her visions intensify--visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened that only the realms can explain.
The lure is strong, and soon Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world to which Gemma takes them. To the girls' great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.
But all is not well in the realms--or out. Kartik is back desperately insisting to Gemma that she must bind the magic, lest colossal disaster befall her. Gemma is willing to comply, for this would bring her face to face with her late mother's greatest friend, now Gemma's foe--Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task...(Summary from book)

Rebel Angels was wonderful! Honestly, I liked it twice as much as A Great and Terrible Beauty, which I loved as well! These books show what lengths people will go to for power. How anyone can become corrupted by it and change into something far different than they once were. The characters are all believable, and for a fantasy novel this book has a heavy dose of harsh reality. This darkens the story a bit, but I think it makes it even more likable. Libba Bray is a wonderful writer but she doesn't sugar coat anything.

For fans of: To Catch a Pirate, Jane Austen, Gail Carson Levine, fantasy, historical fiction