Home Tags Posts tagged with "Ruby Red"
Tag:

Ruby Red

Sapphire Blue review cover
AdventureBook ReviewsPlot TwistsRomanceScience Fantasy

Sapphire Blue Review

by Isela Canale
written by Isela Canale

Sapphire Blue is the second installment of The Precious Stone trilogy by Kerstin Gier. This review contains spoilers, if you haven’t read the first book I recommend to skip it. You can find the review of Ruby Red, the first installment, here.

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean. 

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes.

And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Sapphire Blue Review

Sappire Blue book cover

If you have been following my reviews, you’ll know I first read The Precious Stone Trilogy seven years ago and for some reason, I decided to reread it.

It’s a trilogy that has time-travel, secret societies, conspiracy theories, ghosts and gargoyles. It doesn’t have like “WOW” moments but I don’t know why I still like it a lot.

Sapphire Blue picks up right after Ruby Red with no second in between. I understand why readers didn’t like how the books end so abruptly that you begin to wonder if there’s a chapter missing in between the last chapter and the epilogue. 

Currently, the trilogy is complete so you won’t have that issue. Keep in mind you should read them in one swoop to not feel this abrupt ending.

Characters

Gwyneth found herself traveling through time three days ago. She discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the Circle of Twelve, and her job is to go back in time to collect blood samples from four ancestors.

While her family had assumed Charlotte, her cousin, was the one who inherited the time-travel gene and was trained and prepared for it, it turns out Gwyneth was the one all along and she is completely unprepared for the task.

She needs to learn proper etiquette, how to dance and talk at a soirée and eighteenth century politics. All while keeping up her school activities. 

There’s something going on but no one wants to tell her, they’re afraid she would turn out a traitor and would try to sabotage a centuries-long project. 

She gets help from a family member and together they try to figure out what all the mystery in the prophecy surrounding the Circle really mean. 

All while Gwyneth struggles to keep up with Gideon. Some days he’s cold, some days he’s charming to her. Because of it she doesn’t know what to think about their relationship, if she can call it that.

Thoughts

In Sapphire Blue, we’re introduced to Xemerius, a gargoyle demon, and Gwyneth is the only one who can see him besides other ghosts. He has such an important role in her time-travel life. 

While Gwyneth’s struggling to learn all the basics of time travel, Xemerius is there to provide history info and to spy on members of the Temple to report what’s happening behind doors at Dragon Hall.

Gwyneth and Gideon’s relationship – if we can call it that – is a rollercoaster ride with ups and downs and no foreseeable ending. Maybe at a younger age I’d condone this behavior and their insta-love but not now.

If a guy likes you, he shouldn’t behave like you don’t exist on certain occasions and then talk to you like nothing happened. But, let’s remember this is a young adult book and besides, we all have made mistakes about love in our past.

I hated Charlotte’s behavior. It’s understandable why she’s bitter but the way she talks about her cousin implying she’s a slut is totally unforgivable. I mean, dude! she’s family. You should respect her. 

I haven’t forgotten about Leslie, even though she’s a side character and doesn’t have too many mentions, she has a strong role with trying to resolve the mysteries in the Circle.

Final Thoughts

The ending was heartbreaking. Be prepared to have the third book in hand because you just can’t with that ending.

I’m not into historical fiction but this trilogy has a good balance of it. It’s merge with fantasy and a little bit of romance which makes it a good complement.

Overall, if you’ve enjoyed Ruby Red and would like to continue with Gwyneth’s story, I’d recommend you to read Sapphire Blue and to continue with Emerald Green, the final book of this wonderful trilogy.

Looking for more great books?

Check out my review of All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace.

0 comment
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Ruby Red cover
AdventureBook ReviewsSeries

Ruby Red Review

by Isela Canale
written by Isela Canale

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier is a fast-paced YA novel with amazing characters who can time travel, full of historic details you don’t want to miss out.

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended – and rather eccentric – family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors’ peculiar history, she’s had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn’t been introduced to “the mysteries,” and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She’s totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He’s obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she’s seen in any century…

Ruby Red Review

Ruby Red book cover

It has been seven years since I first read the Precious Stone Trilogy. But I was finishing All the Stars and Teeth and Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier was next to it in my bookcase. When I saw it, it made me so nostalgic that I just picked up the book and started reading it.

It’s really fast paced but still good! You have time travel, secret societies and conspiracy theories. I know how it ends, but if I was reading it for the first time I wouldn’t know who the bad guys were.

Ruby Red was first written in German and then translated to English. The main reason why I was pissed about this reread was the name change from Gwendolyn to Gwyneth. Keep in mind that I first read it in Spanish, where the name wasn’t changed. PS. The cover is prettier.

I don’t know why they made that decision, every other character kept their original name, it made no sense. Gwyneth is a beautiful name but I was used to Gwendolyn, which made it weird. Besides that small change, everything else was good.

Characters

Gwyneth is a normal high school girl with certain family members who carry a gene that permits them to travel through time. Or that’s what she thinks. 

Her cousin Charlotte was supposed to be the one who carried the gene but it turns out Gwyneth’s mother was hiding the fact that Gwyneth could also be a potential gene carrier. 

After finding herself traveling through time, Gwyneth gets involved with a secret society whose aim is to complete a centuries-long project. But Gwyneth doesn’t know who she can trust. Everyone has secrets and they aren’t open with her about questions she has.

Charlotte believed she was the gene carrier. She received dancing & fencing lessons, can ride sidesaddle and play the piano. When she learns her whole life was based on a lie, she takes it out on Gwyneth.

Gideon has been trained his whole life to be a time traveler just like Charlotte. When he learns Charlotte doesn’t have the gene but in fact her cousin, who doesn’t know anything about history and spends time giggling with her friends, he isn’t happy about the news. Gwyneth is someone who will definitely ruin the project he has been helping with the past three years.

“Anyway, there’s no need,” said Gideon. “I can do it all far better on my own.”

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Thoughts

I’ve reread a couple of books that I first read when I was a teenager and this has been by far the best. 

Even though I think Gwyneth was a little bit childish you understand why she is like that. She’s sixteen, doesn’t have a clue of what’s happening anymore and she’s just so confused about time travel. If I was in her shoes, I’d be like that, no matter how old I was.

Characters in Ruby Red are so unique.

Grace, Gwyneth’s mother, has a big role in this book, and that’s so particular because in YA novels usually parents are MIA or don’t care about what happens to their children. 

“I still have a headache,” said Charlotte, without looking up from the floor.
“There, you see?” Aunt Glenda gave a venomous smile.
“I have a headache too,” said Mum. “But that doesn’t mean I’m about to start traveling in time.” 

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Leslie, Gwyneth’s best friend, has such a supportive role. 

At the beginning she doesn’t have any proof that Gwyneth’s family members are time travelers but she totally believes Gwyneth, including when Gwyneth can see and talk to ghosts while no one else can. Leslie believes her and actually tries to interact with the ghost that lives in their school even though she can’t see him.

Final Thoughts

Considering it took me around 5 hours to finish the book, Ruby Red is an entertaining and fast-paced novel. Please keep in mind that this book doesn’t have a conclusion. 

The whole trilogy is a story and it’s divided in three books. Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue don’t end in a cliffhanger or in a “we’ll see what happens with them in the next book”, it just ends abruptly. Sapphire Blue begins exactly where it left off. The review of the next installment is coming soon.

If you’re planning to read it, I recommend reading the trilogy in one swoop. 

Overall, if you like time travel, science fiction, fantasy and an enemies-to-lovers trope, Ruby Red is your next read.

Looking for more great books?

Check out my review of A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Close