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
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.Â
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.