Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

[caity_cat_23]

I loved this series! I was begging for the next book as soon as it hit the shelves. I've read all three of them now at least twice and I can't wait until my little cousin is old enough for me to share them with her. The only real problem I have with the series is the the ending of the last book (Emerald Green) seemed to come out of nowhere very abruptly and I didn't like the ending at all BUT the rest of the series is great and I highly recommend it!

[Wars of Words]

Subject-wise, it was an interesting read. It was a good book to pass the time with, but it didn't leave me with any desire to read the next installment.

[Harsheen Kaur]

I've read ruby red and actually its next part "sapphire blue" and I really enjoyed the book.i cant remember reading any time travelling book that was this good. Its well written and have a logical plot no matter how fantasy elements it has.just wish gwen would be more proud of herself. otherwise loved the book.

[debo9967]

The idea behind the story sounds quite different. Nice review.

[MerryLove]

Gwyneth comes from a family of time travelers. When she unexpectedly discovers that she inherited the 12th time traveler gene, she is thrust into a crash course about the chronograph and the secret connection between the 12 time travelers.

Gwyneth, the main character is your regular, if a bit eccentric, teenager who is thrust into a very new world. Although she knows her family has a history of time travelers, she has not been allowed to learn much of anything about it because she was not supposed to have the time travel gene. While she starts out as a rather typical teenager with immature thoughts that feel a bit obtrusive early in the text, she develops into a more adaptive, relatable main character as the story continues.

Gideon, the male time traveler, is also a well developed character that the read gets to know as Gwen does over the course of the story line. He makes a great male counter part, and I love that we only have as much knowledge of him as Gwen does at any point in time.

Other characters, such as Gwyneth's eccentric family, are just as interesting to read about. All of the characters seem to have their own unique personality and place in the story, and are introduced in such a way that I wanted to learn more in depth about a many number of characters involved in the main plot. I was very pleased with the character development as a whole.

This book was all about piquing interest. There was constantly more I wanted to know and learn about the time travel and the plot related to the 12 travelers. I wanted to know more about the motives of different characters. Throughout, there were many constant and different paths that kept me firmly engrossed in the world of the book.

While the ending didn't leave on a cliffhanger, and did end at a decent stopping point, it left me grateful that I already had the sequel ready to read. This book spent the text building interest in the characters and in the story line to come, not necessarily on any one adventure that was completed in this book on its own. It didn't feel like filler and it didn't feel like bait to make me start the next one, but it did leave me wanting to learn so much more and anticipating the next book. The epilogue in this book in particular left me anticipating the sequel. There's an exciting revelation revealed at the end.

One of the things I disliked were parts of the beginning of the book. There were some of the teenager quips of Gwen's that felt very out of place in the text. I found myself getting immersed in the story and learning about her reality, and then she would think some comment that would pull me out of my immersion because it felt like it didn't belong. It clashed with the rest of the story line. This happened a few times in the beginning parts of the book, but later both Gwen's “teenage personality” and the happenings of the book flowed together more seamlessly and fit together smoothly.

Rating

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 out of 4 stars. The book is definitely worth a read, and then a reread, but it doesn't hold its value in this book alone. It is a good book because of what promises to come in future volumes, and what it contributes to the series as a whole. It's not a book I would read on its own for fun without the sequels. For this reason I feel I can't give it a full 4 stars, even though I really did love the book and can't wait to start the second.