Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
“Whenever he looks at me with those big brown eyes, I feel like giving him a nut,” she said. She even started calling the squirrels running around in the park Mr. Whitmans.”
Synopsis:
Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!My Review:
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential.
Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.
Every time I start a book is because I have very good reasons, ok? Like this time, I choose to read Ruby Red because of the cover, the pretty…pretty cover. I am weak I know, but my second reason was because I wanted a good novel about time travel and people recommended it to me.
Ruby Red is the first book in the Ruby Red Trilogy, a series about a girl who is a time traveler and the last in a circle of twelve. However, to dive right into the review: I loved the fact that Gwendolyn, the main character is aware of her family’s situation. She kind of knows about the time traveler’s gene and what it does and that her cousin Charlotte was prepared her entire life for this part, but something goes wrong and Charlotte doesn’t actually has the gene, but Gwendolyn has it.
I simply loved this book and besides the fact that it took me a little while to get into it and that some things were a little predictable, I cannot think of anything else wrong with it. I enjoyed reading about the myth of time travel in this book, the way the world was constructed and I absolutely loved the characters, even the slightly shady ones.
Gwendolyn, the main character, is funny, surprisingly, not annoying and has this thing for not following the rules. What I enjoyed about her, was the fact that she asked questions where there was needed an answer and she was the only one in the Order asking them and for some, this kind of curiosity is considered dangerous. She is definitely underrated. All those around her seemed to think that they were somehow superior to Gwen, but she seemed to be with one step in front of them at all times.
As much as I loved Gwendolyn, I hated Gideon. I am so sorry, but I could not stand him. I do not find the cocky, d-bag kind of guy attractive. He slowly wormed up to Gwen, but I was still not convinced about his intentions. Maybe I will change my mind in the next books, since he is the love interest and we will see him more.
The Love Story
Well, here is the thing: it had that kind of hate at first sight, slowly converted in love at second sight relationship. It’s not incredibly sappy, buy it wasn’t entirely believable and I couldn’t take it seriously. Do I need to mention again that I did not like Gideon so the love story was kind of meh for me?
The Villains
I don’t even know from where to start with this one. More than half of the characters look villainy. From Charlotte, the bitchy cousin and the aunt to Count Saint-Germain, whose sole purpose is to gain more power and probably eventually rule the world. His motivation is obvious and this is the part where things go predicable. The count is the main villain of the series, and even though we were not told what his plans are, it’s kind of obvious.
Ruby Red is the first book in the Ruby Red Trilogy, a series about a girl who is a time traveler and the last in a circle of twelve. However, to dive right into the review: I loved the fact that Gwendolyn, the main character is aware of her family’s situation. She kind of knows about the time traveler’s gene and what it does and that her cousin Charlotte was prepared her entire life for this part, but something goes wrong and Charlotte doesn’t actually has the gene, but Gwendolyn has it.
I simply loved this book and besides the fact that it took me a little while to get into it and that some things were a little predictable, I cannot think of anything else wrong with it. I enjoyed reading about the myth of time travel in this book, the way the world was constructed and I absolutely loved the characters, even the slightly shady ones.
Gwendolyn, the main character, is funny, surprisingly, not annoying and has this thing for not following the rules. What I enjoyed about her, was the fact that she asked questions where there was needed an answer and she was the only one in the Order asking them and for some, this kind of curiosity is considered dangerous. She is definitely underrated. All those around her seemed to think that they were somehow superior to Gwen, but she seemed to be with one step in front of them at all times.
As much as I loved Gwendolyn, I hated Gideon. I am so sorry, but I could not stand him. I do not find the cocky, d-bag kind of guy attractive. He slowly wormed up to Gwen, but I was still not convinced about his intentions. Maybe I will change my mind in the next books, since he is the love interest and we will see him more.
The Love Story
Well, here is the thing: it had that kind of hate at first sight, slowly converted in love at second sight relationship. It’s not incredibly sappy, buy it wasn’t entirely believable and I couldn’t take it seriously. Do I need to mention again that I did not like Gideon so the love story was kind of meh for me?
The Villains
I don’t even know from where to start with this one. More than half of the characters look villainy. From Charlotte, the bitchy cousin and the aunt to Count Saint-Germain, whose sole purpose is to gain more power and probably eventually rule the world. His motivation is obvious and this is the part where things go predicable. The count is the main villain of the series, and even though we were not told what his plans are, it’s kind of obvious.
“If we were in a film, the villain would turn out to be the
least-expected person. But as we aren’t in a film, I’d go for the
character who tried to strangle you.”
Overall, it was a nice reading, fast paces, lots of mystery and a likable main character, a rare thing to find in a YA novel. I would recommend it especially to those interested in reading a nice story about time travelers.
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