Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red (The Ruby Red Trilogy, #1)

by Kerstin Gier

Although I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.

Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.

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...

Reviewed by rakesandrogues on

3 of 5 stars

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RUBY RED had been sitting on my shelf for a while now. When it came out earlier this year, I could not wait to pick it up. Fortunately, I manage to squeeze in a readathon during Hurricane Irene. I had huge expectations for this book because of my love of time travel. It’s one of those books that I really wanted to love but only liking it when I’ve finished it.

The premise was hands down fantastic. I love that Gier takes the time to explain the why‘s and the science of this novel. There are some aspects that really just cannot be explained, but the characters actually make an attempt to figure out the supernatural instead of just accepting that it’s cool and it happens. There’s so much mystery regarding time travel, and I love the fact that we are just in the dark as Gwenyth is. I can’t wait to see what Gwenyth and Gideon uncover in the following books.

The writing of this book was just okay for me. I wish that I could have read this in the original German. I feel like the author’s writing was lost in translation, but I guess I really won’t know for sure unless I learn German.

I was disappointed with the romance in RUBY RED. I guess I read a lot of reviews, and even watching the trailer, that led me to believe that it would be kind of epic. I really did like the chemistry between Gwenyth and Gideon but I think that it was so rushed toward the end. It was disappointing and I wished that there was more development before anything happened between them.

I would say this one is only a must buy because of the stunning cover. The book itself is gorgeous and it’s worthy of a spot on my shelf.

There is no doubt that this is a series that I will continue to read. I wish that the first book had a little more substance, and didn’t leave me hanging for more. Now that the characters and backstory have been established, I’m very positive that the sequel will be fantastic.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 28 August, 2011: Finished reading
  • 28 August, 2011: Reviewed