Thursday, November 1, 2012

Review: Ruby Red

Info:

Title: Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Translator: Anthea Bell
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: May 22, 2012 (first published 2009)

Blurb:

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!
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.


My Thoughts:

I really liked this book! I'm not sure what I expected going in, but I found it to be a very sweet and fun read. Gwyneth is a wonderful character and I thought the concepts of time travel were treated very well. I wasn't unnecessarily confused with a bunch of technical jargon. Instead, we see the world through the eyes of Gwyneth, who's being mainly kept in the  dark about the whole thing, and learn as we move through the story.

As I said, Gwyneth is a really likeable and down-to-earth character and I connected with her almost immediately. She's just a normal teen thrust into some pretty crazy situations, but for the most part she takes everything in stride. Her male time-traveling counterpart, Gideon, is everything a YA love interest should be. He's snooty at first, but comes around to give Gwyneth the respect she deserves. My favourite character was Gwyneth's best friend Lesley. She is hilarious! In some YA books, I can't stand the best friend character, but Lesley is perfect. She is funny, but also really supportive of Gwyneth. I wish I was friends with both these girls.

I really enjoyed the plot of Ruby Red. Time travel, mixed with a secret society, mixed with even more secrets! There's a huge revelation at the end and I really can't wait to read Sapphire Blue to see what the heck is going to happen!

I think a lot of credit also needs to go to the translator, Anthea Bell. I haven't read a lot of books that weren't originally written in English, but I was really impressed with this one. Anthea Bell is able to make the story incredibly readable, lighthearted and humourous, which is I believe what Kerstin Gier was going for.

Overall, I loved this book and can't wait to read Sapphire Blue! Ruby Red is one of my favourite YA time-traveling novels I've read so far!

On the Cover:

The cover of my copy is very pretty, but I actually prefer the hardback cover (I couldn't find it at Chapters).

Rating: 5 Hearts


Source: Bought.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Find the Author: Goodreads (everything else is in German)

Don't Just Take My Word For It:
The Starry-Eyed Revue | Read For Your FutureNose In a Book

8 comments:

  1. I had this out from the library a while back, but never got around to it. It looks AWESOME, though! I will definitely have to give it another go!

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    1. You definitely should. It's so good. I'm starting Sapphire Blue right now!

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  2. I bought this when it was on sale on nook, and I have yet to get to it. I wasn't sure what to think about and I wasn't sure if I was ever going to read it, but your review cleared up all my doubts about it and now I can't wait to read it now.

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  3. Sounds awesome, and really fun, and I do love time-travelling books, so I'll have to check it out!

    Thanks for the review!

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  4. I have a copy of this one on my shelf, but haven't read it yet (Bad me!)! Gah, you make it sound so awesome - time travel, awesome protag and love interest, secret society - that I'll definitely have to (hopefully!) make time for it soon!

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  5. Ooh, I really liked this one too. I reading Sapphire Blue now :D

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  6. I am so surprised with myself to say that I have not read a book about time travel yet! I know that I really need to, the concept fasinates me and I can't wait to read one, I have been really wondering about this one. Thanks for your review, you have convinced me to check it out for sure!

    Kristin @ Young Adult Book Haven

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  7. I've heard really good things about this book, and I think I'm definitely going to pick it up soon. Great review! :)

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