Tuesday, September 17, 2013

YRCA 2014 Nominee #6: Ruby Red

Ruby Red 

by Kerstin Gier

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!

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 eighteenth century and in contemporary London, they can trust.


My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading Ruby Red. It was entertaining, fun, and unique. However, I felt that the book was too short. I wasn't ready for the adventure to end. At times I felt that Kerstin Gier was using the first novel in the trilogy as a set- up of the story that would follow in her later novels. The story line went by so fast. It was missing an action plot that would have me on the edge of my seat or to make the story more memorable. While the book was not really memorable, it was good and it will make you want to read the next two books in the trilogy. 

Ruby Red is about time travel which can sometimes be too complicated to follow or too simple that the story line confuses you. Ruby Red is not complicated and not too simple which allows the story line to be explained beautifully and you can follow it easily. I liked the mythology and background surrounding time travel in the universe of this series. It was well thought out yet simple and I’m definite there is a lot more to discover and unveil beyond the first book.

The biggest problem with Ruby Red is that you will want to move on to the sequel right away. This may pose a problem because the final book from the trilogy does not come out until later this year (Fall, 2013). The book was basically a preview of what is to come in later books. It describes the characters and allows the reader to understand the characters, the setting, and the beginning of the story to come.
I think this book is suited for a younger audience. The story is magical and exciting even though it is lacking an epic scene that would have set off the story. It’s simple and engaging. I have high hopes for the remaining novels. 

I hope that the novels following Ruby Red (Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green) are more detailed and discuss the story line more than Ruby Red. 

Also, the German version of the movie "Ruby Red" has been released and producers are working on dubbing the movie into English! Although there is no concrete date on the release of the English dubbed movie, there has been a trailer released! If you don't like trailers or don't want to get too excited about the trailer in case the movie doesn't premiere for a while, I advise you not to watch the trailer. It's a good one! 

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