Book Reviews, Reviews by Ariel

Review: Sapphire Blue (Ruby Red Trilogy #2) by Kerstin Gier

I received this book for free from the mentioned source in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.



Review: Sapphire Blue (Ruby Red Trilogy #2) by Kerstin GierSapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
Series: Ruby Red Trilogy #2
Published by: Henry Holt on October 30, 2012
Genres: Fantasy, Time-Travel, YA
Pages: 362
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher

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Review Score:
About the Book:

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

 

 

 

 

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Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier is a fantastic young adult novel filled with action, romance, and time-traveling.  The second book in The Ruby Red Trilogy picks up as Gwyneth and Gideon are returning to the present day after being ambushed in Hyde Park in the past.  The novel consists of preparing Gwen for soiree’s and meetings with counts.  All while this is going on, Gwen is trying to figure out her feelings for Gideon.

 

Gwen recently found out that she is the last time-traveler in a circle, and her mother lied about her birthday to keep her from becoming a time-traveler.  Because of this, Gwen has an awful lot of catching up to do.  She needs to learn how to smile, how to curtsey, how to properly wave a fan, and how to dance the minuet.  Gwen is a really likeable character, and she felt very real.  She struggles to catch up with the other time travelers, all while being chastised by her cousin Charlotte, who everyone believed was the Ruby until Gwen’s real birthday was discovered.  Oh, and she can also see ghosts, something that’s not normal even to time-travelers.  She comes upon a new companion, Xemerius, the ghost of a demon who begins to follow her around.  Gwen has the same problems that most 16 year olds have.  She has homework, people spread rumors about her at school, she has a cousin she can’t stand, and she’s falling for a boy whose feelings she can’t determine.  She has her insecurities, mainly when Charlotte and Giordano begin training her to properly behave at an eighteenth century soiree, and especially when it comes to Gideon.

 

Gideon is the hero of the story, handsome, confident, already a pro at fitting in to other time periods, and he’s a great kisser.  Gideon is a bit of a mystery.  He has moments when he’s extremely sweet to Gwen, he helps her gain confidence in herself, and he lightens the mood in some situations.  On the other hand, he can be extremely patronizing, cold, and rude just as easily as he can be sweet to her.  It’s difficult to tell whether he has feelings for Gwen, or if he prefers her cousin Charlotte, the pretty redhead who already knows everything that they have been attempting to teach Gwen.  Xemerius becomes extremely useful to Gwen, since he can spy on Gideon’s whereabouts without anyone seeing him.  I’m interested to see if Gideon’s motivations become clear in the last book of the series.

 

The pacing for this novel went really well; I didn’t feel as though things were rushed or moving too slow.  It was well written, and I didn’t even know it was a translation until I looked the author up on the internet.  The fact that it’s about time travel is exciting to me, because time travel isn’t something that is dealt with a lot in YA literature, so it was refreshing to read about.  I love the thought of being able to travel in the past and see all of the pretty dresses and go to balls.  It also does have the tendency to get confusing, you can travel back in time to meet a person who has already met you, but you don’t know they’ve met you because your first meeting isn’t until later in your own time.  It’s a lot to wrap your brain around, but once you work on it, it becomes really enjoyable.

 

The only complaint I might have is that the romance between Gwen and Gideon has a tendency to go a bit cliché.  There is a moment towards the end of the book (not saying what it was because I don’t want to spoil it) that’s just awkward.  And not a cute awkward, like an awkward awkward.

 

Overall, I give Sapphire Blue 4 out of 5 game controllers.  It’s a really entertaining read with a refreshing plot that’s different than a lot of what’s currently out there.

 

 

My Rating


rate 4

Ariel sig