Review: Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell

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Reading this book made me feel a little bit nostalgic.

Title: Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier, translated by Anthea Bell
Release Date: October 8th 2013
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.
She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

Emerald Green immediately picks up from the cliff hanger in Sapphire Blue. While Gwyneth is suffering a broken heart from Gideon's revelation in the previous book, they are a step closer to uncovering the mystery surrounding the Circle of Twelve and how it is tied to Gwyneth's fate.

I will say this: Gideon, you bastard. I didn't like him all that much in the first book, and just when I was liking him in Sapphire Blue, he unleashes a bomb against Gwen at the end of the book. And poor innocent Gwenny believed all of it. I liked Gwyneth, and her self-wallowing wasn't made boring by the way she was getting through Gideon's deception. Gwen's got this no nonsense attitude where she thinks too much but she wasn't the annoying type at all. I liked how Kerstin Gier wrote her, bubbly and funny and innocent at times, admitting to her own faults but certainly not letting it transform her into a lesser person. It was getting tiring to be constantly compared to Charlotte, and Gwen knew she can never be like her cousin, but still she doesn't harbor ill feelings against Charlotte.

The romance in this book was plenty, as Gideon and Gwen's feelings for each other were finally put out in the open, and there were a lot of really sweet moments that will satisfy everyone who has waited for the both of them to be together. There was also no shortage of laughter as Xemerius provided the needed comic relief with his sarcastic remarks and outrageous recaps of Gwen's life. Although I don't see much of a point for his character, he was like the sidekick that was just there to be funny, he's provided good support for Gwen. Also, Gwen has the best friend anyone could have. Lesley was such an interesting supporting character. She's that quirky, supportive BFF that isn't quick to judge, very good at research and has a good head for helping solve the mysteries surrounding the Count, the time travelers prophecy and sometimes, even Gwen's love problems.

Emerald Green was, admittedly, a long story. And while I sometimes stop and ask myself when will the story finally move forward, I was having fun being immersed in the story and seeing Gwen and Lesley and Gideon and Raphael putting their heads together, trying to solve this seemingly complex puzzle for all time travelers. The exciting, entertaining content definitely made up for the slow approach to the climax. And while I was busy swooning over Gwen and her love-hate relationship with Gideon, it was really enjoyable to go through all the layers of time traveling, history, secrets and truths that surround Gwen, her birth, her ability to time travel, the Guardians and the rest of the characters.

I can't say that the ending was unpredictable or something out of this world, but it's a neat finish for a trilogy that will leave the readers generally satisfied and happy, tying loose ends and wrapping up cliffhangers. There was no dramatic conclusion, but it was the type that retained the calmness and gave the story a clean closing. 

Here's to me hoping that Lesley and Raphael will have their own sort of spin-off soon. Their chemistry is up to the roof and it made me giggle a couple of times!

If you like books about time travel with a funny, clumsy heroine whose life is entangled hopelessly with her family and a prophecy that might or might not bring about a drastic change in the world, a French speaking hero who can be so infuriating most of the time but can be charming if he wants to, a funny demon sidekick who eats annoying ghosts and a one of a kind best friend who does not bat an eyelash in the face of all the craziness in Gwen's family, this book is for you. Highly entertaining though long and sometimes slow paced, Emerald Green and the Ruby Red trilogy is still a good series for those who want to give books and stories about time traveling a try.

Content (plot, story flow, character):

I'm not sure if it's just because of the translation to English from German, but a lot of things that are happening in Gwen's life that will take your focus away from some of the important events in the book. By the time Gwen's true powers and abilities were revealed, I didn't care about it much. Also, since a lot is going on in the story, you need to concentrate and look at it very closely so you wouldn't get lost in the developments. I had to re-read some parts in order for the whole thing to be clear.


Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
This trilogy has one of the best covers I've seen, may it be hardback or paperback!

Retro (ARC) Review: Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1) by Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell

Welcome to a new feature I am introducing on my blog called "Retro Reviews". It's a blog meme where I review books from the back of my shelves, or books whose release date has passed for a couple of months.

The first book on the meme is: Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red.

Traveling back in time can be an interesting and dangerous thing, and Ruby Red did capture my interest. A little bit.

Title: Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1) by Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell
Pages: 324
Release Date: May 10th 2011
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

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.

Ruby Red's concept about time traveling is what made me so interested in this book. What if there is a family who possesses the gene that enables a person to travel back in time? All eyes were on Gwyneth's cousin, Charlotte, expecting her to travel  back in time now that she's of age. But the unexpected happened, and because of her mother's deception, it turns out that the unprepared, untrained Gwyneth had the gene. But there's a hidden world waiting for Gwyneth, one filled with secrets going as far back as her ancestor, Count Saint Germain.

Gwyneth has this quirky, easygoing personality that I liked from the start. She's an awkward teenager who sees ghosts, without even an ounce of femininity in her. She only had one best friend and a ghost companion at school. It takes a while for Gwen to get used to her abilities, but her awkwardness and determination to learn how to do time jumps made her a likable character for me, contrary to her cousin Charlotte's overbearing personality. There were hints of romance between Gideon and Gwyneth, but like most of the things concerning our female protagonist, things seem awkward and a little bit forced. Gideon is very charming, but it felt like his character had no choice but be attracted to Gwyneth. The banter between him and Gwyneth were cute at times, but there wasn't enough to convince the readers of a possibility of a full blown romance for the both of them.

However, I have to say I am a bit impressed with the way the framework of the story has been constructed, the history of time travelers and the people that plays a great part in it. Kerstin Gier took great care in discussing the roles the society and its founder will play in Gwyneth's life. The author also left little clues in forms of diary entries and poems in each chapter. Readers had to figure out how these passages relate to the story, and it adds more intrigue to the plot and makes it all the more interesting, a very occupying guessing game.  

What frustrated me the most in this novel was how much the story was built up, yet there was not a clear resolution at the end. What does Gideon and the Guardians want to achieve? Do they want to close the circle? Recover the stolen chronograph? Track down Lucy and Paul and separate them? The mystery surrounding the deception about Gwyneth's real birth date and the significance of her hidden talent as the Ruby Red, was overshadowed by the Guardians' attempt to track down Lucy and Paul, and the mission to complete the circle never succeeded. It felt like a lot of things were left hanging, like Ruby Red was a long prequel to the real story. It felt like just when the conflict and the action are approaching its peak, the story was cut off.

At times entertaining, Ruby Red had its issues but it was a nice read overall. To be able to slip in and out of a certain time and feel how it was like during those times is what gives this book a certain magical appeal. I hope we get more answers in Sapphire Blue when it comes out. This story has so much potential, it just felt like the author was holding back too much for it to be a lot more enjoyable.

My rating

Content (plot, story flow, character):

More answers to questions, please! And a little bit more bonding between Gwyneth & Gideon, more tension to make their budding feelings more convincing!

Okay: Liked, but The Goddess demands more!

Book Cover:
One of the prettiest ARC covers ever, much better than the final cover!