Book Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier
Series: Edelstein Trilogy, #1
Publication Date: May 10th 2011 by Henry Holt and Co. BYR
Rating: |

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.

Review Overview:

• Wonderful premise; I love that Gier actually takes the time to try and explain what’s going on regarding time travel
• The romance was disappointing. It felt too rushed towards the end!
• Definitely looking forward to reading the sequel

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.