Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

 Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogy #1)

By Kerstin Gier, Translated by Anthea Bell

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Square Fish
Paperback, 352 pages

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. -- Goodreads

 4.5 stars

Review

Time traveling is always one of those things that is a must in sci-fi novels, movies and TV series, but rarely features girls as the ones time traveling. It's always the guys running around time, getting lost and screwing around with the balance of time. Because of this, I was a little worried when I tried out Ruby Red. I mean, what if it all went completely wrong? Gladly, I discovered that there is a reason why the words "The International Bestseller" were on the cover of Ruby Red.

Ruby Red is one of those underdog stories. You know, the kind that have a person that no one expects anything out of do the unexpected that amazes people unbelievably. Gwyneth is a character who shows growth as she has to face the hardships of trying to meet everyone's expectations and gaining their approval. All of the other characters are there to support Gwyneth as a dynamic character and they do their job perfectly.

Unfortunately at times, certain characters did their job perfectly in forcing the changes onto Gwyneth, but their actions are too extreme. For example, when Gwyneth reveals to everyone that she, not Charlotte, inherited the time traveling gene, Charlotte's mother, goes on a rampage. She literally starts cussing out her sister, Gwyneth's mother, for lying and goes on by insulting Gwyneth repeatedly. I can understand that as a mother with high expectations,  she would be angry and upset. Still, the extremely cruel words that were spoken were too extreme.

The world-building in Ruby Red is amazing. Many of the time traveling elements in Ruby Red were rather creepy, but otherwise, the time traveling was a fun experience to read about. Kerstin Gier made an overused concept unique in her own way. In addition, the historical aspects of Ruby Red were true to their time and fascinated me. Things that usually bore me, such as fashion, were portrayed in such a fascinating manner. I still cannot believe that the author managed to have me engaged when describing clothes.

Overall, Ruby Red is an extremely satisfying novel. Gwyneth's narration is one that is perfect for such a mysterious tale of time travel. She was able to make situations teeming with tension become amusing to read. Full of humor, adventure and twists, Ruby Red exceeded my expectations and has left me dying for the sequel, Sapphire Blue.  

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