Ruby Red

Malia

been wanting to reread this for a while now and i didnt remember how fast paced everything was! it was action packed yet easy to go through, and short as well! it keeps me engaged, even if my attention span has been steadily decreasing over the years since ive read this the first time.

I was gifted this book by a friend. I really liked the premise and it was a very easy read

Kierce

I liked it, very cute read for middle schoolers, but i must admit, i watched the movie first (very good adaptation btw), so it felt weird to me how slow was the beginning and the ending being the ending, because stuff happened in the movie after the last chapter. I don’t want to say I like the movie better, but it’s such a good adaptation, it only lacks the funny classmates but that’s it.

Lina <3

Beatrix Haase

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier was a good book. I thought that it had lots and lots of action. The characters were well developed and they each had a different kind of personality.

I was an easy read for me. I think that it would be good for a younger audience. But in all I really liked the tiny tiny romance. The real story actually starts in the middle of the story. The first half is about Gwen learning that she is the chosen one. Then the 2nd half is her and Gideon going on a time trave adventure. The action starts at the middle. 

Other than those things. I really did enjoy this book. It was fun and I loved all the characters. Kerstin Gier really described the story, it made me feel like I was there. 

I am excited to read the 2nd book Sapphire Blue and tell ya'll how I thought about it!!! :)

xoxo,
Bebe

Ivy X

** spoiler alert **
           There was something strangely appealing about this book. I wanted to know more about the secrets that circled around them. At the same time, I began to treat Charlotte as a threat when it was discovered that Charlotte did not have the time travelling gene.
I need to understand Gideon's character a bit more. 
And let's talk about the prologue and epilogue for a second. Can we just appreciate the fact that it was *SPOILER SPOILER* about Lucy and Paul? When I first started the prologue, I was confused and then I went on and it was like..."so the guy in the beginning was Gideon?" and then everything kind of settled into place.
GOSH THAT ENDING.

Kelsey Joëlle

I'd never stop loving these books. They're funny and so good. If you haven't read them yet, you should.

Leonor Ribeiro 

Marissa Luzio 

The amount of times I have re-read this book is insane. Most of the time I have a hard time picking out new books to read because it's novels like Ruby Red that just captivate my attention over and over again. The first book is really good, it does a great job at introducing all of the characters and Gwyneth is just such a likeable person. Charlotte, her cousin, on the other hand... I mean, I do feel bad for her A LITTLE, but as for some of her actions and rude remarks towards Gwen, are just ridiculously unnecessary. The novel itself and the content is so funny. Definitely has comedic aspects in it, if not the whole thing. I will be honest, from the first time I read this till now... I never did like Gideon, 'the love interst'. Sure he's her companion and her opposite, if you will, but the guy is seriously such a git.

As for the time-travel part of the book, it was good. I loved Gier's view and representation of time-travel and was definitely enjoyable. Gwen is part of this whole dynasty and family just filled with the unknown and while she thinks she's just on the outskirts of the big whole plan, she's really smack-dab in the centre. I liked the fact that Gwen caught on fast and was a fast learner when it came to time travel, even though Charlotte would disagree. Her family on the other hand, really irked me, down to her mother. Her aunts just never believed in Gwen and her ability to do a good job and fix the problem at hand. I hated how they would make her feel insufficient and inferior to Charlotte and Gideon. 

Having read this trilogy so many times, it's difficult to remember what happens in each individual book and not mush everything together, some of you will know what I mean, haha. This series was originally written in German, and even the movies that were made are in German. The translation was totally fine and I didn't notice anything too peculiar about word choice and such. Kerstin Gier has an amazing talent to write YA fantasy and I never once found myself bored, lulled etc. reading these novels.
IF you liked this review, check out my blog for more YA and other book reviews!
http://keepcalmandloveboooks.blogspot.ca

Vera Sokolyanskaya

omg, such an amazing book! I couldn't put it down and now I can't wait to start the second one.

Margarita Caraballo

Good start to the series. I was particularly interested in the world-building and the handling of multiple supposed timelines. Well written for the target age group, a bit predictable if reading well above the age group. The story is ultimately enjoyable and the character development interesting. The best character though (in my opinion), appears right at the very end.

Lena

I really enjoyed the idea behind this story and I can't wait to continue. One thing I really loved was Gwyneth and her narration, it brought some comedy to a set of characters I felt rather bland. This was my first full audiobook experience and I can't say I loved it. I think it's something I can only do with books I've already read or else I find myself getting distracted and missing things in the story. 
I hope there's more of Lucy in the next one, I really enjoyed what we saw of her character.

Marissa Scudlo

It was a great book, and was right up my alley combine history and fantasy.

I loved this book! I really did!

Now you may ask why the 3 stars if I loved it so much. Well even though I did love the story overall, I did find some things that were really iritating, and I couldn't force myself to give a bigger rating.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay so this part may contain some spoilers.

The story in the book was really engaging. I loved the way the aspect of time traveling was thought of. So the idea was great, the actual problem was the writing.

I think the characters were a bit flat, you know. They were created in a pure black and white technique. Those that were bad, were just that, bad, and the good ones were simply good. 
For example let's take Charlotte. Our mc doesn't like her cousin, so she is naturally spoiled, arrogant and mean. That spoiled the story a bit for me.

I also find the book way too predictable.
(view spoiler)[ I realised that Gwen was Lucy's daughter when she first met with the circle. (hide spoiler)]

But ignoring those listed flaws, I enjoyed the book, and can not wait to read the sequel!

iia w

Alejandra

Me ha encantado el desarrollo y la trama de la historia, eso si, el libro es muy predecible.
Los personajes son llamativos, Gideon please. 
Impaciente por continuar.

Luisina Rivoira

Cat Nunez 

Me encantó este libro, como siempre, me arrepiento de no haberlo leído antes :c

La historia en sí es complicada pero con el avance de las páginas logré comprender algo de lo que se trataba. Amé el personaje de Gwen, aunque toda su familia parecía estar loca, ella era la que más me agrada de todos ellos. A Charlotte y su mamá no las soporto, pero en fin, ellas para mí ya no son relevantes.

Por el otro lado, Gideon es PERFECTO!! apesar de al principio ser un arrogante, al final uno se da cuenta de que tiene buen corazón. 

Ojalá los otros libros sean como este porque son perfectos.

Ella Dewars

Let me start with the cover.
IT'S SO PRETTY!! *dies*
Seriously, I love the cover. Love, love, love it! You can't go wrong with swirly silver vine thingies, and when the swirly silver vine thingies have little red jewels, it's about ten times better. So, yes, the cover is why I originally why I picked up the book.

Based off of the summary, I think I expected this book to be a bit more... sophisticated. Not necessarily in the storyline, but in the writing. Just reading the first five pages or so, I was a bit shocked, because Gwyneth sounded really, really childish. And that's coming from a fourteen (almost fifteen) year old. I guess you could compare her to those really annoying girls at school who have no thoughts other than "Yay, clothes! Yay, boys! Yay, gossip!" You know the kind. Once I got used to the style of writing, I started to get into the book a bit more, and it got to be rather enjoyable.


  A few good things about Ruby Red:

- Time travel: Let's face it, any book with time traveling is probably going to at least be tolerable. Personally, I'm fascinated by the possibility of time travel... if I could travel through time, I would go to the 1920's. Or the 1910's. Anywhere in the early 1900's. *ahem* Anyways, back to the review. I like the way that Kerstin Gier set up the time travel in this book. The idea that time-traveling is a gene and not everyone has it was intriguing, and answered several of the questions I would have otherwise asked. The fact that the children who are supposed to be born with the gene are taught how to act and dress and talk when they go back in time is smart (once again, it answered several questions I would have asked). Basically, Ms. Gier did a fantastic job addressing everything that had to do with the time travel.
- The ghosts: I was expecting a book about time travel, not about a time traveler who can see and talk to ghosts and gargoyles. While they didn't really contribute to the plot that much (at least, not that I could see), the ghosts (James and Robert, so far) were hilarious, and sad, and adorable. 
- Lesley: That girl has the best ideas - can she be my best friend? Please? She made me laugh, and she reminded me of some of my friends. Although she was one of the girls that tend to be rather focused on clothes/boys/gossip, she was a great character.
- The epilogue: The epilogue was...unexpected. Very, very, very unexpected. Mainly because I didn't expect there to be an epilogue, but also because of what happened in the epilogue. I really just want more information on Lucy and Paul.


  A few not so good things about Ruby Red:

- The speed: While it wasn't necessarily too slow or too fast, I felt like it ended too quickly. I was in the last chapter and thinking to myself "There is no way she can wrap up everything she's started." Needless to say, I was unaware there was a sequel. So I guess this doesn't really count as a bad thing.
- The style of writing: Like I said before, the writing seemed childish. There weren't any embellishments, it was very simple and to the point. It seemed like a stream of thoughts from a ten-year-old, not a sixteen-year-old.

All in all, this was a really fantastic book. I enjoyed it... and now I need to go cry, because Sapphire Blue doesn't come out 'til October, and I'll probably have forgotten about this by then.

P.S. Did I mention that it's a good idea to go into this book knowing it's the first in a trilogy? Because it is.

Ariella

GIDEON DE VILLIERS
EL DIAMANTE LEON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keila van der Plaat

This novel really draws you in and leaves you guessing - definitely a top reread and comfort book.

Chantale

I really liked this book and I can't wait to read the other 2 books in this series.

Jessica Nottingham

If I had to choose just a quick phrase to describe Ruby Red, I'd definitely go with utterly enchanting. Even if I hadn't received this book for review I would have likely bought it just based on the cover. (I admit it, yes.) The deep red, the gorgeously raised silver accents, it is too beautiful for words. Then I flipped the book over and read the synopsis that cemented my attachment to this book. I cannot express enough how much I was in love with this book before I even opened it to the first page.

Of course, then I did open it, at which point I was swept away into a brand new world. Gwyneth Shepard is an amazing character. I loved her tenacity and her quick wit. The banter between her and the infuriating (albeit rather handsome) Gideon de Villiers is fantastic. I appreciated the fact that Kerstin Geir allowed her character to be so human and flawed. Gwyneth wasn't raised to be a time traveler, she isn't the "pretty" sister, and people are doubting her at every turn based on a past she can't remember. At the heart of it all, she's just a normal girl who can do extraordinary things. Coping with that isn't easy for her but, despite some slight negativity, she vows to do the best that she knows how. I loved her for that.

If the characters themselves weren't enough though, the expertly woven story really brought it home for me. The time periods that Gwyneth and Gideon travel to are richly detailed, and accurate. The story behind the beginnings of these time travelers is well fleshed out, and it leaves just enough to the imagination to keep you wanting to read on to the next in the series. It was nice that, despite the numerous characters across time periods, there was always something to help me realign myself with the overall story. Add in a bit of intrigue, deception, and an ending that had my mouth hanging open, and you have a book that I fell so deeply in love with that I'm likely going to read it again. 2012 cannot come soon enough I tell you. I need to know what happens next!

So yes, I loved this book with all my heart. Ruby Red is a beautifully executed mix of historical fiction and science fiction that is sure to delight. To all my readers who enjoy books of this nature, you need to pick this up. The story that Kerstin Gier has woven for us is not to be missed!

Tianna Kelly

Jess Houston

I will have a fuller review later on, but holy fudge! I can see why they made a movie out of this book! I really want to see it now!

Ruby Red

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