Review: Ruby Red

Info:

Title: Ruby Red
Author: Kerstin Gier
Translator: Anthea Bell
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication Date: May 22, 2012 (first published 2009)

Blurb:

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.

My Thoughts:

I really liked this book! I'm not sure what I expected going in, but I found it to be a very sweet and fun read. Gwyneth is a wonderful character and I thought the concepts of time travel were treated very well. I wasn't unnecessarily confused with a bunch of technical jargon. Instead, we see the world through the eyes of Gwyneth, who's being mainly kept in the  dark about the whole thing, and learn as we move through the story.

As I said, Gwyneth is a really likeable and down-to-earth character and I connected with her almost immediately. She's just a normal teen thrust into some pretty crazy situations, but for the most part she takes everything in stride. Her male time-traveling counterpart, Gideon, is everything a YA love interest should be. He's snooty at first, but comes around to give Gwyneth the respect she deserves. My favourite character was Gwyneth's best friend Lesley. She is hilarious! In some YA books, I can't stand the best friend character, but Lesley is perfect. She is funny, but also really supportive of Gwyneth. I wish I was friends with both these girls.

I really enjoyed the plot of Ruby Red. Time travel, mixed with a secret society, mixed with even more secrets! There's a huge revelation at the end and I really can't wait to read Sapphire Blue to see what the heck is going to happen!

I think a lot of credit also needs to go to the translator, Anthea Bell. I haven't read a lot of books that weren't originally written in English, but I was really impressed with this one. Anthea Bell is able to make the story incredibly readable, lighthearted and humourous, which is I believe what Kerstin Gier was going for.

Overall, I loved this book and can't wait to read Sapphire Blue! Ruby Red is one of my favourite YA time-traveling novels I've read so far!

On the Cover:

The cover of my copy is very pretty, but I actually prefer the hardback cover (I couldn't find it at Chapters).

Rating: 5 Hearts

Source: Bought.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Find the Author: Goodreads (everything else is in German)

Don't Just Take My Word For It:
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