Reading Off of Olga's Bookshelf: Ruby Red (Book) (Week One)

So, during our anime north extravaganza, Olga had mentioned that she was Marie Kondoing her bookshelf, and asked if I wanted any books that she would otherwise be giving away. I picked three seemingly interesting stories, one of which is the one I'm going to review today! This has kinda sparked the idea for me to not only review the books I picked up during the convention but to start a three-week series I will call "Reading Off of Olga's bookshelf!" 

Since I've just submitted the first chapter of my thesis to be reviewed, I figure this is the perfect time to start this! Ruby Red, a novel by a German author, Kerstin Gier, has been one of the most exciting and interesting novels I've read in a while. This has been one of the few I've actually devoured in a day. I was really surprised to see that the novel has only received about a 3.5/5 on Goodreads, some reviews even falling lower than that. I think this is a diamond in the rough! So with that said, let's get on with the review! 

The Story

Gwyneth Shepherd lives with her eccentric and rather wealthy family in an exclusive London neighborhood. Among the maternal line of Gwen's family, a secret time-traveling gene is said to manifest itself every generation. Supposedly, this gene has skipped over Gwen, as the family anxiously awaits for her cousin Charlotte, to make her first initiation journey into the past as the "Ruby", the twelfth and final time-traveler in the family line. So it comes as an unwelcome surprise when Gwen suddenly begins making uncontrolled leaps into the past, introducing her to a world of conspiracy, mystery, and prophecy.

“The first pair Opal and Amber are,

Agate sings in B flat, the wolf avatar,

A duet-solutio! - with Aquamarine.

Mighty Emerald next, with the lovely Citrine.

Number Eight is digestio, her stand is Jade fine.

E major's the key of the Black Tourmaline,

Sapphire sings in F major, and bright is her sheen.

Then almost at once comes Diamond alone,

Whose sign of the lion as Leo is known.

Projectio! Time flows on, both present and past.

Ruby red is the first and is also the last.”

My Thoughts 

So, this is the first book of a trilogy, and as such, do not expect to get an entire story in one sitting. The story itself varies between taking its time (in a good way), and being entirely fast-paced (in a good and not so good way). So know this going in. It's hardly a spoiler to say that this is part of a trilogy and as such, things will go unanswered here. Ruby Red is meant to introduce the story, it's characters, and the larger plot at hand. 

Never the less, the novel, which falls somewhere between a fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery novel does not disappoint. I haven't read a story that has dealt with time-travel in the way that this one does (reminding me closely of an Anne Fortier novel, if any of my readers know this author, who I would highly recommend), or a Da Vinci Code-esque style of novel, the way Gier talks about time travel and conspiracy. 

Gwyneth is a very enjoyable and dimensional character, at least in my opinion, as is the rest of the cast. You can get into the characters you do like very quickly, as well as the ones that aren't as likable. Even more so, the prose and the story itself, are again, very well-done and intriguing. It was also quite funny when Gwyneth would make references to historical period-piece films that I knew quite well, but being a time-traveler ironically did not know history well itself. 

“You'd think that would have been forgotten long ago. But no, no sooner has a little grass grown over it than some clumsy camel comes along and rakes it all up again."

Caroline giggled. She was probably imagining Aunt Glenda as a camel.

"This is not a TV series, Maddy," said Lady Arista sharply.

"Thank goodness, no, it isn't," said Great-aunt Maddy. "If it were, I'd have lost track of the plot ages ago.”

One thing that did stand out to me, however, was that the story is quite fast-paced, and at some points, rushed and not properly fleshed out. As an example, we don't really know where/what the time-travel gene is, and how it came into being with this family as opposed to any other. I feel that this may be revealed in later sequels-- but the fact that the secret society that Gwyneth's family supposedly belongs to is filled with world-renowned researchers and teachers that are the most qualified in their fields, this was a little hard to believe. In addition to this, the love plot between Gideon de Villiers, and Gwyneth didn't feel like it was properly fleshed out at all, which might be a build-up, but also poor writing. The first whole of the book was Gideon being cold, and then slightly warming up to her, but then "BAM" first kiss and the "I love you's". Something felt off-kilter here, as much as I root for this relationship. 

“He took a hairpin out of my untidy hair (by now my complicated arrangement of ringlets must have looked as if a couple of birds had been nesting there); he took a strand of it and wound it around his finger. With his other hand he began stroking my face, and then he bent down and kissed me again, this time very cautiously. I closed my eyes - and the same thing happened as before: my brain suffered that delicious break in transmission.”

But with that sole exception, what was not rushed was the description of time-travel (even if it is still shrouded in mystery), the prophesies (what I'm calling them), and how the gene works with the fantasy-like technology "the chronometer", which can control time travel by taking a small vial of the time-traveler's blood and inserting it into the chronometer machine. The dynamics (for the most part) that the characters have are also not rushed either and are properly thought-out and enjoyable to read. This is only some of the many (to restrict myself to not spoiling the whole plot) things that made me just read this book in practically a day (it would have been had I not been writing my thesis). 

You will love this story, and the exciting world that it thrusts you into, of time-traveling to the Rococo Period, and sipping tea in the summer of 1912, to chasing disgraced and lost time-travelers hell-bent on keeping Gwyneth, and the time-traveler "circle" from closing.

My Rating 

So, I want to give this book the rating it should've gotten. I would definitely recommend buying this book if you can, or borrowing it (and then it's sequels) from your local library! It is a good and fun read, and definitely one that will intrigue you if nothing else. 

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

~Meghan