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.
Ruby Red is the first in a trilogy that was originally released in Germany. It's beautifully written, hilarious at times, and contains the following: time-travel, mistaken identity, and ghosts who don't know they're ghosts and who therefore think that Gwen and her best friend are really very improper. Which they are, but really, that's not the point.
The point is that time travel is possible. People in Gwen's family have been doing it for centuries. Not with a time machine, but with a gene. That means that not everyone can do it. Not everyone has the gene. Gwen doesn't, so other than telling her it's possible, the whole time-travel thing is very hush-hush. On the other hand, Gwen's cousin has the gene, and she's been preparing for her first trip through time for as long as Gwen can remember.
Except...someone made a mistake, and it's Gwen, not her cousin, that begins bouncing through the past.
I found Gwen endearing. She's so sweet and such a typical teenager compared to her stuck-up cousin and relatives, though it was a little aggravating to see her just let others get away with not believing her. Not about the time travel or about the ghosts. I kept wanting to shake the other characters who couldn't be bothered with her and yell at them "JUST LISTEN TO HER! SHE'S TELLING THE TRUTH!"
It's not often that I want to throttle characters on the main character's behalf. That just goes to show how much I liked Gwen.
This was a really cute read, and I can see why it's a hit in its original German.
And oh? That tapping you hear? It's me tapping my foot as I wait for book two to be translated. Because I need it.
Yesterday.
Happy Reading!
-geekgirl
The point is that time travel is possible. People in Gwen's family have been doing it for centuries. Not with a time machine, but with a gene. That means that not everyone can do it. Not everyone has the gene. Gwen doesn't, so other than telling her it's possible, the whole time-travel thing is very hush-hush. On the other hand, Gwen's cousin has the gene, and she's been preparing for her first trip through time for as long as Gwen can remember.
Except...someone made a mistake, and it's Gwen, not her cousin, that begins bouncing through the past.
I found Gwen endearing. She's so sweet and such a typical teenager compared to her stuck-up cousin and relatives, though it was a little aggravating to see her just let others get away with not believing her. Not about the time travel or about the ghosts. I kept wanting to shake the other characters who couldn't be bothered with her and yell at them "JUST LISTEN TO HER! SHE'S TELLING THE TRUTH!"
It's not often that I want to throttle characters on the main character's behalf. That just goes to show how much I liked Gwen.
This was a really cute read, and I can see why it's a hit in its original German.
And oh? That tapping you hear? It's me tapping my foot as I wait for book two to be translated. Because I need it.
Yesterday.
Happy Reading!
-geekgirl
Hey!
ReplyDeleteLiebe Grüße aus Deutschland! Ich LIEBE diese Bücher!!! Sehr schöne Rezension ; )
Another book that I can't wait to read! Haven't read that many reviews on it, so thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteGOODNESS GRACIOUS ME OH MY, soon I will be DEAD. My life is devistatingly incomplete without the next book. I tend to get a little bit too attached to books, this is a good example of my addiction.
ReplyDeleteThis book is perfect for a free afternoon. The story is fresh and interesting. Gwyn seems a little juvenile for her age, but it is somewhat refreshing to read about a sixteen year old who actually acts like a 16-year old. I noticed that some of the other reviewers found Gwyn a strong character. I have to disagree. She rarely sticks up for herself, and at times she comes across as a little vapid and shallow. But again, it's sort of nice to have a main character who doesn't always have a witty retort. I subtracted two stars because of the ending alone. I understand that this a trilogy and the story needs to carry on to the next book, but there is absolutely NO resolution. The story just ends. And that drives me a little crazy. Overall, though, a pretty good book.
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