Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pages: 368
Series: Edelstein Trilogy #2
Review Source: eARC for review from publisher via Raincoast Books
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.
At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed ‘Ruby Red’, so I was very excited to read this second installment in the trilogy. I love the 'secret time travel society' concept of this series, and I just adore all the details of this that are included in the book. There are secrets and prophecies, and historical elements from the time travel. I thought it was so cool how details from the first book came into play and started to make sense -- it’s great when authors can tie details together like that.
I love the main character, Gwen, because she’s so strong and intelligent. The author also lets her be a typical teenager girl who’s going through something insane and has a crush on a boy, which is great. Gwen questions herself and questions Gideon’s feelings just like any normal girl would. I also loved Gwen’s Nancy Drew-esque friend Lesley, and their friendship. So often strong friendship is missing from YA novels if the novel itself isn’t about that friendship, so I was happy to see a good example here.
While I adored the Gwen/Gideon dynamic from the first novel, I have to say that I wasn’t feeling it here. Some aspects of the relationship seemed to happen way too quickly, and Gideon drove me crazy. He was far too hot and cold with mixed signals for my liking.
Another minor negative point is that while everything moved forward a bit, it didn’t really feel like much actually happened. It definitely felt like a Book 2 that was leading into a Book 3, rather than a book that could stand on its own as part of a series. However I definitely liked this one enough that it makes me curse the fact that I don’t know German, because I’m definitely itching to find out what happens in the next and final installment of the trilogy. While not every element of this book lived up to my expectations, the awesome time travel society definitely makes this book (and trilogy) one worth checking out.
The Cover:
Love it!
Rating:
[4/5]Find Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.
It's funny, it does seem like not much happened in this book, but yet I absolutely LOVED it! Gideon did drive me nuts with his hot and cold but for some reason it didn't REALLY bother me in a negative way, which is weird. I guess I kind of like not knowing what to expect from him or something. And I LOVED Xemerius! I would read this book just for that little ghostly gargoyle!
ReplyDeleteXemerius was freaking hilarious! Love the humour in these books. =)
DeleteSometimes it's not a bad thing with Book 2 is more of a bridge to book 3, as long as it tells a good story.
ReplyDeleteHmm, good point. I think this one could have been better, but it was still a good reading experience (hence the 4 stars).
DeleteI'll have to wait until its released before I can get a copy. I'm also confused about the cover. I like the image that you posted and hope its the HB cover so it'll match the first book.
ReplyDeleteMelissa at Raincoast has confirmed that the cover in this post is the hardcover version. =)
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