Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier (translated from the German by Anthea Bell)
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (Macmillan)
Pages: 464
Series: Edelstein Trilogie #3
Review Source: eARC from publisher through Raincoast Books

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.
She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

My Thoughts:
It’s strange, but I think the word I would most use to describe these books is “cute” or "fun". There’s such a crazy light hearted humour to them that you wouldn't expect based on the subject matter. I’m always curious in cases of translated books how much of the tone was able to carry over in an authentic way, and how much was brought in by the translator.

The interesting dichotomy to these books is that they’re very cute and zany, and yet the time travel aspect is super complicated. It had been a while since I’d read Book 2 (Sapphire Blue), and I know that didn’t help my understanding. All the time lines, people, and what the society was trying to do got a bit confusing for me.

I think my favourite part about these books is the characters and how they interact. I especially loved seeing Gwen with her siblings. Of course on the romantic front there’s Gwen and Gideon, who are a very fun couple because of how great a match they make, despite their incredible differences. Overall this was an enjoyable book. I wish the time travel aspects had been a bit clearer, but the characters and their interactions make up for that. The end of the book came about quickly, but it was a clever ending, and I liked how things were wrapped up.

The Cover:
I absolutely love the hardcovers for this series!

Rating:
[Strong 3/5]

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