Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Eternity hangs from this moment

Why I read this book

Audible has been most gracious to me this year ;) That to say that I keep seeing deals on books that were already on my wish list! In this case, the premise of time traveling was appealing to me, and so when I could get the book for a great price I got myself a copy.

What the book is about

Gwyneth Shepherd is a 16 year old that happens to be able to travel in time. In this "world" some people have the ability to travel in time, and this traveling can be controlled using a device known as the chronograph. This control turns to be essential, for otherwise, the jumps are unpredictable and can put the traveler in a very perilous situation. Similar idea than the Time Traveler's wife, with some exceptions such as the fact that person cannot travel into the future

First impressions

I fell in love with the protagonist quite fast, she is clumpsy and sharp tongued. He sounded like an actual teenager, which is nice on YA, not when the author tries too hard to make the character sound young. She was genuinely likeable. The story was a bit predictable at times, but it was quite entertaining, and at least for me it was the first YA I read with time traveling.

Final thoughts

We go back to it being a nice YA in which the story arc does not depend on the romantic ideas the main character has. There is a mystery and the story evolves around it, instead of it being around Gwyneth and a boy. Oh, there is a boy yes, and there are hints as to something forming there, but is not the main aspect of the story.

The time traveling was interesting and I didn't see a flow flaw in the premises of the travelling itself. I really liked the description of costumes, but you guys know I am a sucker for these types of descriptions. The author plants her seeds well, in which now I really want to get Sapphire Blue to continue the story. Not only for the romantic development, but mostly for the explanations that are missing, yet hinted.

The whole secret society part was interesting too, if sometimes a bit annoying with the male characters being so condescending, but considering this group was formed at a certain period, I guess is to be expected.

It is the first time I hear Marisa Calin as a narrator, but I quite like her voices. The pace was well marked and differentiation between characters if not in tone was made clear in attitude.