Ruby Red/ Sapphire Blue

Ruby Red / Sapphire Blue
By Kerstin Gier

I love, love, love this series! This has it all: teen angst, romance, betrayal, time travel, dysfunctional families, a mystery, period costumes,and great characters. I decided to review both Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue as one as they really read as one whole book. So, if you purchase or check out Ruby Red, make sure to get Sapphire Blue at the same time. Then, you will have to wait with the rest of us until October 8 when the English translation is published (if you are fluent in German, you might be able to snag a copy but don't tell us what happens).

Gwen's cousin Charlotte has been groomed from birth to be a time traveler. This is not a secret within the family. What the family is not aware of is that it is Gwen who was born on the correct day and it is Gwen who is actually the time traveler. When Gwen's powers come to light, everyone's careful plans are brought to a halt, including those of her mother who wanted Gwen to have a "normal" life and kept her correct date of birth a secret. Gwen is not trained in the art of comportment, dancing, fencing, history and language. Yet, she is immediately sent back in time with her handsome companion Gideon. They are attacked and she saves his life. Gwen also begins to fall in love with Gideon. He is the diamond and she is the ruby of twelve time-traveling jewels (people) who, when the circle is complete, will accomplish something. Part of the mystery is what this something might be.

Gwen tries to keep her talent of seeing and speaking with ghosts a secret while she tries to figure out what it is that people are not telling her. She also does her best to avoid Count Saint-Germain, the mind-reading figure from the past who is not to be trusted. In the meantime, she has to figure out what behavior is appropriate when traveling in the past, how to deal with her "perfect" cousin, Charlotte, who begins taking out her disappointment on Gwen, and try her best to get to the bottom of the mystery around her other cousin Lucy, also a time-traveler who stole one of the two time traveling machines.

Check out the movie trailer on you-tube -- just click on the Ruby Red title above. I'm going to be finding out how I can see this movie (with subtitles, of course).

What did this book have to do with my faith? If you could travel within 500 years into the past, who would you visit? I think I would like to visit some heroes of the faith like John Wesley. Or women who preached despite the obstacles in their path. What about a worship service to hear a famous preacher? This book made me think about some of those in our communion of saints that would be a blessing to meet or see in action.

Go get these books!

Happy reading!

Amelia