Review: The Ruby Red Trilogy

Ruby Red

Sapphire Blue

Emerald Green

by Kerstin Gier, translated by Anthea Bell

Young adult or adult, stay away from these stories if you’re not into conspiracy theories.  But… this series is fun, uneven, but fun. I couldn't find a way to review each book separately, so my review is about the story line which arcs over three books. The Ruby Red trilogy is an odd mash-up of romance, conspiracy, sci-fi, history, and downright silliness. Not all of these elements come together coherently. The protagonist – Gwyneth – seems younger than 16 years-old, which would appeal to tweens. However,  the whiplash between time-travel, intertwined bloodlines, and conspiracies is too complicated to for the 10-14 year-old set. I suppose, the “young adult” label is a compromise to land these books somewhere between teeny-bopper and full-fledged science-fiction.  

This hasn't cleared up anything, has it?

My main criticism is that this does not need to be a trilogy. If edited down to two books, this would've made a lean, tasty thriller. (If you’re already bogged down while reading these books, feel free to skim! There’s a lot of repetition that could be glossed over.) Where did this series succeed? For its flaws, I’m left admiring the author and her imagination. The cliffhangers could be abrupt, but that's exactly what propelled me through each book. Here it is - almost 3 a.m. - and I am considering rereading the whole darn thing! I might skip book #1 and dive back into books #2 and #3, but the trilogy’s epilogue left me breathless about a character introduced in book one. What is a girl who can’t get to sleep suppose to do?