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smolcap23's review against another edition
4.0
Go-to when I’m in a reading slump. Maybe it’s my doctor who enjoyment speaking, but it’s just so fun.
sashapasha's review against another edition
2.0
One of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book.
(p.s. Gideon is gorgeous is the movie.)
(p.p.s. I think my ovaries exploded while watching one or two of the scenes in Saphirblau. All y'all know what I'm talking about. Not even the fact that Gideon is a little turd took away from my enjoyment.)
(p.s. Gideon is gorgeous is the movie.)
(p.p.s. I think my ovaries exploded while watching one or two of the scenes in Saphirblau. All y'all know what I'm talking about. Not even the fact that Gideon is a little turd took away from my enjoyment.)
ohtrisarahtops's review against another edition
4.0
This review can also be found here.
I actually almost gave up and stopped reading this one a few times. I found the beginning to be extremely boring and Gwyneth to be annoying. I'm really glad that I didn't give up on it though, since about halfway through the story really began to pick up and after that point I was hooked. The idea of time travel isn't anything new but I really enjoyed the in depth this book made it. Other books have time travelling sure but they never explain it, this one does.
Being a huge fan of history I was delighted to find the characters travelling to different points in the past such as the Rococo period and England in 1912. I can appreciate the fact that not only did the author research the time periods and correctly portray them but also the characters were dressed in the fashion trends of the day and who doesn't love the idea of wearing formal gowns?
The characters were for the most part likeable. Gwyneth got on my nerves in the beginning but she quickly grew on me. Where I thought she was a whiny brat she actually ended up being a pretty tough character. There were times when she had to show her bravery even though she was petrified. Gideon was a jerk. Simple as that. He really said some nasty things about Gwyneth, even though it wasn't her fault she was unprepared for time travel. Then he just does a complete 180 and ends up becoming extremely close to her, it seemed pretty unrealistic to me. Lesley and James were by far my favorite characters and they weren't in the book that much. Lesley was Gwyneth's best friend and she helped her gather information and she was all around funny and kind. James was a ghost that haunted their school and he was extremely kind even though he didn't realize he was dead yet.
All in all, this was an interesting story that had a great plot. The time travelling aspect of the story had a lot of thought and detail put into it and actually worked for the story. The history aspects were by far the best part of this novel and I am looking for ward to seeing where and when Gwyneth and Gideon go next.
I actually almost gave up and stopped reading this one a few times. I found the beginning to be extremely boring and Gwyneth to be annoying. I'm really glad that I didn't give up on it though, since about halfway through the story really began to pick up and after that point I was hooked. The idea of time travel isn't anything new but I really enjoyed the in depth this book made it. Other books have time travelling sure but they never explain it, this one does.
Being a huge fan of history I was delighted to find the characters travelling to different points in the past such as the Rococo period and England in 1912. I can appreciate the fact that not only did the author research the time periods and correctly portray them but also the characters were dressed in the fashion trends of the day and who doesn't love the idea of wearing formal gowns?
The characters were for the most part likeable. Gwyneth got on my nerves in the beginning but she quickly grew on me. Where I thought she was a whiny brat she actually ended up being a pretty tough character. There were times when she had to show her bravery even though she was petrified. Gideon was a jerk. Simple as that. He really said some nasty things about Gwyneth, even though it wasn't her fault she was unprepared for time travel. Then he just does a complete 180 and ends up becoming extremely close to her, it seemed pretty unrealistic to me. Lesley and James were by far my favorite characters and they weren't in the book that much. Lesley was Gwyneth's best friend and she helped her gather information and she was all around funny and kind. James was a ghost that haunted their school and he was extremely kind even though he didn't realize he was dead yet.
All in all, this was an interesting story that had a great plot. The time travelling aspect of the story had a lot of thought and detail put into it and actually worked for the story. The history aspects were by far the best part of this novel and I am looking for ward to seeing where and when Gwyneth and Gideon go next.
spagheddie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
this was pretty good. I felt sorry for gwen because she has people calling her stupid and other things. i hope she proves them wrong in future books.
writermags's review against another edition
3.0
All in all, a pretty good way to spend an afternoon after having oral surgery (I'm fine and in my right mind, I promise).
I was supposed to read Ruby Red for book club a while back, but because I am The Worst, I never even picked it up until last week when I was at the library. I wasn't a huge fan of the blurb ("[Gideon's] obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy [Gwen's] seen in any century..."), but I gave it a shot anyway because book club recommendations are rarely unfounded.
Ruby Red's take on time travel was unique for sure. It was interesting without being a rehash of any popular time-travel related media. In fact, although the book takes place in London, there was not a single reference to Doctor Who. Don't get me wrong, I love the show (Nine all the way), but it was a pleasant surprise.
As I mentioned in one of my status updates, this was the first YA novel I've read in a while that I didn't instantly dislike. There were a few cliches, like Gwen describing her appearance to the audience, her age being sixteen, Lesley's role as the BFF (but more on her in a moment), and so on. However, all things considered, they didn't bother me that much.
The plot wasn't exactly clear-cut, but not in a bad way. It feels more like Gwen's "origin story," telling the tale about her becoming a part of this time-traveling shenanigans and establishing key points for the remainder of the books (or so I believe - I haven't gotten any further in the series). Normally this would annoy me, but it made sense for this book and it honestly wasn't too bad.
Now let's talk about Lesley. Of all the characters in the book, I related to her the most. She was rational, always stuck by Gwen and always believed in her even when what she said made zero sense. I mean, if my best friend told me they could see ghosts and time travel, I'd probably think they were crazy (sorry guys). Plus, she actually enjoys doing all that research for Gwen, and it seems we both have a weird interest in solving mysteries and studying random historical anecdotes.
I don't have much to say about Gwen, good or bad. She was a pretty good MC, but other than that there isn't much to talk about.
Gideon was eh. His arrogance and initial prejudice against Gwen weirdly reminded me of Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, but Gideon lacked Darcy's INTJ-ness and thus I wasn't as attached to him. Still, he wasn't a horrible character.
So all that being said, would I reccomend this book? Sure, go for it. It's got historical fiction and sci-fi elements, fairly engaging characters, and was all in all a pretty great way to spend this afternoon. If it sounds like something you'd enjoy, I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up at the library or bookstore!
I was supposed to read Ruby Red for book club a while back, but because I am The Worst, I never even picked it up until last week when I was at the library. I wasn't a huge fan of the blurb ("[Gideon's] obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy [Gwen's] seen in any century..."), but I gave it a shot anyway because book club recommendations are rarely unfounded.
Ruby Red's take on time travel was unique for sure. It was interesting without being a rehash of any popular time-travel related media. In fact, although the book takes place in London, there was not a single reference to Doctor Who. Don't get me wrong, I love the show (Nine all the way), but it was a pleasant surprise.
As I mentioned in one of my status updates, this was the first YA novel I've read in a while that I didn't instantly dislike. There were a few cliches, like Gwen describing her appearance to the audience, her age being sixteen, Lesley's role as the BFF (but more on her in a moment), and so on. However, all things considered, they didn't bother me that much.
The plot wasn't exactly clear-cut, but not in a bad way. It feels more like Gwen's "origin story," telling the tale about her becoming a part of this time-traveling shenanigans and establishing key points for the remainder of the books (or so I believe - I haven't gotten any further in the series). Normally this would annoy me, but it made sense for this book and it honestly wasn't too bad.
Now let's talk about Lesley. Of all the characters in the book, I related to her the most. She was rational, always stuck by Gwen and always believed in her even when what she said made zero sense. I mean, if my best friend told me they could see ghosts and time travel, I'd probably think they were crazy (sorry guys). Plus, she actually enjoys doing all that research for Gwen, and it seems we both have a weird interest in solving mysteries and studying random historical anecdotes.
I don't have much to say about Gwen, good or bad. She was a pretty good MC, but other than that there isn't much to talk about.
Gideon was eh. His arrogance and initial prejudice against Gwen weirdly reminded me of Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, but Gideon lacked Darcy's INTJ-ness and thus I wasn't as attached to him. Still, he wasn't a horrible character.
Spoiler
I didn't care for his romance with Gwen. I thought it was pointless, and it bothered me that Gwen went from hating him to being attracted to him in a matter of days.So all that being said, would I reccomend this book? Sure, go for it. It's got historical fiction and sci-fi elements, fairly engaging characters, and was all in all a pretty great way to spend this afternoon. If it sounds like something you'd enjoy, I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up at the library or bookstore!
loredana_teodora17's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
luschowski's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75