Review: Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1), by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogie #1)
By Kerstin Gier
Publication Date: In the US, May 10th, 2011 (Henry Holt and Co), originally published January 6th, 2009 (by some German Publishing House I can't find the name of)
Hardcover, 330 pages
Genre: Sci-Fi; Romance; Historical Fiction; Adventure; Fantasy; YA
Source: School Library! :)

DESCRIPTION:

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended—and rather eccentric—family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley, watching movies and talking about boys. It comes as an unwelcome surprise then when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past.

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counter-part. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century...

—from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

Every once and a while, it's refreshing to read something straightforward and without the extra wordage lots of writers like to put into their stories. That straightforward book was Ruby Red. Of course, the straightforwardness of the book could be because the author is German and the book was translated into English, so some meaning could be lost in translation, but I don't know. I mean, I believe Inkheart by Cornelia Funke was translated into English from German, and that book is incredibly wordy. So it could just be Kerstin Gier's style. But that's besides the point.

Gwen's best friend, Lesley, was my favorite character. The best-friend-characters tend to be more likable than the actual protagonist to me for some reason. My biggest problem with Gwen, however, was that she was completely useless. The type of useless comparable to Sleeping Beauty's uselessness. I didn't care for Charlotte, Gweneth's cousin, but I don't think the reader is suppose to feel too sympathetic towards her. Nor did I care for Gideon. He was the love interest of the story (not a spoiler due to the book description) and was characterized quite blandly, meaning that he was characterized as the sterotypical male love interest of most young adult lit.: arrogant with some hardcoming that hurts them so badly that somehow it turns their personality inside out and makes them some sensitive nice guy.

Bleck.

The way Gwen's family treated her reminded me of Harry Potter. Everyone overlooks her because she's simply ordinary. They don't think there's anything special about her. Then, when she learns that she carries the time travel gene, some people in her family treat her even worse. It's not exactly the same as Harry Potter's situtation, but it radiated vibes that reminded me of Harry Potter.

Being the first in a triology, this book was more of an exposition for the whole series. That said, there wasn't much action, not much of a climax at all. But it certainly has promise and I'm excited to read the next one.

RATING:

Review: The Diviners (The Diviners #1), by Libba Bray

The Diviners (The Diviners #1)
By: Libba Bray
Publication Date: September 18th, 2012 (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Hardcover, 592 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction; Fantasy; Supernatural; Parnormal; YA
Source: Library

DESCRIPTION:

Do you believe there are ghosts and demons and Diviners among us?

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It's 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he'll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other sotries unfold in the city that never seleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened...

Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray pens a brand-new historical series with The Diviners, where the glittering surface of the Roaring Twenties hides a mystical horror creeping across the country.

--from the book's dust jacket

REVIEW:

Whew! After a month of reading The Diviners, meaning after a month of living in the 1920s and picking up on the slang (more to come on the slang), I've finally finished! Five-hundred-and-ninety-two pages of evil.

And by evil, I mean a man by the name of John Hobbes. Good ol' Naughty John. He really does give me the heebie-jeebies (1920s slang!). The whistling, the click of his cane, his icy blue eyes. Twice I had to leave my hall light on as a nightlight because I was terrified of John Hobbes manifesting himself and coming to get me.

Characters. There were a bunch, and the story switches veiw points to each of the major ones. Evie O'Neill, of course. She was not very likable as I found her too shallow and selfish. But she was caring a times, which I did like. Jericho Jones, typical tall, dark, and...mysterious. He was okay. I didn't feel like I really knew him. Memphis Cambelle, Harlem's next Langson Hughes. Meh.

Mabel Rose, Evie's best friend, was relatable to me because she reminded me of myself. She was living in both the shadow of her famous politcal activist parents, and also in shadow of her glamorous best friend. It wasn't in her to exchange her frilly, long dresses for short flapper-style dresses, or bob her long curly hair. She just felt like she was second best, washed out by the New York City lights. She didn't really have many parts in the book, but she was relateable anyway.

But she wasn't my favorite.

Theta (rhymes with "beta") Knight, named after the math symbol (which is pretty sweet), was my favorite. She was so multidemensinal and her backstory was by far the best.

Oh. I almost forgot. The infectious slang of the 1920s in this book has caught me. I find myself saying "And how!" a lot, and "That music is the berries," but not as much as "And how!" Anyway, if you fancy some good old-fashion slang, here's a link to more 1920s slang.

The plot had a snail-slow build-up, but it's worth it if you power through. I mean it took me a month, but I powered through and it was ALL WORTH IT.

RATING: