Series Review → The Precious Stones Trilogy by Kerstin Gier

Wednesday, March 26, 2014


Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
The Precious Stones trilogy (The Ruby Red Trilogy)

Young Adult Fiction // Categories: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Release Date: May 10, 2011, October 30, 2012, and October 8, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (Macmillan)
Format: Hardcover • 324, 357, and 451 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon—the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.
After seeing the cover of Ruby Red, I knew I had to read it and own it for myself. The designer did an awesome job of incorporating time travel (the clock) and the historical aspect of this book (the photograph, of whom I assume is Gwyneth, the main character) into a aesthetically-pleasing cover.

Although this trilogy is translated into English from German, there wasn't anything that confused me or caused me to stop reading. I thought the storyline was creative and unique—time travel is always fun to read about. It's an interesting concept and difficult to keep consistent, but Kerstin Gier did a great job at making it fun and easy to follow.

I was surprised to find myself laughing at numerous parts in all three books, but I'm glad there were a couple of characters who added a humorous element to this serious story. If I had to choose my favorite character, it would probably be Lesley, Gwyneth's best friend. She was like a sidekick, always searching on Google for information about her family and trying to discover all the secrets. While reading this trilogy, I found myself wishing I had a best friend exactly like Lesley!

The only thing I didn't like about this trilogy was the fact that it was a trilogy. I think this book would make more sense if it was combined into one book instead of being split up into three different books. The beginnings of both Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green are spent discussing what happened in the previous books (Ruby Red for Sapphire Blue, and Sapphire Blue for Emerald Green), and it wouldn't have been necessary if it was one book.

Overall, it was an incredibly fun read and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good YA read with a bit of everything.

5 comments

  1. I loved the first two books - the stories are so exciting and readable - but I agree that they could have been one book. The ending of the first one especially was just so abrupt. I hope to finally read the last book soon though - I'm glad this was a great read for you!

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  2. I love this series! And the humor really makes it fun, doesn't it? I agree with you, too, that it might have been better as one book. There's a lot of rehash in each book that could've been cut, and I think the series only takes place over a couple of weeks anyways, plus I feel like it's all one big arc, rather than three different but intertwined arcs.

    But oh, I love those covers. If anything, I don't mind three books because I get three pretty covers. :) Great review!

    Rachel @ Paper Cuts

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  3. The main character is called Gwyneth in the English translation? I didn’t know that. In German, she’s called Gwendolyn. :P

    I was also quite a bit annoyed by the fact that the sequels always recapitulated what happened in the previous books, as I was reading them back-to-back. But overall, this series is really funny and cute.

    Kerstin Gier is already working on her next YA series („Silber“, meaning Silver), of which one book is already published and the second one will be released in two weeks.

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