Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth Shepherd’s family is anything but ordinary, because every once in a while, a girl is born with the ability to time travel. In this case, it’s Gwyneth’s beautiful and sophisticated cousin Charlotte. Gwyneth hasn’t really minded having to put up with Charlotte while she’s being prepared to be spirited to another era, that is, until she realizes that her family has been wrong all along—Charlotte isn’t the one with the ability to time travel, Gwyneth is! And that is a problem for so many reasons, the very least being Charlotte’s mother’s jealousy and anger. Now Gwyneth has to figure out how to not let her travels catch her too off guard, live life in the 18^th century, and deal with the arrogant Gideon, one of the few other time travelers alive and the only one close to her in age. As she’s plunged into a dangerous new world of magic, romance, and intrigue, Gwyneth can only hope she’ll be able to emerge unscathed.

I stumbled onto Ruby Red purely by accident, and boy am I glad that I did! This novel is a truly enchanting time travel fantasy layered with mystery, secrets, and romance. Time travel is a concept that has always fascinated me, and I am fortunate that all the other books I’ve read involving this concept have been just fantastic. And even though I loved all the other time travel books I’ve read, I still immensely enjoyed Ruby Red. This book is just so imaginative and beautifully written. I couldn’t help but be swept up in Gwyneth’s adventures, both in present day and in the past because Gier transitions so smoothly between them. With wonderfully crafted characters, perfectly executed plot, and utterly captivating ideas, Ruby Red is the type of book that you just want to sit back for and enjoy the ride. This novel was originally published and has become wildly popular in Germany, and I truly hope that it will become just as popular in the US, because, even or especially in translation, Ruby Red is a YA fantasy novel of the highest quality and content. I absolutely cannot wait for the next two installments in this trilogy, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green to come to the US.

Ruby Red is the type of story that can be enjoyed by all readers with an imagination, especially those who also liked Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

Rating: 4.75

Review copy from publisher Macmillan