Sapphire Blue
Author: Kierstin Gier
Series: Edelstein Trilogie (#2)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
How Received: publisher ARC
Read my review of Ruby Red (#1).
Release Date: 30 October 2012
Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.
At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.
Buy | Borrow | Brush Off
I really, really, really love the plot of this book. I love the characters.
Do I want to smack Gideon in the face for being a self involved narcissistic prick? Yeah, I do. But that's the point of his character, isn't it? So I can't fault him for being what he's supposed to be.
But I spent so much time wanting to smack him that it took a little bit of the book away from me. I found him annoying. But that doesn't make the book any less awesome in the long run.
The best part about this entire series, without a doubt, is the friendship Gwen and Lesley have. It rings true throughout the entire book and reminds me of some of my closest friends -- two girls who love each other like sisters and are willing to help each other and trust what the other says. Gwen can time travel, is involved in a secret society and can see the dead? Lesley's got her back.
The other side characters -- Xemerius in particular -- are equally awesome or annoying or silly, but all are fleshed out and actually interesting. I want to punch half of them in the face, but again, you're supposed to want to punch half of them in the face.
I thought the line that Gier walks in keeping Gwen a human rather than a turning her into a Mary Sue heroine is really interesting and something that could be noted by other authors. She still gets distracted by Gideon, but not to the extreme of forgetting everything she wants to do; she has a best friend who actually aids her in what she wants instead of getting jealous; she has a family that mostly loves her and sometimes annoy her.
The only thing that might trip some readers up is the time travel aspect -- there's a lot of jumping around, and I suggest watching some Doctor Who as mental mind prep to keep up with it all. That's the only way I'm able to keep track of anything. (Though I don't think that they use the same time travel laws that Who does. Hmmm...)
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. Worth reading just for the brilliant characters.
Cover Comments: They changed the cover theme from a fairy-tale-esque cover to pretty girls in dresses. While it is relevant to the story, curse you, cover designers! The others ones were so pretty.
Have you had a chance to read Sapphire Blue yet? Did you read Ruby Red? What did you think?