Review: Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

Book Three of the Ruby Red trilogy

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Publication Date: October 8, 2013

Rating: 5 stars

Source: ARC won from a giveaway

Summary (from Goodreads):

Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.

She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

What I Liked:

Must. Be. Vague. It's always tricky, reviewing sequels, especially conclusion novels. I hate feeling like something I say isn't a spoiler but might actually be, especially to someone who hasn't read any of the books in the series. I shall endeavor to be vague, okay? Hopefully that explains why this review will basically be a bunch of flailing and exclamation points.

Gwyneth Shepherd must figure out, for once and for all, what the Count of Saint-Germain is up to, and who the traitor in the Lodge's midst is. At the end of Sapphire Blue, she finds out that the count put Gideon put to making her fall in love with him (Gideon) - or so she understands. In reality, that isn't the case. But that's what she hears the count say, and Gideon does not correct him. What a predicament! The prophecy is slowly being unraveled, and with or without Gideon, Gwen must save herself, and the secrets of the Guardians.

Wow! What a firecracker of a conclusion novel! I love how Gier writes. I love her writing style, her voice, her crafting of the story. I know this series is German, and that it's translated, but I feel like the voice and the writing style is SO UNIQUE, so distinctly not American, that it totally survived the translations. There is a distinct difference between American authors and European authors, I've noticed. The writing style is definitely different, for one, and in an very, very good way! 

One this (of many) that I really, REALLY love about this book (and series in general) is how funny the book is (the series is). Gwen is such a hilarious character to follow - her inner monologue is brilliant and awkward and funny. Less awkward and more funny, but she's so clumsy and silly and wonderful. I love how funny the characters are. It makes the subject matter - time travel and death and gloom - so much awesomer to read! We're pretending "awesomer" is a word.

The plot is magnificent! Through all three books, the series plot is brilliant. Each book has its own plot, but the overarching plot through the series is great. There is a traitor, and there is a diabolical count, and Gwen cannot trust anyone. There are so many secrets to be revealed, so many truths to be found out. I love how complex the books get (it's time-travel-related, things SHOULD be complex!), but you don't get lost. Gier has an amazing sense of story-telling, especially with subject matter that could easily get confusing, and she makes sure that her readers aren't lost.

The romance. DON'T WORRY. If you read the ending of the second book and was like, OMG NOOOO, it's okay! Don't worry! We all know better than Gwen, that Gideon really does love her. Gwen does wallow in self-pity for a bit (for good reason though - I mean, come on), but eventually, Gideon must tell her the reason why he started avoiding the relationship like never before. It's a very good reason, I promise.

I love the historical foundation of this book. It's so cool, how Gier weaves different pieces of history into this book. Gwen and Gideon travel to many, many different years in the past, and I think Gier does a brilliant job of crafting each historical world, and making them seem authentic. 

This book is the perfect conclusion to a fantastic series! I can't express my love clearly and entirely enough - I love this series. I've loved it even before USA rights were bought to have this book translated. I couldn't even physically read the books (they were in German only at the time), but I wanted to read them and love them. Definitely one of my favorite series of all time! 

What I Did Not Like:

I have nothing to say here ;D

Would I Recommend It:

YES! I would recommend the entire series! Seriously - time-travel isn't one of my favorite genres/subgenres. In fact, I dislike most of the time-travel novels I read (because usually, the authors do a poor job of handling the subject matter, and me who rarely gets confused about much ends up in a hopeless state of confusion and annoyance). BUT, I would highly recommend this series, for the time-travel, for the interesting historical basis, for the humor, for the romance!

Rating:

5 stars. So much love! I've read and re-read the first book (Ruby Red) so many times... and the second book (Sapphire Blue)... and I've already re-read this book a handful of times. Now that's love!

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