Earlier this month Rachel posted some books coming out in October (click here). Among these books was Sapphire Blue, book #2 of the Edelstein Trilogy, and sequel to Ruby Red. I absolutely cannot wait for this book to come out. If it's anything like Ruby Red, it will be well worth the LONG wait. So I thought that for this week's "Amanda Monday", I would introduce the first book in the series, in hopes that you would read it just in time for the next book in the installment to come out. May you all be as addicted as I am!
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. - Quoted from Goodreads
First of all, let me just say that Goodread's summary does not do the best job of captivating how great this book is. While it does mention time-travel, mystery, and romance, it leaves out secret societies, a deliciously evil villain, magic, and ghosts. To quote the movie "The Princess Bride", this book, "has it all."
But. None of this would have been enough for me to love this book if I didn't absolutely love Gwyneth herself. Gwyneth is so like-able because she is absolutely real. She is smart (without perfect grades). She is pretty (without that being her greatest asset). She has friends (and a few "frenemies"). She has the teenage love/annoyed relationship with her family (loves her mom, tolerates her siblings, dislikes her grandma, and is ignored by her cousin). But most of all, she is confident and funny. She is the perfect dose of common sense and normalcy to balance out a world that is anything but.
Author Kersten Gier does a marvelous job of creating characters that are both modern and decidedly less so. I particularly enjoy how Gwyneth interacts with them. Her modern sensibilities mixed with old-fashioned values and morals held by so many of the people she meets in the past create plenty of funny moments. Gier also does a good job with weaving a plot around the ever-tricky time-travel factor. She sets up rules and parameters within the world of time-travel so that the reader does not feel like the plot is contrived. And the romance? The villain? The action? All excellent.
This book earns the prized 5-star rating from me, both for how much I like it and how well it's written. I don't want to oversell it, but, well, I just love it. Read it, so that when Oct. 30 rolls around, you will be ready for this:
Happy Monday!
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