Review: Emerald Green

EMERALD GREEN
The Ruby Red Trilogy #3
Kerstin Gier
Young Adult/Time Travel
464 pages
Henry Holt and Co.
Available now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (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.

MY THOUGHTS
Much like its predecessor, Emerald Green wastes very little time tossing us back into the middle of multiple time-travel timelines with almost no recap of previous events, but even though we’re foggy on specifics, it’s as easy as ever to get involved in this last leg of Gwen’s journey. While we certainly have questions about the past and present and how the various events of both relate to one another, we can’t help but find ourselves pushing them to the back of our minds and simply enjoying the humor that’s become a trademark of the series. Gwen’s sly quips combine with an absurdly hilarious gargoyle ghost/demon to keep us smiling through any haze of confusion that temporarily causes us to stumble, ensuring that the crazy train that is the Montrose family takes us for one unforgettable ride.

Gwen has been a joy throughout the series, constantly battling the Guardians' unrelenting incredulity that she’s the one who inherited the time travel gene over her cousin Charlotte, and continuing to endure their snide remarks and their secrecy with a grace we’re quite sure we wouldn’t be able to muster in her place. Though things with Gideon are still far from smooth sailing in this last book, Gwen is not the type of young woman prone to angst or overly emotional reactions, having only minor meltdowns that end in rants to her best friend (as is to be expected based on the situation), charming us with her disgust over her very temporary weepiness rather than frustrating us with an epic emotional unraveling. Minor relationship hiccup aside, Gwen is strong and determined in this final installment, attempting to decipher the numerous prophecies and their ominous predictions to figure out the purpose of all her and Gideon’s misadventures back in time.

Though there are tense moments between Gwen and Gideon in this book, their romance isn’t quite as deeply involving as it has been in the past (with one large exception), the extraordinary number of loose threads in need of tying off rightfully demanding the majority of the spotlight. We might not entirely understand every piece of the puzzle that's uncovered, but many of our questions are answered, additional pieces clicking into place the more we turn events over in our minds after finishing. Things are wrapped up nicely in the end, but there’s certainly room for more should Ms. Gier ever feel the need to follow up with Gwen and give us a look at her life after the dust from the final events settles, and I certainly wouldn’t mind if somewhere along the line these characters called out to her once again.

Rating: 4/5
 

Previous Reviews:

Ruby Red • Sapphire Blue

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.