Book review:Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

I devoured Ruby Red in 24 hours, which, if you already haven't guessed, means that I liked it very much. This is an entertaining and refreshing YA novel about time traveling and family secrets.

On the back of the Norwegian cover references are made to Twilights super couple Edward and Bella and Hamlet's Romeo and Juliet. A good marketing strategy, which hopefully will get this novel lots of readers, but this novel can stand on its own to feet without references like that. This is an exiting first book in a trilogy, no cliffhanger ending but I'm still pining for the second installment and I want to read it now.

My summary:Gwendolyn is 16,5 years old and up until this point in her life she has lived like any normal kids, well except that Gwen sees things other people can't see.Gwen lives in a big, old house in London with the rest of her family, this family is not normal every once in a while a person who can jump back in time is born into it. Gwen's cousin, Charlotte, is born with the time traveler gene and everyone is eagerly anticipating her first jump in time. Gwen is so grateful that she isn't the one jumping in time, it must be so scary. Think of all the dangerous situations you can, literally, fall into.

My thoughts:Ruby Red is like a breath of fresh air in YA, which have lately been overflowing with vampires, werewolves and angels, not that I mind as long as the story is a good one but it was delightful to read a YA about time traveling. There are some paranormal creatures, not your everyday fantastical creatures by the way, in this story as well but they're just in the background. In Ruby Red some of the important ingredients are dangerous missions, secrecy and sword fighting.

Gwen is both a likable and a credible heroine, she worries about things that can be potentially harmful and dangerous but when she is smack in the middle of things she can stand up for herself. Gwen has never been the adventurous kind but all of the sudden she is forced to go on adventures; someone in her family has been keeping a very important secret that has a huge impact on Gwen life. If it was up to Gwen to decide what to do she would have loved to go to school like a normal 16 year old with her friends and enjoyed the evenings in company with her best friend, Leslie.

Now that I've mentioned Leslie I have to say that she is the best written best friend character I've read in a long time. The trend in YA these days seem to be bad best friends, Leslie is a true friend who supports and advices Gwen whenever she needs it.

I mustn't forget, there's a boy, Gideon, but there is not much romance between Gwen and him. There is more of a mutual dislike between them, Gideon is handsome but he is such a jerk who thinks he is better than everyone else. Unfortunately for Gwen she has to spend quite a lot of time with this guy.

Ruby red was an excellent read about time traveling and I thought it was very interesting to read about the chronograph that was used for time traveling and how that worked. I also loved the way Gier described the time periods by describing the current fashions, buildings etc.

The cover:
I really like the cover and I would have picked the book off the shelf based on cover lust alone. 

My rating of this book:
4.5 stars out of 5 - great!

Want to know more?
Ruby Red will be released in English in May 2011 by Henry Holt Company. Gier is a very successful German author, she writes for young adults and adults.

Full disclosure:
For honest review from the Norwegian publisher Gyldendal.

The Ghost Brigades - Teaser Tuesday

Two classics stuck with them. Ender's Game delighted them all; here were soldiers who were just like them, except smaller. The main character was even bred to fight alien species like they were.

This weeks teasers is brought to you from The Ghost Brigades(Old Man's War #2) by John Scalzi, page 98(paperback).

I never thought I would enjoy reading sci-fi but last year I gave the genre a go and I found out that I loved it! One of my favorite reads last year was John Scalzi's Old Man's War it reminds me somewhat of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game(which I read this year). Last week I decided that it was time to continue with this series and so far I'm not regretting picking up the second installment, it's all good :D.

MizB of Should Be Reading host this meme called Teaser Tuesday . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

First Grave on the Right - Waiting on Wednesday

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones. Release date: February 1st 2011. Published by St. Martin's Press(Macmillan).


First Grave on the Right sounds a bit like the tv-series Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Lowe Hewitt but the main character in the show is no private investigator nor is she a Grim Reaper. I don't mind that the plot makes me think of said series because it sounds like a suspenseful and fun read. That some of todays most popular paranormal romance/suspense authors about there says that this book is hilarious just makes me crave this book even more. 


Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper.

Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.

This is a thrilling debut novel from an exciting newcomer to the world of paranormal romantic suspense.

Want to know more about the author or the book?

Visit Darynda Jones' homepage

Follow Darynda on Twitter 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This event spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Please visit Jill's blog to find out what other book bloggers are waiting for.

The Book Thief - Teaser Tuesday

Of course, I'm being rude. I'm spoiling the ending, not only of the entire book, but of this particular piece of it. I have given you two events in advance, because I don't have much interest in building mystery. Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you. It's the machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me. There are many things to think of. There is much story.

This weeks teasers is brought to you from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, page 243(paperback).

What a fantastic story this is, Zusak is a magnificent writer and I know I'll have to pick up other books he has written(I have my eye on I Am The Messenger).

MizB of Should Be Reading host this meme called Teaser Tuesday . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Movie review: Eat, Pray, Love

Yesterday I went to the cinema with my sister-in-law and we watched Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts in the lead role as Elisabeth Gilbert. The movie is based on the book, with the same title, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Last year I listened to the book on audio and the audio book was read by the author herself and, if you’re curious about the book you should definitely try the audio! It was a great. 

The movie is an experience, first of all Liz Gilberts story is amazing. After a difficult divorce and an addictive relationship Liz decides to travel for a whole year to rediscover her appetite for life. The audience gets to see lots of lovely places and I have to say it must be of great commercial value for Italy, Indonesia and India when it comes to attracting travelers. Wonderful pictures from all three countries, good music and lots of delicious food - you might end up craving ice cream and spaghetti bolognas after watching this (or perhaps ordering a plane ticket?) - consider yourself warned. The movie is philosophical and spiritual with a delightful sense of humor and it might not be everyone cup of tea. If you're the kind of person who can sit back and enjoy a movie without non-stop action I recommend that you watch Eat, Pray, Love. 

Julia Roberts is perfect for this part and it was great to see Javier Bardem in a different part then the one I've seen him in(very different from his part in No Country For Old Men).
Eat, Pray, Love is a touching and true story. I wonder what it is like for Liz Gilbert to see part of her life being acted out on big screen.

I feel that the producers did a good job transferring the book onto the big screen and watching the movie reminded me that I need to read the sequel Gilbert has written, Committed.

I'm giving Eat, Pray, Love 3,8 stars out of 5.

In my mailbox - Week 39

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kirsti over at The Story Siren. Head on over there to find out what other book lovers received this past week.

This week I got Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier for review from the Norwegian publisher Gyldendal. Ruby Red will be released in English in May 2011 by Henry Holt Company. Gier is a very successful German author, she writes for young adults and adults.

The English blurb:

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.

The Norwegian blurb translated freely by me:

It's not easy living in a family with so many secrets. At least that's what 16-year old Gwendolyn thinks - until one day when she finds herself in London, in a different time. She soon realizes that she is the families biggest secret. What Gwendolyn doesn't realize is that it's a very bad idea to fall in love when your caught between two different periods in time. That makes complicated love even more complicated!

I've never read a YA about time-traveling so I'm super exited to read this one, also it's a love story and I don't mind that at all! I just hope that this relationship feels more real than in other YA novels these days.

Book review: The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike

My summary:
Sara's in Turkey for the summer with her father. Sounds like an excellent way to spend your summer holiday, right? Wrong, her father works during the day and doesn't come home until late at night. Sara is both bored and lonely, that is until the day when a young boy enters her hotel to deliver a packet to her father.

The boy is called Amesh and Sara almost forces him to show her where her father lives. Out on the work site Sara by accident discovers an ancient carpet; the carpet gives Sara all these weird vibes, almost like it's alive. Soon we'll be flying away on a magic carpet with Sara and Amesh on their adventure out to the island of the Djinn.


My thoughts:
I've read the first two books in Christopher Pike's The Last Vampire series and I enjoyed those, so when I saw that his latest release was available on Netgalley I wanted to give it a try. This is the first book I've ever read where flying carpets and Djinn's(genies) where involved so I was quite exited to read Pike's take on these elements from Middle Eastern folklore and legends.

It was entertaining to read about the three rules of the Djin and the ancient Kala people, the latter I would have loved some more information about. One of the issues I had with this novel was character connection, both the main characters felt unrealistic at times and a bit hard to relate to. Sara possessed a bit too much knowledge of ancient rules - where did it come from? It just didn't feel believable. Also the Sara and Amesh relationship felt unrealistic, what is it with relationship in YA these days? Do one have to confess to undying love after having known each other one day?

I also felt that Sara's character often stigmatized the Turkish people and that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Also there were some facts about Turkey that was incorrect, I expected that an experienced author like Pike would have managed to steer clear of these kind of errors. If you're writing about a foreign country please get your facts straight.

Despite of the books flaws I would be interested to find out more about Sarah and what she is, so if there is a sequel I would have to read it to find out a bit more.

I would say this novel is suitable for older middle graders and young adults.

The cover:
It gives just the right magical vibes and I really like it. The only thing that doesn't quite fit in is the girl on the, she's not carrying herself like I would imagine Sara to do.

My rating of this book:
3 stars out of 5 - enjoyable but with flaws.

Want to know more?Check out The Secret of Ka on Goodreads.

Full disclosure:Review copy from Harcourt Children's Books via Netgalley.

Book published:
September 13th 2010

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository(I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.    

Winners and wish list additions week #39

AKA Friday Finds.

What great books did you hear about / discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS! Please note that these are all books from my wish-list, I don't own any of these titles.

This weekly meme is hosted by mizb17 at Should be reading. Follow the link and join in on the fun or take a look at all the wonderful books that others have discovered this week.

Dear Mr. Biglow: A Transatlantic Friendship by Frances Woodsford - discovered at Vivienne's blog Serendipity.

Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn

My blood approves by Amanda Hocking

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling -  check out my WoW post for this book.

Nightshade by Andrea Creamer

Dog Boy by Eva Hornung - discovered it over at Boof's blog The Book Whisperer, check out her review!
Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa M. Klein
Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James
Trade Winds by Christina Courtenay - historical romance set part in Sweden, well count me in. I discovered this one over at Blodeuedd's blog Book Girl of Mur-y Castle - read her review.

And so for the winners of my SpeakLoud contest, there where 63 eligible entries and with the help of random.org the winners have been chosen. Congratulations to Avis and Poing! Both have been notified by email.