Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier

What's going on homo sapiens! It's me again coming at you with yet another book review, so lets talk about some more book shit!

Title: Emerald Green (Third and final book in the Ruby Red trilogy)
Author: Kerstin Gier
Rating: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎
Spoilers: Yes. Tons. If you have no interest in reading spoilers about the entire series, turn back now. Just X out of here, seriously. I'm going to spoil the shit out of this for you if you have an interest in reading it, because I am going to unload.


Spoiler Alert: Seriously, dude, turn back now if you do not want this series ruined for you.


My reading week is finally here and instead of using my reading week to do essays that are due really soon, and catching up on critically important course readings, I decided to read the final book in the Ruby Red series. Lets jump right into this.

Emerald Green, the third and final book in the Ruby Red trilogy. Can I first start out by saying how utterly insane as shit it is that these three books take place within, what? two to three weeks at the latest?! I feel like nothing happens, yet so much happens. This book really did pick up the slack left by Sapphire Blue, but the best thing about it? All answers are revealed, and now I can finally sleep in peace without waking up in a cold sweat wondering about what's going to happen.

Turns out that I was right about Lucy and Paul being Gwen's biological parents, but I think that was kind of revealed in Sapphire Blue, but it was outright finally said out loud in Emerald Green. And unfortunately, I think I was wrong about the gift of the Raven, at least in part -- I was under the assumption that the gift of the raven was Gwen's ability to see ghosts, but it turns out that she's f^@$!&# immortal. So yeah, the chick can't die, which is pretty rad and I didn't expect that shit at all. But it does kind of make sense -- if she's immortal and can't die (because of the two time travelling blood lines; which are her mother and father: Montrose and de Villiers) then the 'veil' to the other side would be extremely thin and allow for her to see ghosts. So, that was a really great twist.

Another huge f^@$!&# twist? Turns out the Count was immortal -- well, he was immortal until Gwen was born, and from there he ages. Which blows my mind completely. I wasn't expecting that at all. With all this shit about closing the circle of twelve and the talk about the philosophers stone, I was sure that the Count wanted the philosophers stone to become immortal. I never really thought the philosophers stone would be in the chronograph, but when you think about it, it's pretty obvious. (Also Philosopher's stone, Harry Potter -- I knew exactly what that guy wanted. Too bad there wasn't any mention of Nicholas Flamel!) And the count ends up being Mr. Whitman? Are you kidding me? I wasn't expecting that at all! AT ALL! I- damn. I just- don't even know where to begin thinking about everything I missed whenever he interacted with Gwen and Lesley. Wasn't expecting that at all.

I did like how the book played everything out. I love how Gwen ended up with the second chronograph and is able to elapse on her own and get shit done, and I like how Gideon came around and stopped flip flopping all over the place acting like a world class ass. I like how I got all my answers. And I really liked the way things tied themselves up, in a sense. I'm super happy that James (the ghost) ended up having a nice long life because of the smallpox cure.

But that ending though. So Mr. Bernard is Paul? That must have been really hard for him, growing old and seeing Gwen pay no attention to him even though he's her biological father. I know that obviously Paul and Lucy have a life together and end up having more children, but I would have liked to know what happens with their story line. Where's Lucy in Gwen's present? (Maybe Mrs. Bernard was mentioned but I just don't remember)

And damn, so Gideon ended up taking the philosopher stone/immortality powder or whatever, so that's cool because Gwen is immortal, but am I just supposed to assume that they stay together for the rest of eternity? How does that work out for them? Could this reveal have been any more anti-climactic? It's revealed that Gideon is immortal after Mr.Whitman/Count put an entire gun clip into him. Which I guess was a bit of a shock, but it's just brushed over once he wakes up.
Gwen:"Oh thank goodness Gideon that the philosophers stone potion thing worked,"
Gideon: "yeah, me too, we just mixed it with some water lol, yay immortality"
Really?! (This is not how the scene actually unfolds, but to me, it felt like it -- so not an actual representation but pretty damn close)
Also, are there two philosopher stone/immortality potion things in each of the chronographs? Because I'm really interested in knowing. So two people can become immortal? WHO ELSE?!
And about this chronograph business. The guardians were complete idiots. If this thing was super important enough to create an entire damn secret society over, wouldn't it have made sense to get the time travellers to use both chronographs? At least use the backup once so that way they have the blood already stored (and then put away and kept safe until the next two time travellers pop up)? Or at least have a little drop of blood or something preserved and safely stored away somewhere, just in case? But I guess if it was that easy, there wouldn't have been a trilogy about it!

OH! And what about the Count/Mr.Whitman? I know that he dies in the end because Mr. White hit him over the head (at least, I hope he died), but what about all those essays that Giordano translated and Lucas put into the copy of Anna Karenina? What's the count's story?! I was hoping that part of his defeat would be because Gwen and Gideon went back in time to talk to Elisabetta, but clearly that didn't happen, even though it should have. I would have loved to know what the count's real name is, where he came from, a little backstory on why he became the massive immortality seeking asshole he turns into.

This book was pretty great, I'm not going to lie, it really was. I finally got all of the answers I wanted, well, needed. But it was so anti-climactic. Once you find out Gwen is immortal and that the item inside the chronograph is a philosophers stone, you know that Gideon is going to take it and be immortal with her. But I just want to know more. What about Gwen's and Gideon's family? They're going to outlive them, obviously, but what happens to them? Is there a way to split the philosopher's stone since it's just like crystals in a little tube? Do they age? What?! What are Gwen and Gideon going to do for the rest of their immortal lives? If they have children, will they be immortal, too? So many more unanswered questions.

But overall, this book gave me what I needed, and left me with more questions I'll hopefully get over, or make up silly answers for. It was a great ending to the trilogy, and it was action packed and exciting at times. I would definitely recommend this entire trilogy to people! I can't recommend it to you guys reading this, since you've hopefully read the trilogy if you're reading this spoiler post!
I'm definitely glad that this trilogy is apart of my collection, and I definitely see myself picking it up again in the future -- now knowing how the ending unfolds, there's most likely little bits and pieces of things characters did, or said, that hold some type of significance that I didn't catch before.

Guys if this spoiler has only encouraged you to pick these books up for yourself, or if you haven't read my spoiler entwined posts about this trilogy and happen to be skimming and see this part: Do pick it up! Really! It's a really amazing read, especially if you just want something light to read that will make you laugh (and frustrated because lack of answers). And the hardcover covers are just stunningly gorgeous, aren't they?! Aren't they?! The paperback covers are pretty too, just... not as pretty as the hardcovers.

Overall I rate this series: ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎
Because I enjoyed the frustration, and everything it had to offer utterly and entirely.

So that's my wrap up of my first trilogy review! Stoked!

If you guys have any suggestions on what books I should read next? or what I should do next in terms of posts? Please comment/email and let me know! Have you read the Ruby Red series? How did you like it?! I might hold back on the book reviews for a while due to school commitments, but I'm thinking of doing a bookshelf tour-ish thing? Showing you guys my bookshelf and going through it posting what books I have, which I've read, which I haven't, stuff like that! If you're interested in that, let me know below!


Dude, you're so awesome it's depressing for all those who aren't as awesome as you! Keep doing that thing you're doing cause it's clearly working! Blam! xoj