What's going on homo sapiens! Today I will once again be reviewing and talking about some book shit! I've been on a bit of a book bender, haven't I?! All the more content for you to enjoy, my pretties!
Title: Sapphire Blue (Can I just point out how much I adore the titles of the books in this trilogy, despite the fact that they're so simple?! Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green, ugh. It's satisfying for some reason! I think it's the alliterativeness of it, I think. I'm a sucker for alliterativeness)
Author: Kerstin Gier
Rating: ♥︎♥︎♥︎ (Giving this three hearts really hurts my heart. Kerstin Gier -- You could have done so much. So much more, and it made me super sad that you didn't)
Cover: (This isn't a list thingy, but can I just mention how gorgeous these book covers are?! If I was just rating this book based off of cover alone, it would get a solid unfaltering five hearts. It's so purdy!)
Okay, here we go. The second instalment of the series. I was expecting so much more to happen, and I was ridiculously disappointed. Literally nothing of use happens, for me, anyways. Just another bunch of set ups and unrevealed information that makes me want to slowly rip out the pages of this book as some sort of torture device. It made me want to dunk my head in an entire sink filled with ice cold water. Reading this.. I mean, I really enjoy the writing style of Kerstin Gier, and I love the entire plot of this book, but I genuinely feel that she's dragging this out. A lot! I usually feel a sense of satisfaction after finishing a novel, and this did not provide me with that, at all. I will be picking up Emerald Green in the morning, just so I can finally start getting some answers... holy shit.
Once again, I will be breaking out the huge red spoiler alert... you're welcome readers who have yet to read this book, and quite possibly the one before it!
SPOILER ALERT: ATTENTION ALL READERS, THE WRITTEN WORDS BELOW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS OF THE BOOK SAPPHIRE BLUE. IF YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK, PLEASE IGNORE THIS MESSAGE, IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK, HAVE NO INTENTION ON READING THE BOOK, YET ARE INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT HAPPENS... WELL, SHIT, IGNORE THIS, TOO.
So what happens? Absolutely nothing. Gwen travels back in time and sees her grandpa! Losing a grandfather at a young age myself, this part warmed my heart, it really did. I almost felt my eyes well up when Gwen was explaining that she loved him, almost.
The entire second book of this trilogy is just a run around. There's definitely way more, much more, too much emphasis on Gwen and Gideon's relationship. It doesn't take a genius rocket scientist to figure out that Gideon really is in love with Gwen, and he's going to end up helping her with something that involves the count (I'm betting on his death), and he's going to side with her, Lucy, and Paul, and things are going to end so wonderfully after everything is safe and the circle isn't closed, and she finds out that Lucy and Paul are her biological parents that she can travel back in time to spend time with. I think it's pretty obvious, unless Gier has a totally different idea about how this novel is going to end and then I might literally lose my mf'n mind.
Told you guys about the magic of the raven -- Gwen's ability to talk to dead people. I'm excited for when she actually travels back in time to see James in the flesh! But I just can't wrap my head around all these secrets, and the length of time! The books are decently long. I think Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue are both upwards of 300 pages, and the fact that two entire novels take place within, what? Three days? Four days? Definitely less than a week, that's for sure, is absolutely insane! I can understand they need to travel back in time everyday or else they run the risk of elapsing randomly at a different and unsafe time, but shit -- three/four days ago this girl just learned that she can travel back in time, and now she's met this count guy twice, and he choked her once, and then she went to a soiree, and in Emerald Green she's going to a ball, and she's had an attempt on her life, and fallen madly in love with a guy who's so hot and cold I just want Katy Perry to constantly sing her song in his smug face.
Gwen and Gideon. These two. Infuriating. I did, in a sense, get the impression that Gideon was using her at first. Well, trying to make Gwen fall in love with him (the count's suspicions made me squeal in delight). The guy is just so touch and go it's ridiculous. It's just, unbelievable. One minute he's really into her, and the next he completely loathes her. But obviously, this book heading in the direction I think it's heading -- it'll all work out for the best and they're going to live a magnificent, time-travelling life together.
Raphael -- I love his name because he shares it with my late grandfather and it's a ninja turtle. But other than contributing to the 'code' technically Mr. Bernard found he hasn't contributed anything to this story. Not a damn thing.
No secrets have been revealed. At all. Not even one. Not one that I wasn't already expecting. And that is quite possibly the most infuriating thing I have ever experienced when reading a series. If I had picked up this series when it was first released, and if I had to wait a year before each book, I don't think I would have continued with the series. Well maybe I would have, because I need to know what this damn circle shit is all about, but making someone wait an entire year for the second book in a trilogy only for there to be no major new developments is just... plain cruel.
SPOILER ALERT OVER WITH. SHARE IN MY FRUSTRATIONS OF THIS BOOK BELOW.
So, I mean... the writing of this book is absolutely great. I loved reading this book. This book isn't terrible. My three heart review isn't me saying the book is absolute shit and you should avoid it at all costs, absolutely not! My three heart rating and review is just about my frustration with this book. Just this book in the series. Now I know why professors and teachers tell you to put your weakest argument in the middle. By that time your audience is already hooked, nodding along, agreeing with what you're saying, and then the middle argument (like this middle book) is completely confusing, frustrating and ridiculous, and the last argument is going to drive it all home and give your audience a feel of being completely satisfied with your shit. I feel like this is exactly the direction this trilogy has been going in.
It's a thick-ish book, upwards of 350 pages -- 362, to be exact, (hardcover, including the acknowledgements, and including a couple pages of the final instalment of the series) and next to nothing happens! The emphasis of this book is placed on a budding romance, and as I said in my review of Ruby Red, "I want the secret. Give me the secret". I don't care about your romance (although I'm sure it'll play a particularly large role in the final book), but I'm so looking forward to reading it because I will finally get some answers! Every. single. time. this book is headed in a direction that even hints at revealing a secret, someone gets whipped back in time and "oops, sorry, guess we'll have to save this conversation for a later date." Really?! REALLY?! I want to cry tears of frustration. I don't understand why I'm not getting any answers here!
As I said above (in my pre spoiler portion of this blog) I am most definitely going to start reading Emerald Green in the morning. Once I finish with that, I might need to take a break from pleasure and leisurely reading (although I do feel like my turnaround rate for finishing books is pretty quick!) since I have school commitments that I've... committed to. Hahaha, get it?! Commitments that I've committed to? Never mind *sigh*.
Unless you guys are totally stoked to read a rad review on Congreve's The Way of the World?! Actually, I think I might just blog about that because I have a 'response seminar' (basically a presentation) about it for my class, and I think blogging about it will definitely help me present.
I mentioned in my Ruby Red blog post, that I would post something up for those who didn't want to read spoilers, or lack there of (because nothing happens!) of Sapphire Blue, so once I get everything together for that blog post, I will absolutely post it on up. I expect everything I am waiting for will come together tomorrow, and hopefully by Thursday/Friday I'll have that post up for you guys!
Tell me what you think of my reviews, comment below! If you guys have read the Ruby Red trilogy, or Sapphire Blue and want to talk about things I haven't discussed in my blog? Or talk about things I have discussed in my blog, please comment or email me, I'd love to interact with you guys (assuming there are lurkers who read this... I'm hopeful!) Or you can comment and tell me what a pansyass I am! Or you can comment or email me book suggestions? Are you getting tired of all the book reviews? Should I throw in a music/album review just to spice things up a little?! Let me know and I will oblige! You ask, I see, I think about it, I say to myself no, but then I change my mind and give you what you ask.
Keep being awesome
xoj
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