"Waiting On" Wednesday: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's "Waiting On" Wednesday selection is:

Sapphire Blue

By Kerstin Gier

Publish Date June 5th, 2012 by Henry Holt and Co.

From Goodreads~

Gwen's life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she's been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean. At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he's very warm indeed; the next he's freezing cold. Gwen's not sure what's going on there, but she's pretty much destined to find out. 

Holy schnikies, this is one trilogy that I probably should have waited until after all three books were released before I started reading them. I was thrilled with Ruby Red (see my review), and I was hoping Sapphire Blue would be released earlier in the year. It's already released over in Europe, thus my using the Italian, German, and Norwegian covers rather than the US cover (which still isn't up yet). There were so many questions left unanswered within the first book, I just can't wait to find out which will be answered in Sapphire Blue! Here's hoping the time will zip on by!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? ^_^

Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Title:  Ruby Red

Author:  Kerstin Gier

Genre:  Young Adult

Pages: 324

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., LLC

Summary:  Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended--and rather eccentric--family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far.  The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley, watching movies and talking about boys. It comes as an unwelcome surprise then when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past. She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century....

The Dish:  Time-travel seems to be gaining some serious momentum in the paranormal YA genre.  And why shouldn't it?  It's a thrilling theory to be sent back through the years to possibly some of the most exciting (if not dangerous) of time periods.  Not to mention keeping with the authenticity of the period with proper and beautiful attire.

I really enjoyed how large a part Gwyneth's family played within the overall scheme of the story.  So many books have the parents either not present or just playing as little a role as possible, having more cameo roles.  This is Gwyneth's story, but it's nice that her family members are more than just mentioned in the novel.  Granted, there are her family members that I don't really care for, but I'm hoping there will be further explanations in the next book, or if not, that these family members will fade into the background even more.

Gideon is something else, and despite his arrogance and know-it-all personality, I like him.  There's a bit of an adventurer in him, and I can't wait to see where that will take both him and Gwyneth in Sapphire Blue when it comes out next year.

There are so many mysteries involved in the story with the biggest one being what will happen with the closing of the Circle of Twelve?  And what is Lucy and Paul's part to play in in preventing this from happening?  There's so much to learn within the next two books, and I'm definitely hooked.  The release date for Sapphire Blue cannot get here sooner.