Emerald Green is the final book in Kerstin Gier’s Gem Trilogy. It follows Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue. Originally released in German, the English translation is not available until October 2013. However, as I read German I can and will review it for you.
The three books in the trilogy read like one long book cut into three parts rather than three separate novels with separate stories and one overarching plot line. I will be reviewing them as such. As I mentioned in my recent Reading Review, I was introduced to the books fairly recently and I devoured all three in a matter of days. They tell the story of Gwyneth (Gwendolyn in the original German) who learns that her family is the carrier of a gene allowing her to travel through time. Unlike her cousin, she has not been inducted into the family’s secrets, so she must work things out on her own, with the help of the mysterious and attractive Gideon.
What I liked
Gwyneth’s “voice.” I loved Gwyneth’s humour and warmth as she comes to terms with her situation. Having compared the English and German original the translator has done great work bringing that across. I liked that while she is often impetuous and quick acting, she does sometimes doubt herself and wonder if she is endangering those she loves by her actions and lack of knowledge.
The time travel concept. I enjoyed the whole travel to the past to protect the future scenario. I felt Gier handled a tricky subject as well as could be expected.
Xemerius. This character is just so much fun!
The multi-layered subtitle. The German edition has a subtitle of “love throughout eternity” which can apply to more than one couple in the novels.
The twists in the tale. The author brings in several twists in the final volume of the trilogy. Some of these are nicely foreshadowed, others are out of left field (for me at least.) I felt the author found a good balance between foreshadowing and surprising.
The ending. While there were some things I didn’t like about it, I did think it pulled together all the threads very well.
What I didn’t like
Time travel is complicated. Yes, I know it was also in my likes list, but it was a little tricky to keep track of what had happened when, and who was reacting to what.
The relationship between Gwyneth and Gideon. Of course, Gwyneth is still a teenager, but I felt a little frustrated at how easily she forgave him for his disrespectful conduct. I also didn’t feel they resolved their communication issues. Personally I was more invested in the relationship between Lucy and Paul that was the framework for the books.
In summary everything does come together in Emerald Green to provide a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and I would certainly recommend it. You may wish to wait until October before starting on book one so that you can read the entire story in one.
I gave Emerald Green five stars out of five.
, iBookstore, Audible (listen to a sample)
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