Precious Stones Trilogy by Kerstin Gier

Because I feel like spicing things up, here's a book review! First off, I want to mention that I have an unhealthy OBSESSION with books, I fly through them like nobody's business. So keep a look out for more of these to come ;) 

Before I delve into the magical world that is this trilogy, I'd like to give a disclaimer that I am in no form of shape or size a proper book-critique-person. My choice of words are flimsy at the most, my thoughts are always all over the place, I am very biased and narrow-minded, and anything I spew out in this review are just initial, subjective accounts on what I thought about the book. And since it is 10:38 pm right now, and my right eye is starting to doze off, this review will be a chuck load of fun (sarcasm intended).

Synopsis

Gwyneth Shepherd comes from a family that time travels. Yes, TIME TRAVELING - how cool is that? And for the longest time the secret society of Guardians assumed that Charlotte, Gwyneth's cousin, inherited the time traveling gene. But they'll be greatly mistaken when its Gwyneth who suddenly gets transported to the past! Thus begins the journey of our leading lady, along with the dashing Gideon de Villiers (who btw comes from another time travelling family), as they both practice the etiquette of the 1900s, dance to the steps of Minuet, and learn of a prophecy that could uncover the secrets of the past and change the fate of the future.

Overall Thoughts

I have conflicting feelings when it came to this series. On one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing. There weren't many descriptive scenery or unnecessary wordings that could have made the story drag out more which could leave the reader bored or uninterested.  The author's style of writing was simplistic in nature, which gave a light approach to the overall tone of the story. The characters were witty, fun, and charming; especially Lesley and Xemerius! They brought so much humor and personality to the series. 

Then comes the whole concept of time travelling, which was just a fun ride in itself! Going back to periods where wigs were all the rage and people talked in a very posh, winnie-the-pooh-esque manner provided an exciting look-see to what historical London was before. The period-jumping was the most entertaining aspect for me, and the surrounding mystery of the raven and the Guardians made me anticipate reading its sequels all the more.

However, there are some parts that I wasn't particularly fond of. First off, I felt that the author condensed a lot of details pertaining to the concept, rules, history, and prophecy of said time traveling gene. Because the book was so short and fast-paced, a lot of sections that should've been expounded on was skipped or skimmed over briefly. This left me confused or guessing to what might have happened or what these 'jump cuts' in the story implied. Also, I had a lot of questions regarding the whole 'circle of the 12'. Where did the prophecy come from? Where did this power of manipulating time come from? My mind can't wrap around the fact that the time traveling concept just came to be. And because my thirst for information wasn't quenched, my overall thoughts of the series wasn't as high as I hoped it to be. 

But don't get me wrong, I would definitely recommend this to those who feel like reading something light, fun, intriguing with bits of mystery and romance sprinkled here and there. If you want to know more about the series, here's the goodreads page to it: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8835379-ruby-red