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Ruby Blue (2000)

by Julie Cassar(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Romance

series

Ruby Blue

review 1: Initially, I struggled to get into this book. Beyond first person (which I never care for), the beginning of the book felt like too much "hand holding", as if the author was spelling everything out for the reader.Fortunately, sticking with the story proved rewarding. The book became more enjoyable once the preliminaries were out of the way and the author began to spin the tale.Ruby is clearly the focal point of the book and you learn more about her than any other character in the book, but she is a fun and lively creation, so that's a good thing.The tale itself seems a little long in developing. Plenty of foreshadowing, but little actual forward progress until the table had been "fully set" by introducing the love interest. I think the book would have been even better ... morehad the fantasy story line begun sooner.I enjoyed the fantasy elements. There was a nice internal logic to the fairies and their "powers" that I think lacks in other similar genre books. This extended to the thought process behind the "villain" of the tale (sorry, I don't like to discuss story specifics, preferring to leave that to the reader). Overall, the cohesion in the fantasy world moved this book up a notch with me.I must say, Ruby puzzled me a bit. Not because she was a 17-year old girl, but because she was occasionally an inconsistent 17-year old girl. At times, she seemed to be written more simplistic (immature?) than a modern teenager. I didn't see that as a negative, just puzzling. Compared to the teens I meet, Ruby is definitely different!Overall, I think the book was interesting enough to tempt the reader to move to the next volume in the series. My guess is that, with the "intros" done, the next installment will hit the ground running.
review 2: This YA Fantasy has everything: fairies and magic, mystery and romance, converses and ice cream, and a character for the ages: Ruby Blue. Julie Cassar possesses an astonishing talent to capture teen voices, and Ruby's delightful, authentic, whip-smart narration elevates the story. It's impossible not to fall in love with her and her gang, and with their banter. It's dizzyingly fast-paced, witty, and full of surprises. For example, you'll never guess who is "he" is in this passage: "No. He did not just do that. Yep. He did. He... evilly smirked at me." The author made me believe there is magic in a certain little northern Michigan town. This sweet debut novel is not only wildly fun and romantic: it also contains a hidden message of friendship and tolerance. I just loved this book and cannot wait to read "Deja Blue." less

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