1. This was definitely an interesting start to the trilogy! I've heard people mention that the world building dragged on for too long and could have been shorter. Do you think the author took enough time to really get us used to the world and introduced to it or do you think it dragged on for too long? (Or do you have a totally different opinion?)

L: I know what they mean. As I was reading, I kept thinking that not much was happening even though I was getting farther and farther into the book. I was about 80% done with it this morning and she had just gotten back from her first time travel with Gideon. It made me wonder what the heck I was reading for the entire beginning of the book! It was more of a hindsight sort of thing though - I was always interested in the story and never felt like nothing was happening as I was reading. I've read 2 of Gier's other books in the Silver trilogy and realized they're the same way. I think it's her writing style that keeps you engaged even though not much is happening. I like being introduced to the world and learning about it, so I'm always okay with this! I'd rather have more information than not enough information. Overall, it felt kind of anticlimactic though.

K: I agree with you when you say that it kept me engaged even though not much was happening. I'm surprised I didn't get super bored reading this book really, not much had happened. That's a pretty interesting writing style because the thing that kept me reading was how interesting the time travel concept was and how I wanted to read more about the world that Gwen is introduced to. For me, it didn't feel anticlimactic because it wasn't even getting fast-paced until the near end of the book. There were no moments to get anticlimactic if I shall say. I am hoping more stuff happens in the next book though because three books where 80% of the book is world building is not going to work out...

2. There were many characters introduced to us in this book, do you have any thoughts or theories on any of them? Did you have any particular favorites or anyone you really disliked?

L: Ugh Glenda was the absolute WORST. I wanted to punch her every time she opened her mouth, especially once they realized that Gwen was the one who could time travel instead of Charlotte. I'm curious about the rest of the characters that work there too. Her mom was adamant that she shouldn't trust anyone, so I definitely expected there would be a betrayal of some kind. I loved her interactions with Gideon at the beginning; I could just FEEL a hate-to-love romance brewing. I am so down for that 100% of the time. I was really expecting to see some more intrigue with some of the characters but I felt like the twisty parts towards the end didn't involve the people I suspected. One random issue I had was keeping people with similar names straight in my head - two boys with G names and three girls with C names. Gah!

K: YES, I have to agree with you on the Glenda thing. Ugh, she was just so immature I wanted to tape her mouth shut at one point because she was always yapping away at Charlotte and Gwen. Even before we found out Gwen had the gene, she was still super annoying. I am excited to see more of the other characters though. Gwen's mom is definitely going to be an interesting one seeing as though she has had a very mysterious past and I want to know everything about it because I feel like there is more to everything she is telling us. More to why she helped Lucy and Paul, more to why everyone thought Charlotte had the gene and not Gwen, and maybe there is more behind her husband's death? Maybe not but who knows? I loved Gwen and Gideon oh my lord. They definitely started off on the wrong foot but I am really looking forward to reading about them, especially with that ending! Haha, I totally understand what it's like to get confused with the names! So many names similar to each other, even I got a little confused.

3. What are your thoughts on the time travel aspect? Have you read any books where characters are able to time travel? If so, how do they compare to Ruby Red?

L: I think the only book I've read so far with legitimate time travel was All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill. It's a book I ALWAYS recommend to people, especially if they're thinking of getting into audiobooks. It was really well done in that format. Anyways, the biggest difference  between the two books is probably the science behind time travel. Some books (like All Our Yesterdays) include a real time machine; in Ruby Red, the ability to time travel is within someone's genetic makeup and has less to do with the "time machine" that they had. I love books about parallel universes, which is kind of like time travel in some ways. The genetic aspect of this one reminded me of Dissonance by Erica O'Rourke, which is one of my faaavorite books. I have a few more time travel books on my TBR so I'll be interested to see how they stack up! Overall, this book was a super interesting and complex take on time travel.

K: I don't think I have read many time travel books either! The most recent one I read was Passenger, which was a pretty interesting time travel book. In that one, time travel was more of a "family thing," where certain families do the time traveling. There were portals or something like that as their way of getting from time to time. I really do need to read more time travel books because they sound so great and are really fun to read. I haven't heard of All Out Yesterdays but I definitely will need to check it out! 

4. Throughout the book, the characters are talking about a "secret" that Lucy and Paul were trying to protect. What do you think that might be and how might that affect the plot?

L: Man, I've been really good with guessing plot twists lately... but I have no theories for this one. I'm guessing it has something to do with what Gwen's mom said - about not being able to trust anyone. I'm thinking that there's someone shifty within their little group and Lucy/Paul are trying to prevent the secret from getting out to the others. After reading the ending, I have a weird feeling that the people Gideon trusts aren't the people that they should be trusting. I'm sure they'll get more into that with the second book, especially based on the last pages. Also, SWOON.

K: There are definitely so many things that I don't know about in this book and I really cannot make and predictions either. I know things will be changing for sure. I don't know about trusting the people who run the chronograph. I feel like I would be able to trust them but I also feel like they're all hiding something, which is not surprising. Everyone in this book seems to have things they're hiding. Lucy and Paul will probably most likely be showing up again and are probably going to try to persuade Gwen to do what they tried to get her to do this time. 

5. Was this book what you expected it to be? Did it live up to your expectations and the hype?

L: Yes and no. I've had this on my TBR (and even owned it) forever and honestly didn't know what to expect. The reviews on Goodreads are super favorable so I was hoping to enjoy it. I'm so glad that I did! I think I knew what to expect in some ways since I'm in the middle of Geir's other newer series. I can absolutely see similarities in the books and love her writing style. I always thought that the translation would make things choppy or more difficult to read, but I didn't get that impression at all.

K: I think for me, it was what I expected it to be like what it was with the plot and world but the only thing that I didn't expect was for this book to have such little things happening in it. I enjoyed it anyway but I definitely expected more to be happening. I've had it on my TBR for ages as well! People really like it so it was definitely worth giving a shot and I am glad I did because I really liked this book! I actually haven't read any of her other books so I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Kerstin.

6. Do you have any predictions for the next book? 

L: Gah. I'm thinking that Gideon and Gwen start to put some pieces together and figure out who they should trust. Talk about a cliffhanger! I'm hoping that because this book was mostly setup, the next book will have a lot more action. I enjoyed learning about how time travel works and who some of the characters are, but I definitely wanted MORE from this one overall. I hope there's no "second book syndrome" where not much happens. I haven't seen other reviews for it yet, so I'm not sure what to expect at all.

K: I am definitely hoping for more things to happen in the next book. This one was a great set up but break time is over, I want more of this story now! I am looking forward to finding more blood for the chronograph and learning more about Lucy and Paul because they definitely seem like interesting characters. And maybe we will get some development with Gideon and Gwen because that ending definitely signaled towards that path! Looking forward to it though.

Like what you read? Well, you're not done yet. If you haven't read the other half of this discussion, make sure to visit Lauren's blog to read more.