Silber, Dream A Little Dream - Kerstin Gier

Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.

The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute....

Cover

The Dutch cover is pretty cool. It's not that beautiful, but has some nice references to the book (which you'll find out by reading the book). I think it's Liv on the front, trying to find her door. The key is probably a sign to what happens at the end of the book, but I'm not entirely sure.

Liv Silber

Liv didn't really catch my attention. She was reasonable, sarcastic and easily caught of guard. While sarcasm is all my thing and I liked it on her, I couldn't really see myself in her. She wasn't one of those boy-obsessed girls, until she found Henry. She was a little awkward, that being one of the things I liked about her. I don't know why I feel nothing special with her. She's a great character, but is not the best in the book. Because this is the first book, I forgive her, but I hope she'll become more badass later on in the trilogy.

Henry?

Henry was not the best male character in this book. In fact, when I found out he was falling in love with Liv, I didn't even want it. To be honest, I like her with Grayson more. It might sound weird, but I have a feeling she's not going to end up with him, definitely considering Grayson's girlfriend Emily is not at all romantic. He has some secrets he won't tell anyone. As long as he doesn't tell Liv about those, I'll not trust him. Trusting certain characters in a book, and definitely in a book like this, needs to be done slowly. I hope he reveals his secrets in the next book.

Liv's Family

Because Liv is pretty sarcastic and her sister Mia is also, it was great to see a sister-relationship in the book. I'm not that close with my sister, so reading about siblings is always nice. Liv and Mia look out for each other, and tell each other stories about their days. Their mother doesn't look after them all too well, and is really loose with her curfew and that kind of stuff with them, but was still a great mom. Florence gradually turned into a real sibling, and Grayson was also trying his best. I believe Liv's mom (Ann) getting together with Grayson's/Florence's dad (Ernest) really made them happier. Lottie, her nanny, was just right. She was there to fill the gaps Ann had made, and Liv and Mia were also really close to her. Cause Lottie's German, you also learn some more about Germany. I'm learning German in school atm, so it was so funny to recognise words. Lottie stands up for what she believes, and is also a wreck when it comes to men.

Secrets

There were so many secrets in this book still needing to be revealed. Apart from Henry's secrets about his family and past, there is also this sort of Gossip Girl, Secrecy,  knowing all of the school's student's secrets. I might have a clue about who she/he is, but with Kerstin you can never be sure. I love these secrets, cause because of these I'm looking forward to reading the next. All this demon talk and a girl being psychotic was also really interesting and kept it a nice read.

Storyline/book itself

There wasn't many action in this book. Even though I love Kerstin's writing, I didn't feel like it was that special. I liked reading it and I'll start reading book 2 soon, but it's not my favorite book ever, while Ruby Red definitely was. I expected more, and maybe I shouldn't have. The ending, however, was a little unexpected, but it didn't blow me over. I hope I'll start to like this series more by the second book, since I think the idea about dreams is amazing. The male character wasn't that strong, I didn't really fall in love with him. Kerstin's amazing writing skills were still there, but just not as strong as in here previous books.

Overall I have mixed emotions about this. I'm looking forward to book 2 at least. I liked it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I feel so bad right now, but I'm giving it 3.5/5 stars. Please know that this is just my opinion, and you don't have to agree with it.

Title: Silber (German/Dutch title)/Dream A Little Dream (English title)

Author: Kerstin Gier

Series: Silber (book 1)

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Price (Paperback): $6,60

Pages (Hardcover): 336

Dominique

Silber 3 - Kerstin Gier

Liv Silber has three problems. One: she has lied to Henry. Two: her dream adventures are becoming more dangerous. Three: Liv's mother and Grayson's father want to marry in the summer. While Arthur has unraveled the secrets of the dream world and thus can do irreparable damage, Anabel is currently also trying to make their lives horrible. But what can they actually do? Liv must put a stop to their action and meanwhile try to not lose her boyfriend.

{note: I didn't read the entire book, this review contains strong language. This is actually not a full review, but also a way to show why I'm always taking a hiatus.. because of books like this one.}

Cover

Love the German cover with this book. The Dutch one is aesthetically pleasing as well. I saw another Dutch cover today, and I loved that one too. The covers for these book series were really good, that's one thing.

Liv the Virgin

God, she was so immature again. I really do not like her. She was so childish, so goddamn childish. I prefer myself a main character with whom I can grow, if you get what I mean, coming-of-age characters, but Liv is definitely not one of them. She whines a lot, is so insecure that it makes me want to kick her ass, I disliked her so much.

Her humour, however, is the only really good thing about her, but I couldn't find much of that in this book, which was sad.

Henry the Naive Shit

I've never liked Henry. I always preferred Grayson. I still can't see why Kerstin chose to pair Liv up with him. He doesn't have much appeal (like Ruby Red's Gideon), he was just, average? I also really didn't see how he couldn't have noticed that Liv was still a virgin. She was so awkward about it (a bit of awkward is understandable, but this was too much), she didn't want to talk about it and she literally pretended like she had sex with a boy who was actually a fucking dog, sorry for my language. The rest of their relationship was cute though.

When I was about 170 pages in, I realised that this just wasn't going to work. This book got me in such a reading slump and I just decided to read the last 50 pages and just give it back to my library. I still wanted to make a 'review' for this because I really needed to let my frustration loose. I do not recommend starting these series. They're honestly just not that exciting. I love Kerstin Gier, don't get me wrong, I've read Ruby Red and I want to read more of her, this is just not a book for me.

Needless to say, I think I'll give the book about 1,5/5 stars. It's completely acceptable for you to not agree with my opinion, but please respect it. I really wanted to love this book, I just couldn't.

Dominique

(I'm reading 'An Abundance of Katherines' now ! I'm out of my reading slump and I'm back !)

Silber 2: Dream On - Kerstin Gier

Things seem to be going well for Liv Silver: she’s adjusting to her new home in London; she has a burgeoning romance with Henry Harper, one of the cutest boys in school; and the girl who’s been turning her dreams into nightmares, Anabel, is now locked up. But serenity doesn’t last for long.

It seems that Liv’s troubles are far from over—in fact, suddenly they’re piling up. School gossip blogger Secrecy knows all of Liv’s most intimate secrets, Henry might be hiding something from her, and at night Liv senses a dark presence following her through the corridors of the dream world. Does someone have a score to settle with Liv?

Cover
I thought the cover didn't have many relations to the book. Apart from that, it is a very beautiful cover and it's pleasing to see the blue. The font is nice to see as well. The German cover, however, is so pretty! If I were fluent in German (which I'm hoping to be in  few years :)), Kerstin's books would definitely be the author I would buy my books from!

Liv, grown up?
I don't remember how I'd described her in the first book, but I've started to like her so much more! Kerstin was able to write her so well this time, and because there were more dangerous/exciting things happening in this sequel, you could see her when ready for a 'fight'.Her love for her sister is so big and it really melted my heart. She is very protective of people she loves, and it's so nice to read about such a bond. Liv was way less dumb in this book, I feel like she's grown up a bit, she now knows more about dream walking, which makes her less of a newbie at it and because of this it's way less boring to read.

Henry
I've always said it, Henry doesn't do it for me. I'm really hoping Liv sees she cannot trust him. There's just this thing about him that makes me feel anxious, like he is secretly a spy or something. Something I was happy about though, was that they showed some background on him. I got to know more about his family (after Liv trying to push him to tell). Liv needing to literally pull these secrets out of him was really weird, weren't they in a relationship? Don't you tell people about your family when you're in a RELATIONSHIP?

Arthur
Oh, great. Spoiler warning: what a backstabbing bitch. Seriously? Who does he think he is? There is something mentally wrong him with him. He tries to kill Liv's sister (Mia) just because she freaking hit him? What the hell even is that reason? He makes me so mad, but I'm excited to see what's going to happen to him. He got hit by Grayson, so that kind of mends my mind a little.

Mia
Throughout the book, I got the feeling the whole book was about her. Which I was very happy about actually. It was about time after being a poor side-character in the last book. I believe she's 12/13? I love sisterly bonds in books, it reminds me of the fact that I've always wanted such a bond with my own sister. 
Having Mia sleepwalk in this book felt like such a creative idea to me. Like, dream walking, but there's sleep walking as well? I also appreciated them showing more of 'controlling people's dreams' in this book. This book was so much better than the original.

Ending
During the ending I had a few thoughts. They talked about Secrecy a little and kind of said who it was, but it still wasn't clear to me. Is **** really Secrecy? Does **** just work for Secrecy? 
Also, THAT LITTLE PLOTTWIST! I was not even surprised by it. How would **** been able to know that otherwise? 
Anabel's infamous line again: 'It's only just beginning', made me feel so many things. I'm so excited to read the final book!


This book definitely didn't disappoint me! I thought it was way better than the first actually. I hope the 3rd can be even better! 3,5/5 stars from me! In this book I recognised the Kerstin Gier writing style again and I loved it! Not regretting starting this series at all.

Title: Dream On

Author: Kerstin Gier
Series: Silber (book 2)

Dominique 
(I know I've not been on schedule lately, but I'm stressing so much over school. Please understand)
(please excuse the lay-out, Blogger hates me)

Emerald Green - Kerstin Gier

Gwendolyn has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is. She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along. Emerald Green is the stunning conclusion to Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy, picking up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

Wow, such gorgeous covers this trilogy has, I remember when I was in my library and I my eyes immediately caught this book, I read the description on the back and I decided to take it home with me. I must say, that was one of the best decision in my book life. I love these series a lot, actually, they're my favourite series, 

But, why are they my favourite series? That's because these books have everything. I like it when the characters are a little cheesy sometimes, and Kerstin managed to make it cheesy, but not too cheesy. The world and the story were original, but the whole 'handsome guy falls in love with an ordinary girl thing' was here too.

This storyline is so amzingly written, once I started reading I literally couldn't stop. Towards the end, many secrets were revealed (they were all so mindblowing, I didn't expect anything (although my close book-friend did), and I was like: ' What am I going to do with my life now?' So I started watching the movies again (The last movie is actually coming out this summer in Germany). 

Gwendolyn is a very strong but realistic character, and looking at the fact that this is Fantasy, this was so well done and actually kept it very interesting. Gideon just 'reads' handsome, like, I had no idea what he looked like, but I just expected him to be this sexy looking handsome guy tsundere (Japanese term for guy with a cold expression and warm heart) who cares so much for Gwendolyn. Even thinking about it makes me feel warm inside :').

I RECOMMEND THIS TO EVERYONE, seriously, this book series needs more attention. Definitely 5/5 stars from me.

Title: Emerald Green (Smaragd Groen)

Author: Kerstin Gier

Series: Ruby Red Trilogy

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Age: 12+

Price (Hardcover): $12,55

Pages (paperback): 460

I know I was gone for 5/6 months, I wrote a post about this and I'm sorry 

Dominique

Precious Stone Trilogy: Sapphire Blue - Kerstin Gier

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, 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.

The cover is beautiful, I had the Dutch cover (right) which also had a little cord you could use as a bookmark and wow, I love the illustrations on the front/back of the book. I find the English cover less beautiful, but it still gives you the same ambiance the book is all about. 

Wow, I am in love with these books. Kerstin is an incredible writer, because she knows how to put romance in a book without making it cheesy, there's humor, usually caused by Xemerius, and mistery, that's why I couldn't lay this book down. I wanted to know, wanted to know what's going on, and I was surprised.

Okay, I do have to say, this book will tear you apart. Gideon, do you love her or don't you? Are they going to be together or not? Will she make it? Will he make it? What's going on with Lucy? SO MANY QUESTIONS.

I love Gideon so much, but I always have a thing for the 'douchebags that change because of the female'. There were times where I just wanted to slap him in the face, but there were also times where I just wanted to hug him. As I said, this book will tear you apart.

I'd give this book 5/5 stars, it's just a light book that will make you happy.

• Series: The Ruby Red Trilogy
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Age: 12-18
• Price: €15,99, $17,99
• Pages: 384
• ISBN-10: 1250034167
• ISBN-13: 978-1250034168

Dominique (@myxmasreading on Instagram (Christmas is cominn)

Precious Stone Trilogy: Ruby Red - Kerstin Gier

Gwendolyn Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful niece Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwendolyn, who suddenly takes her first jump to another time!

Gwendolyn must now solve the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon -the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line- Together, Gwendolyn and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century in London, they can trust.

I love this. Really, I have nothing bad to say about it, it's absolutely perfect. You would think Gideon will be one of those typical douche bags that suddenly turn out to be really nice (okay, he kind of was a douche bag) but the way the author describes him and Gwendolyn/Gwyneth is just amazing. You can feel with Gwendolyn, because she has never been prepared for any of this, but yay Gideon is :).

I love Gwendolyn! She's so upbeat and even though she travels through time and has this badass skill, I could really feel with her and relate to her. She's really clumsy, just like me :). She isn't the best in handling the whole time-traveling situation but she didn't make me feel bad about myself (that's why I don't read many Dystopians, because the protagonists all have these talents and I'm just a girl on the internet).

Gideon was a bit full of himself at first, but I got to know him more and more, which, again, made him actually really sweet. (I'm sorry, I'm just a little bit obsessed with Gideon and Jannis Niewöhner).

This book is for every age and reader, Fantasy/Sci-Fi fans will love this especially.

I'll give this book 5/5 stars, there were literally no flaws.

Extra: A movie is adapted from the book. If you want to see it, click here.

Dominique (@myperfectreading on Instagram)