Ruby by Cynthia Bond: A Review

You know when you see a book that everyone has been hyping about, and find yourself caught up in it? The cardinal need to obtain and read this book, it becomes the one thing you obsessed over? Yeah, this has happened only about a few times in my life so far (Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games), and I thought Ruby would be another one that would live up to the hype. Well… it wasn’t. I first discovered this book on Oprah’s 2.0 Book club website as the book that was featured for the month of March. Everyone was raving about this book, even Oprah was. So naturally I could not help myself, and soon the hunt began. Luckily, Blogging for Books was kind enough to send me a free copy to review for them (this potentially could be the last book they send me, lol). So I didn’t have to hunt very long or very hard, but the excitement was still there when the book arrived on my doorstep a week later.  I quickly rushed off to my favorite reading spot, a giant armchair in my bedroom, dove in, and waited to be swept away. Then I waited, and waited, and waited, but nothing came.  * Le sigh*

Here is some background as to my reading process… any book that I purchase, receive, or am sent by a publishing company to review all apply to the same rule; you get 50 pages to keep me interested. If the book is good then I won’t notice that I have blown past the 50 page mark, but if it is bad then I stop reading it cold turkey and either return or email the company who sent it to me. The reason it is 50 pages is because an author should have grabbed the reader and kept them interested by this time, and 50 pages is usually a quarter, or a little less, through a book. There are so many books out there to read and devour, so why would I spend my time continuing to read a book that doesn’t keep me interested?

With Ruby, I stopped reading at page 45. I could not engage with the main character, and did not feel a connection with her or any of the other characters. I came to a point where I no longer cared what happened to the characters, or wanted to know where they were going. I did not need to know more about them or have a desire to dive further into their lives, the lack of interest was very present. There also appeared to have too much back story. I think the writer tried to play some characters off by being mysterious by not revealing a great deal about them, but it was poorly executed. The plot seemed a little all over the place, without direction of where it was going; I often got a little lost and had to go back and re-read pages. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine with books. Do not have the reader turn back a few pages for clarification, as a writer the plot should flow in your novel without the reader needing to backtrack. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I wanted to like Ruby but she failed to pass the basic test in keeping a reader engaged and interested in her story.

Has anyone read Ruby? What did you think? Have you ever read a book that you couldn’t finish? What rules do you have when you read?

Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: I was sent Ruby for free from Blogging for Books to review on their behalf. This review is of my own work, and I did not copy or refer to any other reviewers/writers/bloggers for this post. All content provided on “A Comfy Chair” is for informational purposes only. I make no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. I will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. I will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

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