Melody




ISBN-13: 9780743297516
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Published: May 2008
392pp




Cristina Wilson receives a diamond engagement ring from her fiancé on her twenty-seventh birthday. She has anticipated this day to arrive, but she is definitely not prepared for the next ring that arrived mysteriously at her birthday party which has sparked everyone's attention and curiosity. She later found out that the beautiful antique jewelry, a ruby set in bone, is actually sent by Enric, her godfather who had passed away some years ago. She decides to wear the two rings, but since then she began to have strange dreams after wearing the ruby.

Though she finds the dreams unsettling, she is determined to travel to Barcelona for the reading of her godfather's will and to unveil the truth behind the mysterious ruby. However, Mike, her fiancé and her mother do not think it is a great idea for her to travel all alone to Barcelona, and they are worried that something bad might await her there.

Cristina has insisted, moreover she is hoping to meet up with her long lost childhood friend and her first love, Oriol and his cousin, Luis. The three of them were playmates and they had shared fond memories during their teenaged years. During the reading at the attorney office which had assigned by Enric earlier, Cristina also learnt that Enric had entrusted Oriol and Luis each a note and a triptych. In each of Enric's letters, they are requested to find a treasure which is connected to the Templar Knights which took place centuries ago. But they do not expect to face various obstacles while searching for clues as it seems they are not the only one who knew about the ring and the treasure.

The premise of The Ring is great. I have to admit the cover is the first thing that attracted me to this book. It was only after that I read the blurb that I decided to get this book. The first few chapters are really exciting and intriguing, as I wondered how Cristina would react after she received the mysterious ring through a messenger and booked a flight to Barcelona to find out the truth thereafter. However, I was disappointed with the story as I read further. First, Cristina does not strike me as a New York lawyer. Given the circumstances and the value of the ring, I thought she would be more cautious and therefore, I was perplexed and shocked to find that she would remove the ring to let a stranger, the passenger who sat beside her during the flight, to have a look at it. Not surprisingly, it turned out that this person has a link to this saga.

Towards the end of the story, I had got a feeling that she might rekindle her love with Oriol. But whether or not will she choose to be with Oriol, I would also like to find out about her fiancé reactions to everything because there is not much mention about him. It does not convince me because Cristina and her fiancé appears to be so much in love with each other in the beginning. And then again, I was stumped by the purpose of the treasure hunt.

However, despite what I thought of the above, I did enjoy reading about the history of the Templars and its legend, and not to mention the beautiful city of Barcelona. I find the history and the mythos of the Knights Templar fascinating and interesting. They are an eye-opener to me. Author Jorge Molist had done a great job in describing them.

9 Responses
  1. Ana S. Says:

    Sorry to hear that this one was a bit disappointing. It always annoys me when characters who are supposed to be bright do things that can only be described as stupid. It still sounds like a mostly enjoyable read, though. I find the myths about the Templars fascinating too!


  2. Holly Says:

    The plot does sound intriguing. I'm going to add it to my wishlist, but I'll go into it with caution.

    Thanks.


  3. Julia Says:

    Sorry that the book was little disappointed for you -- but atlease you enjoy it. Great review!


  4. Iliana Says:

    That is a nice cover... I may be tempted to read this one because of the setting but like Holly said, "I'll go with caution".


  5. Melody Says:

    Nymeth - Though I find the story disappointing, at least I've learnt about the history of The Templars and that's not a bad thing! ;)

    Holly - Great! I can't wait to read your review on this soon.

    Julia - Thanks! :)

    Iliana - Isn't the cover pretty? I'm glad to hear you'll be checking this book as well. :)


  6. Alice Says:

    I'm not sure if I'll get The Ring but I almost bought the other one you're currently reading The Other Boleyn Girl. For some unknown reason, I kept postponing the purchase. But I love what I read when I browsed it at Kino almost a year ago. :)


  7. Melody Says:

    I'm enjoying The Other Boleyn Girl so far, Alice! :) I haven't watched the movie version yet but I wanted to after reading the book now. ;)


  8. Hi, Melody! The premise of this one does sound intriguing. I am sorry it turned out to be disappointing in some respects. Still, I am glad you were able to enjoy some aspects of the story. I think I would be interested in learning about the Knights Templar too.


  9. Melody Says:

    Hi Wendy! I agree the premise is intriguing, but some parts just stumped me. I was glad the Knights Templar was an interesting read though. :)


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