This novel was a bit of a mixed bag for me - I could certainly recognize and appreciate the great skill with which the author wrote this story. Her prose was quite lovely, and could be a delight to read in a different story. The problem I had with Ruby, however, was it's unrelenting darkness. Not only does nothing good happen to it's two main characters - it honestly seems like every possible bad things DOES happen, and it becomes difficult to read chapter after chapter. It became almost opressive, and while that may have been the author's intent, it did not make for a novel that I was excited to pick up. Because of the author's evident skill, however, I would give her work another try.
(I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)