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The Ruby Locket
When Saxon finds a girl with no memory on the outskirts of the Nevertyre community, his family take her in and nurse her back to health. He is wary of this stranger but compelled to learn more about her. He soon realises the danger they all face.
When Kerina wakes she must fight to make sense of her situation, but she is haunted by images of her past. She is the key to the future, she just doesn’t know it yet.
To find answers Kerina and Saxon must work together. They set off on a quest of self-discovery. Along the way they meet allies, enemies and uncover truths too difficult to accept. Both must leave the past behind and find a way toward their future.
Kerina and Saxon. Two different stories. Two separate lives. One connected future.
When Kerina wakes she must fight to make sense of her situation, but she is haunted by images of her past. She is the key to the future, she just doesn’t know it yet.
To find answers Kerina and Saxon must work together. They set off on a quest of self-discovery. Along the way they meet allies, enemies and uncover truths too difficult to accept. Both must leave the past behind and find a way toward their future.
Kerina and Saxon. Two different stories. Two separate lives. One connected future.
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2020
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Wray
6 books92 followersMelissa is an Australian author who lives on the Bellarine Peninsula with her family. She enjoys beach walks and chasing sunsets. She has always loved reading and grew up near a cosy little library where she spent most of her younger years reading.
Melissa is passionate about education, in particular literacy, and believes the ability to read and write gives power to change. Her novels include The Lost Loot of Lima, Summer Change, The Ruby Locket and Destiny Road. Melissa’s writing has also won honourable mentions and featured in several anthologies.
Melissa has a strong sense of wonder and adventure. She loves to travel and has seen some incredible places including Cambodia, Egypt, Turkey and Africa. Melissa has also travelled closer to home and visited every Australian state. Her bucket list of places to explore is still long, both home and abroad! Melissa enjoys writing fiction with snippets of fact hidden within her work.
Melissa believes everyone should Dream Big … Read Often.
https://www.instagram.com/liss_wray/
https://www.facebook.com/DreamBigRead...
Melissa is passionate about education, in particular literacy, and believes the ability to read and write gives power to change. Her novels include The Lost Loot of Lima, Summer Change, The Ruby Locket and Destiny Road. Melissa’s writing has also won honourable mentions and featured in several anthologies.
Melissa has a strong sense of wonder and adventure. She loves to travel and has seen some incredible places including Cambodia, Egypt, Turkey and Africa. Melissa has also travelled closer to home and visited every Australian state. Her bucket list of places to explore is still long, both home and abroad! Melissa enjoys writing fiction with snippets of fact hidden within her work.
Melissa believes everyone should Dream Big … Read Often.
https://www.instagram.com/liss_wray/
https://www.facebook.com/DreamBigRead...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 21, 2021
2 Survivors. I Destiny.
Saxon discovers Kerina, a girl with no memory on the fringes of a Dystopian community. Immediately, he’s suspicious but he soon learns the TRUTH and how they’re in DANGER.
Intriguing, tense plot. Believable & likeable characters. Detailed world building.
Readers of YA Dystopian novels will love this compelling tale.
Winner of a Maurice Saxby mentorship
Saxon discovers Kerina, a girl with no memory on the fringes of a Dystopian community. Immediately, he’s suspicious but he soon learns the TRUTH and how they’re in DANGER.
Intriguing, tense plot. Believable & likeable characters. Detailed world building.
Readers of YA Dystopian novels will love this compelling tale.
Winner of a Maurice Saxby mentorship
November 19, 2020
I loved everything about this book. It was very hard to put down. I highly recommend reading.
All the characters played important roles in the story which is set in a different world to what we know. The journey they set out on is full of twists and turns and leaves you in suspense to the very last page. Beautifully writen and easy to read.
I would love the Author `Melissa Wray` to write a sequel.....
All the characters played important roles in the story which is set in a different world to what we know. The journey they set out on is full of twists and turns and leaves you in suspense to the very last page. Beautifully writen and easy to read.
I would love the Author `Melissa Wray` to write a sequel.....
December 7, 2020
I loved reading this, couldn’t put it down. Loved the story between Saxon & Kerina, a very different world we live in but neither one gave up on finding the truth. Highly recommend.
August 14, 2025
This book is so great! Action packed and likeable main characters. Very well written standalone dystopian
February 8, 2021
After receiving an email talking about this novel, I was really interested to start reading it as I had just finished a dystopian novel and was still on a kick so I immediately bought it! However, that excitement wasn’t entirely sustained throughout the novel.
The Ruby Locket is a dual narrative novel where, one day, Saxon stumbles across Kerina; a girl who he initially thinks is dead and who has no memory of her life or who she is. However, it’s dangerous to hide a ‘rambler’, especially one as special as Kerina is. As Kerina begins to learn who she is through the flashbacks that haunt her, Saxon learns something important about his life too. To get the answers that they both need to move on from the past and into the future they need to work together.
As the novel does alternate between two protagonists it’s important that you’re able to form a bond with both of them. Unfortunately, I only really found myself drawn to Saxon despite the mystery that surrounded Kerina. As a character I felt that Saxon was much more developed and more believable. However, this could also largely be down to the fact that Kerina doesn’t remember who she is therefore her character was slower to develop. Quite a few of the characters also seemed quite similar as they were often sarcastic with witty one liners.
I thought the plot was very interesting and I did like the concept of the world that Wray had built. I also liked the way that Saxon and Kerina’s story were intertwined and how it all came together. However, despite this I did feel that the pacing of the novel was slightly off at times, sometimes it felt a little rushed (particularly the ending) and some parts felt like they could have been slightly shorter. I feel that this was partly down to the fact that the novel alternates between the two protagonists in short chapters. If the character’s chapters were combined, making them slightly longer, and then alternated I think this would have helped the narrative along.
Overall, whilst I did have some issues with the novel I did enjoy the plot and I was interested to see where it would go. The novel has a lot of potential but I can also see it being a great read for young adults!
The Ruby Locket is a dual narrative novel where, one day, Saxon stumbles across Kerina; a girl who he initially thinks is dead and who has no memory of her life or who she is. However, it’s dangerous to hide a ‘rambler’, especially one as special as Kerina is. As Kerina begins to learn who she is through the flashbacks that haunt her, Saxon learns something important about his life too. To get the answers that they both need to move on from the past and into the future they need to work together.
As the novel does alternate between two protagonists it’s important that you’re able to form a bond with both of them. Unfortunately, I only really found myself drawn to Saxon despite the mystery that surrounded Kerina. As a character I felt that Saxon was much more developed and more believable. However, this could also largely be down to the fact that Kerina doesn’t remember who she is therefore her character was slower to develop. Quite a few of the characters also seemed quite similar as they were often sarcastic with witty one liners.
I thought the plot was very interesting and I did like the concept of the world that Wray had built. I also liked the way that Saxon and Kerina’s story were intertwined and how it all came together. However, despite this I did feel that the pacing of the novel was slightly off at times, sometimes it felt a little rushed (particularly the ending) and some parts felt like they could have been slightly shorter. I feel that this was partly down to the fact that the novel alternates between the two protagonists in short chapters. If the character’s chapters were combined, making them slightly longer, and then alternated I think this would have helped the narrative along.
Overall, whilst I did have some issues with the novel I did enjoy the plot and I was interested to see where it would go. The novel has a lot of potential but I can also see it being a great read for young adults!
January 8, 2021
If you enjoy dystopian novels then please go check this out! The Ruby locket follows two characters: kerina and Saxon. I think the most important part of a dystopian novel is having strong characters. The product of their environment makes them this way. If they aren’t in some way then I feel like the book just won’t work. Thankfully both characters in this book are pretty strong even though they’ve gone through some pretty traumatic experiences. It was fun getting to read through their experiences and learning about kerina’s past as she starts to remember some of the things she has forgotten and starts to recall how she’s putting everyone around her I’m danger.
If you like this genre then please read this book!!
If you like this genre then please read this book!!
October 30, 2020
I really liked the opening of this book, where the two brothers find a girl in the “wasteland” who initially appears to be dead. It did take me a little time to feel completely gripped by the story and I did feel the plot lacked momentum in the beginning. I also never felt invested in the love story between Saxon and Kerina; it was very much a slow burn. I would have liked the worldbuilding to have been a little bit more complex and inventive. I didn’t have a clear picture in my mind of what the world, its people and culture really looked like on a wider and more detailed scale and I would have liked to know more about the “Burn,” that destroyed the world before, and what actually caused it. I am afraid I am not a huge fan of books that switch POV from chapter to chapter and the eponymous ruby locket, and its “message,” was not as remarkable as I expected it to be. (SPOILERS HERE) Having said all this, I did like reading it and particularly enjoyed the latter third when the action kicked in. The dialogue was written well and I liked the snarky character of Vera and would have liked to see more of her. I also liked the idea of an oppressed people with additional abilities (though I would have liked those abilities to be more exciting and have more of an impact in the story) - this reminded me of the TV series “The Boys” and the superheroes with manufactured powers. Overall, I wasn’t blown away with this book but it was definitely a worthwhile read.
October 30, 2020
Saxon and Manny find a girl who is lost on a wasteland and has lost her memory , albeit they not much about her still they decide to take her home and take care of her. This can be dangerous for them if she hails from a society / tribe who are their enemies. Still Saxon and his family prefer humanity first and do not give heed to the danger that could arrive to their lives.
Slowly as Kerina is recovering , a love story begins to erupt between Saxon and Kerinna , later Saxon discovers with help of Anastasia that his parents were murdered and the suspects were people from Kerina's tribe , Saxon believes that Kerinna is the key to know everything , they go in search of Kerinna's parents, he is appalled to see how her own mother hates her now because she has mixed up and empathizes with people of the opposite tribe ,they( Saxon and his friends) believe with their kind endeavours they would be able to extract the truth as Kerinna is with them , unfortunately Kerinna's mother ends up killing not just them but also Kerinna.
The author passes on the profound message of how humanity is being lost.
I also loved the part where it is believed Elgee as most kind but she back stabs.... This reminds me of the quote "too true to be kind".
The author has penned down the novel in extremely heart touching and simple language which can be read by all and not making the language unwantingly complex.
Slowly as Kerina is recovering , a love story begins to erupt between Saxon and Kerinna , later Saxon discovers with help of Anastasia that his parents were murdered and the suspects were people from Kerina's tribe , Saxon believes that Kerinna is the key to know everything , they go in search of Kerinna's parents, he is appalled to see how her own mother hates her now because she has mixed up and empathizes with people of the opposite tribe ,they( Saxon and his friends) believe with their kind endeavours they would be able to extract the truth as Kerinna is with them , unfortunately Kerinna's mother ends up killing not just them but also Kerinna.
The author passes on the profound message of how humanity is being lost.
I also loved the part where it is believed Elgee as most kind but she back stabs.... This reminds me of the quote "too true to be kind".
The author has penned down the novel in extremely heart touching and simple language which can be read by all and not making the language unwantingly complex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2021
This exciting tale of intrigue in a futuristic society was a surprising treat I cannot wait to share with others. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering along with Kerina and Saxon who is friend and foe, who to trust and who to beware. It's a story of burgeoning love, unlikely friendship and so many mysteries to unravel it was impossible to put down. I look forward to reading more from this author.
March 9, 2021
I'm not really a dystopian fan but this book got me in with the relationship between the two main characters Kerina and Saxon. I loved the alternating voices and the mystery surrounding Kerina's background that was slowly revealed. The world-building was fabulous and I found myself especially enthralled by the final scenes where the good guys infiltrate the baddies compound. Kudos to Melissa for creating a truly terrifying mother figure. A riveting read!
May 1, 2021
To start this review, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Henry at Odyssey Books for reaching out and contacting me about reviewing this title. This has had no impact on my review, which remains fair and unbiased.
The Ruby Locket is an Australian YA dystopian following two characters called Saxon and Kerina. Saxon finds Kerina on the outskirts of town and he believes that she’s dead, but when she rouses and asks for help he finds himself dragged into her story. Kerina cannot remember anything, but she’s a rambler – an outsider – and her existence will cause Saxon no end of trouble if she’s discovered.
However, as Kerina’s memory begins to return, Saxon discovers that he might be connected to her story after all, and solving the mysteries of her past may bring him closure of his own.
The beginning of The Ruby Locket is very gripping. I couldn’t wait to find out more about Kerina, and the way that her memories come back so slowly – just a glimpse into her past returning at a time – added to the intrigue. Unfortunately, once Kerina’s memories have returned my interest in the story waned dramatically.
My main issue with The Ruby Locket is that the chapters are too short. We flip back and forth between Kerina and Saxon’s viewpoints, but some of their chapters were only a couple of pages each. They could have been combined together, reducing the amount of chapters (which numbered over 100 by the end of the book!) and fleshed out a bit further, and it would have made me feel more connected to the characters and more interested in the events that were unfolding.
However, because of the constant viewpoint switching I ended up being frustrated and bored. As soon as something interesting began to happen to one of the characters, we would suddenly move across to a less interesting event happening with the other. It should have made me want to read faster to get back to the action, and it probably would have had this effect if the technique had been used infrequently, but because it happened continually throughout the story it didn’t work very well.
Something which isn’t reflected in my rating is the fact that this book needed a bit more editing. I try not to account for that in my ratings of novels, because there are many reasons that grammatical errors can slip through the net, but at times this story veered from first person perspective to third person perspective in the same sentence, and it threw me out of the story completely. I’m hoping that these issues were only present in the review copies, but when there was a lot of action playing out it did make it hard to understand who was doing what, adding to the disjointed feeling which began with the constant viewpoint switches.
I really liked the idea of the Okodee. Melissa Wray has created a world in which a vaccine has led some people to develop superhuman strength and unnaturally fast healing. Kerina discovers she is part of these people – known as the Okodee – and that’s the reason she finds herself running from her past. I wish there had been more focus on this aspect of the story, because the focus feels much more political than personal. I would have loved a bit more exploration of how Kerina feels about her identity.
I also wanted more from this world. There genuinely is enough content in this novel to turn it into a duology, which is strange for me to say! I normally find myself feeling as though a duology could easily be compressed into a standalone with a bit more editing. However, the world of the Okodee (and the story of the Burn, which was the catalyst for the beginning of this dystopian world) deserves more exploration. Although I’m sure most readers will love this book because it’s fast-paced, it would have been a bigger hit for me if it had been slowed down and savoured a bit more. This is particularly true about the last few chapters: the action resolves with a breakneck speed, and I hadn’t expected it all to be over quite so quickly.
I’m giving The Ruby Locket 3 stars. I was tempted to leave it at 2.5 stars, but the Okodee idea really did intrigue me, and I found myself caring about the (rather large) cast of characters that Melissa Wray created, even though I did find myself getting restless at points while reading this novel.
Once again, a huge thank you to Odyssey Books for allowing me to read and review this title.
This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Blogger.
The Ruby Locket is an Australian YA dystopian following two characters called Saxon and Kerina. Saxon finds Kerina on the outskirts of town and he believes that she’s dead, but when she rouses and asks for help he finds himself dragged into her story. Kerina cannot remember anything, but she’s a rambler – an outsider – and her existence will cause Saxon no end of trouble if she’s discovered.
However, as Kerina’s memory begins to return, Saxon discovers that he might be connected to her story after all, and solving the mysteries of her past may bring him closure of his own.
The beginning of The Ruby Locket is very gripping. I couldn’t wait to find out more about Kerina, and the way that her memories come back so slowly – just a glimpse into her past returning at a time – added to the intrigue. Unfortunately, once Kerina’s memories have returned my interest in the story waned dramatically.
My main issue with The Ruby Locket is that the chapters are too short. We flip back and forth between Kerina and Saxon’s viewpoints, but some of their chapters were only a couple of pages each. They could have been combined together, reducing the amount of chapters (which numbered over 100 by the end of the book!) and fleshed out a bit further, and it would have made me feel more connected to the characters and more interested in the events that were unfolding.
However, because of the constant viewpoint switching I ended up being frustrated and bored. As soon as something interesting began to happen to one of the characters, we would suddenly move across to a less interesting event happening with the other. It should have made me want to read faster to get back to the action, and it probably would have had this effect if the technique had been used infrequently, but because it happened continually throughout the story it didn’t work very well.
Something which isn’t reflected in my rating is the fact that this book needed a bit more editing. I try not to account for that in my ratings of novels, because there are many reasons that grammatical errors can slip through the net, but at times this story veered from first person perspective to third person perspective in the same sentence, and it threw me out of the story completely. I’m hoping that these issues were only present in the review copies, but when there was a lot of action playing out it did make it hard to understand who was doing what, adding to the disjointed feeling which began with the constant viewpoint switches.
I really liked the idea of the Okodee. Melissa Wray has created a world in which a vaccine has led some people to develop superhuman strength and unnaturally fast healing. Kerina discovers she is part of these people – known as the Okodee – and that’s the reason she finds herself running from her past. I wish there had been more focus on this aspect of the story, because the focus feels much more political than personal. I would have loved a bit more exploration of how Kerina feels about her identity.
I also wanted more from this world. There genuinely is enough content in this novel to turn it into a duology, which is strange for me to say! I normally find myself feeling as though a duology could easily be compressed into a standalone with a bit more editing. However, the world of the Okodee (and the story of the Burn, which was the catalyst for the beginning of this dystopian world) deserves more exploration. Although I’m sure most readers will love this book because it’s fast-paced, it would have been a bigger hit for me if it had been slowed down and savoured a bit more. This is particularly true about the last few chapters: the action resolves with a breakneck speed, and I hadn’t expected it all to be over quite so quickly.
I’m giving The Ruby Locket 3 stars. I was tempted to leave it at 2.5 stars, but the Okodee idea really did intrigue me, and I found myself caring about the (rather large) cast of characters that Melissa Wray created, even though I did find myself getting restless at points while reading this novel.
Once again, a huge thank you to Odyssey Books for allowing me to read and review this title.
This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Blogger.
June 1, 2021
The best thing about this book, apart from the characters, is the story itself. It’s full of adventure, quests of self-discovery and sense-making of the world as it is, has been and should be. It carries a very important message of warning for humanity of what the future could hold for us if we don’t change our present. The scorching of the earth and the illness that wipes out a great proportion of the human population remind me of the effects of climate change, the Australian fires and the current pandemic which is an important reference that reminds us that that possible future may not be too distant. The lack of a specific time period stated in the story also contributes to this message that this may be closer than we think. Additionally, the vaccine story reminds me of how little we know about the long-term effects of some of the Covid vaccines. Though there is hyperbole with the vaccines in the book used for the story’s sake, it is still a reminder that we may not know what the future would bring. These connections of the world of The Ruby Locket and our current world are an intriguing aspect of this novel.
Full Review: https://featherpenblog.com/book-revie...
Full Review: https://featherpenblog.com/book-revie...
February 24, 2021
The Ruby Locket by Melissa Wray is a dystopian story that will have you turning pages to make sure everything works out for Kerina and Saxon. When Saxon found Kerina lying in the street, he thought that she was already dead. He and his brother, Manny and sister-in-law, Constance, nurse Kerina back to health. Little do they all realize, there is a connection, past, present and future that will make itself know to them. This is a futuristic story and not normally the type that I would read, but once I got started, I was hooked!
I received this book as part of a "quirky blind date with an author" and I always review every book that I read. This story kept me intrigued and I could not wait to finish it to see how it ended.
I received this book as part of a "quirky blind date with an author" and I always review every book that I read. This story kept me intrigued and I could not wait to finish it to see how it ended.
April 10, 2021
This was an interesting read. Short chapters which I love and they are action packed!
The story starts with brothers finding a body on the outskirts of their town. They decide to take the body and burn it as they are supposed to. However, once close enough the body speaks. It says “help me”.
From there a whole bunch of stuff happens. It’s everything from betrayal, double lives, healing, mystery, action - even pregnant ladies.
The concept here is so interesting. The world as we know it is no more - except for one class of human being pitted against another - which really resonates with current times.
I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly!
The story starts with brothers finding a body on the outskirts of their town. They decide to take the body and burn it as they are supposed to. However, once close enough the body speaks. It says “help me”.
From there a whole bunch of stuff happens. It’s everything from betrayal, double lives, healing, mystery, action - even pregnant ladies.
The concept here is so interesting. The world as we know it is no more - except for one class of human being pitted against another - which really resonates with current times.
I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly!
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August 9, 2021DNF'd. I don't even remember where I left off. I was supposed to read this for a giveaway promotion by Odyssey Books last year but they sent me my copy too late so I wasn't able to participate. I don't think I'll ever get back to this, especially with my ever-growing TBR
May 11, 2022
Usually I don't read dystopian or post-apocalyptic books, but something about the blurb from this book made me curious. I was drawn in right away. The story moved quickly with well-rounded characters. Highly recommend to people. Something for everyone.
November 5, 2021
I loved this book as soon as I saw the front cover! Check it out, it looks awesome!
As I started to read The Ruby Locket I found the characters captivating and intreging, specifically the strong female protagonist Kerina!
The blurb is as follows....Saxon finds a girl with no memory (Kerina) on the outskirts of the Nevertyre community, his family take her in and nurse her back to health. When Kerina wakes she must fight to make sense of her situation, but she is haunted by images of her past. She is the key to the future, she just doesn’t know it yet. They both set off on a quest of self-discovery and along the way they meet allies, enemies and uncover truths too difficult to accept.
I love how author Melissa Wray has crafted this novel. Her writing is clever and detailed and her descriptions are strong and make me want to meet Kerina in real life and congratulate her on being the awesome, determined person she is!
Loved this! Five stars!
Author Sarah Cole.
As I started to read The Ruby Locket I found the characters captivating and intreging, specifically the strong female protagonist Kerina!
The blurb is as follows....Saxon finds a girl with no memory (Kerina) on the outskirts of the Nevertyre community, his family take her in and nurse her back to health. When Kerina wakes she must fight to make sense of her situation, but she is haunted by images of her past. She is the key to the future, she just doesn’t know it yet. They both set off on a quest of self-discovery and along the way they meet allies, enemies and uncover truths too difficult to accept.
I love how author Melissa Wray has crafted this novel. Her writing is clever and detailed and her descriptions are strong and make me want to meet Kerina in real life and congratulate her on being the awesome, determined person she is!
Loved this! Five stars!
Author Sarah Cole.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews