Monday 29 September 2014

The Jewel

The Jewel (The Lone City, #1)

Debut author Amy Ewing's The Jewel is the first of her The Lone City series.

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty.  The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty- because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel's glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive.  But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentlemen hired as a companion to the Duchess's petulant niece.  Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

The Breakdown:
1. I picked this book to read because of my love of dystopian societies.  I was a little worried after I saw some of the reviews of Goodreads, but I ended up really liking it. Ewing creates a fascinating world where there is a sharp contrast between the haves and and have nots.  While the wealthy look down upon those of lower class, they are reliant on them to produce offspring since they can no longer do it.

2.  I found Violet to be such a compelling character. She wants nothing more than to live with her family despite their poverty. She loves them so fiercely, and is horrified by the backstabbing and cruelty of high society.  I love that she works so hard to hold her identity despite society doing everything possible to take it away.

3. I really liked Lucein from the beginning.  He reminded me so much of Cinna from The Hunger Games. So I was glad to see him play a bigger part in the story than I first expected.

4. Ash is such an interesting character. While not quite the object that surrogates like Violet are, he is too is a prisoner of high society. I loved every interaction between him and Violet.

5. Other characters such as Annabelle, the Duchess, and the Duchess's niece added so much to the story.  Annabelle, who I could see not only cared for Violet, but worked so hard to make sure Violet did what was expected of her.  The Duchess with her murcurial mood swings that I never knew what her reaction would be to an situation. The Duchess's niece who was bitter and jealous of Violet.

6. The ending really gave me quite a surprise.  Let's just say not all the characters are what I expected them to be, and I cannot wait to see where Ewing takes this story.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Currently Reading:
The Greyfriar
by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

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