Friday, July 3, 2015

The Jewel by Amy Ewing


Page Count: 358
Published on: September 2nd 2014 
Published by: HarperTeen
Genre(s): Science Fiction, YA, Dystopia, Romance, High Fantasy
Source: Print: Hardback: Library
Age Rating: PG-15
Where To Find ItGoodreads // Amazon

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Twitter@amyewingbooks




Goodreads synopsis:

        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 gentleman 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.

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Hey guys!

        When I first picked this up, I was hoping for a kind of (The) Selection-vibe, and I kind of got what I wanted, but so much more! The Jewel follows Violet, who is basically just a number. As a surrogate, raised to bear a child for whatever member of the royal Jewel section of society purchases her in an auction, Violet has been trained for years to be submissive and poised and perfectly fine with being in the background. What's cool about the surrogates are that they can access the three Auguries: special powers that can change the colors and shapes of objects, as well as grow things. Violet specializes in Growth, and she is one of the most popular surrogates in her group (197/200). At the auction she is bought by the Duchess of the Lake. Violet is thrown into a world of glittering jewels, fancy balls, and wealth. But there's a dark side to this glittering world. Will Violet survive the madness?

        Ok, so this book was really good, but I didn't like the romance aspect of it. I felt like she should have been focusing more on surviving than on her love life. It also felt really insta-lovey, which was rushed and kind of annoying. She didn't want to be pregnant, and she couldn't do anything about becoming pregnant  because she was bought by the stupid royalty. Sometimes she didn't really use common sense, and that kind of annoyed me. 

        The characters were really cool, and Amy Ewing did a really great job of describing the characters so that you could get to know them. I felt like I really understood the characters. I also loved how original it was, it was definitely not something I've read before. I really fell in love with Violet's character, she's a really strong character, given her circumstances. I'm really excited for the second book coming out on October 6th! The first book left off with a cliffhanger so I'm really excited to dive back into the world of the Jewel.



My Favorite Character: Violet
My Least Favorite Character(s): The Duchess of the Lake and the Electress 



If You Liked _____ You Will Like The Jewel.

  1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collin
  2. The Selection series by Kiera Cass

Enjoy guys!
& Happy Independence Day to my readers from the USA
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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