Book Breview~ Jewel by Amy Ewing
I received this book for free from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Jewel
by Amy EwingSeries: The Lone City #1
Published by Harper Teen on September 2nd 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Pages: 358
Format: Hardcover
Source: HarperCollins
Buy the Book • Goodreads
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.
The Cover
LOVE! Picked it up because of the gorgeous shimmery cover. It reminds me of The Winner’s Curse. I am like a moth to the flame with covers of girls in beautiful ball gowns.
Liked
The ending. Surprise twist and lots of suspense. This is a cliffhanger, so you will have to pick up book two.
The complex characters. These dutchesses, their sons, servants and companions have a lot going on.
Jewel moves along at a fast pace, it is easy to read in one sitting. You are repulsed, yet drawn to the story at the same time.
Didn’t Like
The idea of another human being both a surrogate mother and servant at the same time is creepy. Complete misuse of women’s bodies and souls. There is a dark dystopian edge to all that is shiny and glitters in Jewel.
Lots of drama. Jewel’s society and royalty are glitsy, glamour and corrupt taken to the extreme.
Couldn’t figure out the augeries–genetic mutations that involve the owner’s ability to make magic.
Content
sex, moderate violence, servitude and use of women.
About the Author
Amy Ewing is the young adult author of THE JEWEL, the first in a trilogy from HarperTeen, coming out September 2014.
She grew up in a small town outside Boston, where her librarian mother instilled a deep love of reading at a young age. Amy moved to New York City in 2000 to study theater at New York University. Unfortunately, her acting career didn’t quite pan out. She worked in restaurants, as an administrative assistant, a nanny, and a sales representative for a wine distributor before the lack of creativity in her life drove her to begin writing.
Amy received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children from The New School, where she was lucky enough to meet a fabulous community of YA writers who keep her sane on a daily basis. She lives in Harlem, where she spends her days writing, eating cheese, and occasionally binge watching The Vampire Diaries.