Today’s post is on The
Jewel by Amy Ewing. It is the first in her The Lone City series. It is 358 pages long and is published by
Harper Teen. The cover is a light purple with the main character curled up in
the center in a glittery dress. The intended reader is young adult who likes
dystopian stories but I think if you are an adult who likes those things then
you will like this story too. There is some language, talk of sex, violence,
and some other themes that could makes some uncomfortable; so warning for
strong adult-like themes. The story is told from the first person perspective
of the main character Violet. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the dust jacket- The Jewel means wealth. The
Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty.
But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude.
Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained to work for royalty. And she quickly learns the brutal truths that lies beneath the Jewel’s glittering façade; 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. When an unlikely friendship offers her an opportunity she never dreamed possible, Violet clings to the hope of a better life- until a forbidden romance changes everything. Suddenly, Violet finds herself in a different kind of danger, one that may cost her more than she bargained for.
But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude.
Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained to work for royalty. And she quickly learns the brutal truths that lies beneath the Jewel’s glittering façade; 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. When an unlikely friendship offers her an opportunity she never dreamed possible, Violet clings to the hope of a better life- until a forbidden romance changes everything. Suddenly, Violet finds herself in a different kind of danger, one that may cost her more than she bargained for.
Review- This blurb says nothing about the real story
at all. Violet is not working for royal; she is to be used to birth one child
and then be killed. She, and all the other girls like her, are brood mares for
the upper class. That is a very intense and serious theme add in some abuse and
you get something that is going to make some people very uncomfortable. Ewing
writes a good story about slavery and at times I was uncomfortable with this
book. Ewing takes the reader into a dark place with little to no light and she
leaves Violet there until the next book. The world building is tightly
controlled because the world is tightly controlled around Violet. She does not
really know anything about her world or anyone else’s because those in power do
not want her to know. It was very claustrophobic. If you are looking for a high
action or high energy dystopian read then this is not it but if you want
something that is going to make you think about how really living in a
dystopian might be then I recommend this book.
I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for
my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.
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