Publisher: Harper Collins (Epic Reads)
Author: Amy Ewing
Pages: 368
Publication date: September 2, 2014
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 only 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 the auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face Violet, (now knows 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 may accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a hidden 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 both bargained for.
Violet may accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a hidden 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 both bargained for.
Holly smokes, can I just say, I need the next book now! When I met Amy Ewing she was so sweet and I never expected such a dark book from her! I absolutely fell in love with the story line before I started reading it and it did not disappoint! In the beginning the scene is set in Violets holding facility which I expected to be a very dangerous and fatal place. It was much better than I had expected, there we meet Lilly and Raven, Violets two friend who are set to leave for the auction house at the same time as Violet. I loved how the auction was portrayed and the awesome detail that Amy Ewing put into it.
After Violet was sold and transferred to the Duchess of the Lake's palace everything seemed to happen very quick, which was thrilling. Once the love interest, Ash was introduced I fell in love with his adorable way of speaking to Violet. They really seemed to bounce off of one another and worked well together. Their love was something that was thrilling to read about because after all it is forbidden for a surrogate and a companion to to be in the same room together, let alone have a secret relationship.
The Duchess herself was terrifying, she had violent mood swings that nearly killed Violet on more than one occasion. She was very unpredictable and I really commend Ewing for crating such an ambiguous character. The Duchess was one of those "villain types" that you love to hate. Her son on the other hand, Garnet was full of energy and seemed to be drunk most of the book which was fun. Towards the end of the book his real self seemed to emerge and really show itself but in a way that still makes me wonder who he really is. Especially at the very end of the book.
Violet's lady in waiting, Annabelle, was so adorable I loved her whole presence in the book. She just made everything so fun and lighthearted. Even without words her facial expressions and way of being seemed to make her personality so great. She was just so cute. I really applaud Amy Ewing's ability to create such a profound character with little words.
Lets talk a what a cliff hanger ending that was! In no way did I expect everything that happened in the last few pages to happen so fast. I did expect it to happen but I had my hopes up that it would not happen in the first book. After finishing it I felt like taking a nap in a corner until the next book comes out. That must have been one of the biggest cliff hanger endings I have read in a long time, but, it was flawlessly done and I could not have asked for it to be any better. My only complaint would be that Violet and Ash's relationship was going really slow until it sort of happened all at once. I feel like it could have been a little more flow-y and progressed a little slower. Over all I loved the book and need the next book right now!
Cupcake rating:
*All opinions are my own and do not apply to others, I am open to all opinions.*
As always leave comments about what you thought of this review, the book, or what you think I should review next!
Much Love!
First... I love that you rate in cupcakes! totally awesome! This book looks amazing. I definitely need to pick it up, and probably buy a copy for my sister, who's also named Annabelle!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, that's so sweet of you! Also, it was a fantastic book, you will love it!
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