September 2014 by HarperTeen
358 pages
Four stars
"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." -Goodreads
I heard so many great things about this book, so I was dying to read it. I will say, some of it is typical YA dystopian. Violet has nicknames for the other surrogates, which reminds me of Katniss and the other victors in The Hunger Games. The Eve trilogy by Anna Carey also deals with surrogates. The pacing was a little weird at times and I found some things to be predictable, but the story definitely got better as it progressed. I really really enjoyed reading this book. I had a hard time putting it down. There are so many plot twists and things that I was not expecting.
In The Jewel most women are no longer able to have children. The select group of women that are able to have children and they are put into surrogacy houses to prepare them for childbirth. Our main character, Violet is sold as a surrogate to one of the wealthiest families in the Jewel. While it may seem that being sold to one of the founding houses would be a good thing, she is just a slave to the cruel Duchess of the Lake. She is rewarded for her good behavior, and punished for her mistakes. The Duchess is very power hungry and intends to use Violet to get what she wants.
I was really interested in the plot of the story. Being sold as a surrogate, and loosing your individuality would be such an awful thing. They are led to believe that they will have such a good life. What Violet and her best friend Raven experience is far from that. Amy Ewing really does a good job at capturing the horror that Violet feels. In some YA stories I feel that the main characters act without really thinking and make very stupid decisions. I don't feel like that's the case in The Jewel. I don't want to give any spoilers but I think Violet is justified in the decisions she makes. I'm really interested in finding out what is happening to her best friend, Raven, next door.
I was really interested in the plot of the story. Being sold as a surrogate, and loosing your individuality would be such an awful thing. They are led to believe that they will have such a good life. What Violet and her best friend Raven experience is far from that. Amy Ewing really does a good job at capturing the horror that Violet feels. In some YA stories I feel that the main characters act without really thinking and make very stupid decisions. I don't feel like that's the case in The Jewel. I don't want to give any spoilers but I think Violet is justified in the decisions she makes. I'm really interested in finding out what is happening to her best friend, Raven, next door.
I think the characters are written so well. Some of them are so awful and selfish, but you can see them in moments of weakness and see how they became the way they are. It seems that everyone has an agenda and is just here to use the surrogates for what they want, weather that's for power or to start a revolution. Like Dolores Umbridge, The Duchess of the Lake is really the character you love to hate. I'm just going to say it now, and I'm sure I might change my mind later, but I really dislike Ash. I don't like the insta-love between Violet and him. He's kind of a jerk and I'm really hoping that Violet gets together with another male character in the story who I won't name just yet.
One of the things I found the most interesting about The Jewel was that, while it is a dystopian book, there is a hint of magic. While the surrogates are in the surrogacy house they are taught to harness the auguries which can control the shape and color of things. The girls are born with this power, but the better at the three levels of auguries they get, the more sought after the surrogate is. Of course, Violet is very good at them, which is why she was placed so high. There is much more to the auguries than I've said but of course you'll just have to read the book to find out.
One of the things I found the most interesting about The Jewel was that, while it is a dystopian book, there is a hint of magic. While the surrogates are in the surrogacy house they are taught to harness the auguries which can control the shape and color of things. The girls are born with this power, but the better at the three levels of auguries they get, the more sought after the surrogate is. Of course, Violet is very good at them, which is why she was placed so high. There is much more to the auguries than I've said but of course you'll just have to read the book to find out.
The Jewel left off on a huge cliff hanger and I cannot wait to get my hands on book two in the series.
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