October 2015 by HarperTeen
320 pages
Four stars
"Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.
But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.
But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?
The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments." -Goodreads
If you have not read the previous books in the series, beware of spoilers!
Ever since I finished The Jewel, I've been dying to get my hands on this book once it came out. While it's very much a middle book in a series, I loved it. It wasn't as action packed as maybe I would have liked, but there was so much good information to lead into the next book.
The White Rose picks up right where The Jewel left off. Violet is locked up in her room and Ash is trapped in the dungeon, waiting for death. Violet, Raven and Ash try to escape The Jewel with the help of Lucien and make it to The Farm, where they will supposedly be safe. Of course that is not as easy as it sounds. They run into quite a bit of trouble and meet some unlikely allies along the way. We finally get more details of what Lucien hopes to accomplish with the rebellion.
I had a little bit of a problem with Violet in the first book, but she really became such an amazing character in this story. She stands up for what and who she believes in, no matter what. She's very selfless and puts the people she cares about above herself. I always thought to myself, these surrogates have so much more power than they realize. I'm glad Violet was finally able to see that.
I said it in my last review, and I still agree. I don't really care for Ash. While I do like him more than I did while reading The Jewel, but it's not enough for me to forgive how annoying he was before. The insta-love has died down, which makes me very happy. It feels more natural and not so forced. At the end of the last book, I was actually hoping Violet and Garnet would have a little fling but now I'm team Raven and Garnet all the way. I think they compliment each other so well, even though Garnet is now married.
The world that Amy Ewing has created is pretty incredible. In the first book, we only really heard about The Jewel and The Smoke. In The White Rose, we visit other places as well, like The Bank and The Farm. I like the idea of The Jewel being the center, and the rest just rings around that on the island. Each area and the people that live in it are so unique. It was nice to be able to see that while Violet makes her journey. We really get to see the impact of The Jewel on these people.
One of the best things about the series, and specifically this book are the characters. I've already said how much more I like Violet in this book. She's not the only one. The House of The Stone was a great insight into what Raven was going through next door. We learn so much more about the horrors she faced there and watch her through her healing process. It's very special and she is easily one of my favorite characters. Along with Raven, we see a big change in Garnet. He's no longer just wasting his time with things to make his mother mad. He has a purpose and realizes that he actually likes the people he is now helping. His sarcasm and wit are greatly appreciated. I really liked the addition of Violet's brother Ocher and can't wait to see more of him in the final book.
Beware for some mild spoilers, but one of my favorite things about this book was learning about the Padalins. I was always a little confused about the auguries and am really pleased with the explanation that we were given. This series is so unique and has so much depth. This series has so much more purpose and meaning now. It's not just a typical YA dystopian. I feel that it really holds its own and is very unique to most other dystopians I've read recently.
The ending was a major cliffhanger but it's so good. While I kind of saw it coming, it's heartbreaking and I am so interested in how it will play out in the final book of the trilogy. I'm really enjoying this series more and more as it goes on. I highly recommend checking it out before the final book comes out in 2016.
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