Author: Amy Ewing
Pages: 358
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 2nd 2014
Synopis via 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.
REVIEW:
This was not the book for me. I could not get over the plot. When I went into the book I did not realize how much the surrogacy storyline was going to bother me. These royal woman are literally buying girls to force them to have their children. I found the way the storyline was acted out was very strange and unsettling. One part I couldn't get over is when the woman take their surrogates out in public they actually attach a leash around their necks. Overall the storyline left me feeling very uneasy the whole time. I couldn't get past it and did not enjoy the book at all.
There is a romance in the book that I knew was going to pop, since it is mentioned in the synopsis, and I was hoping that would save some of the story for me. I did not like or find the romance very believable at all though. I did not see any chemistry. And you didn't see any romance really build. They met and in their next encounter it was like, oh all of a sudden I want to be with you for some reason. I honestly thought the romance was not needed at all in the story.
The writing was simple and easy to read. Since the writing style was simple it was easy to force myself through the book. I usually am not a huge fan of more simpler/basic writing but with how much I was not enjoying this book I would not have been able to read the whole thing if it was not easy and fast reading.
I have heard mixed reviews about this book. I know some people who have enjoyed it and others who just like me did not like the premise. This was not the story for me but maybe it will be for you.
