Reviewed by shannonmiz on
I will admit that when I started reading this book (not for long, but in the very beginning), I was terribly afraid that this was going to reek of dystopian stereotypes. Well, I was incredibly incorrect. I mean, there is buying and selling of girls for the purpose of impregnation. That is messed up! This whole society is messed up, and I felt like Amy Ewing did an amazing job of showing the reader how messed up it really was. The world building worked for me, it was thorough, and I definitely could picture it. I was left with exactly the right amount of questioning: Not so much that the world didn't make sense, but exactly enough that I can't wait to find out more in the next book.
Violet has been tested for the potential to be a surrogate, "passed" (if you can call being an unwilling womb passing), and had had to live the past few years of her life in the surrogate holding/training facility. So things aren't great. She gets to see her family before the auction, which is nice because it really gives a sense that Violet does have something waiting for her on the outside. The auction comes, and the Duchess of the Lake buys Violet and her uterus. The one thing that I did have a bit of trouble with was keeping all the various royalty straight. I knew Violet's Duchess of course, but a few of the others I had confused a time or two. I think the fact that Violet goes along with the whole auction process and The Duchess's wishes is really quite realistic: She is terrified. I think a lot of people can say that they'd fight, they'd never allow themselves to be sold that way, but if it is all you knew, wouldn't you probably just try to preserve your life as well? Violet is certainly aware of what a mess she is in, but she is so afraid to act on it. To me, it made perfect sense, and I really was able to relate to Violet and feel sympathetic toward her plight.
The supporting characters were great as well. The Duchess was one of those villains that I just love to hate. On one hand, she's positively despicable. But then she'll do something that shows a glimmer of humanity, and there is some hope of reform still to be had. The Duchess's family is such a mess. It is ironic and fun to watch her struggle with an unruly son and miserable niece while trying to wrangle Violet into submission.
And now for the negative: Insta-love. A bad case of insta-love. I guess in a sense, it isn't surprising that a sheltered Violet would "fall in love" with the first guy who showed some interest. She is lonely, and naive, and is desperately seeking someone to really love. But what is his deal? We never really too much insight on why they are in love, just that they are in love. I hope there is more development on that end in the next book, because that is the one part that just wasn't working for me. And honestly, the fact that I loved the book in spite of hating the love plotline speaks volumes, because it is hard for me sometimes to stay invested if I am not feeling the romance, but I enjoyed the rest so much it became secondary.
The plot moved along nicely, I was always eager to turn to the page, and definitely didn't want to put the book down. Not only was I concerned about Violet, but about the other girls in the other houses as well. There were so many scandalous events taking place during the course of the book, I was constantly wondering what was coming next. And then... there was a cliffhanger. A huge cliffhanger.
Bottom Line: I just could not get enough of this book. I know there will be plenty of readers who simply can't get over the insta-love, are burned out on dystopian, or don't like the harsh subject matter. But if you read the synopsis and think it might be your thing, I don't think you'll be disappointed! The Jewel is definitely a new favorite for me, and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!
Rating: 4.5*
*I received an ARC from HarperTeen for review.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 21 July, 2014: Finished reading
- 21 July, 2014: Reviewed