Chuyển đến nội dung chính

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Summary from Goodreads

A shocking and compelling new YA series from debut author, Amy Ewing; The Handmaid's Tale meets The Other Boleyn Girl in a world where beauty and brutality collide.

Violet Lasting is no longer a human being. Tomorrow she becomes Lot 197, auctioned to the highest royal bidder in the Jewel of the Lone City. Tomorrow she becomes the Surrogate of the House of the Lake, her sole purpose to produce a healthy heir for the Duchess. Imprisoned in the opulent cage of the palace, Violet learns the brutal ways of the Jewel, where the royal women compete to secure their bloodline and the surrogates are treated as disposable commodities.

Destined to carry the child of a woman she despises, Violet enters a living death of captivity – until she sets eyes on Ash Lockwood, the royal Companion. Compelled towards each other by a reckless, clandestine passion, Violet and Ash dance like puppets in a deadly game of court politics, until they become each other’s jeopardy – and salvation.

Paperback, 368 pages
Expected publication: September 4th 2014 by Walker Books Ltd

My Review

Aw man! This was total first book perfection for me and I really can't sing it's praises enough! Amy Ewing is a debut author to seriously watch!

I love that I've never read anything quite like this before, it really is quite unusual. The world building is complex and ever so inviting - I really loved how disturbing normal had become for the characters living there. The storyline is so imaginative that I revelled in each minute detail.

Main character Violet is a highly memorable and very strong heroine. She is beautiful, talented, caring and also intelligent. Her journey from a poor girl to a prized surrogate for the Duchess of the Lake in the Jewel is a dangerous one full of shocks, thrills and so many big twisty turns. Getting to know her was a real treat.

There are so many fabulous characters crammed within these pages. I particularly enjoyed the Duchess herself, she is a vile, self-centred creature but she had moments of something softer breaking through...really that was more disturbing as you never quite knew what to expect. Another fascinating character is Lucien, you never get much of a read on him but you will want to, very intriguing.

Another thing that really added to the story were the girls' abilities in the Augeries. They were trained in 3 Augeries and scored in their performance as a selling factor. A little added magical extra - which I LOVED!

OMG - that ending!! *huffing face*

The Jewel is a kick-ass debut that truly had a little bit of everything. Stand-out characters, a twistingly dangerous plot set in a thrilling cut-throat world filled with surprise at every turn. We see the beginnings of a forbidden romance which had the sizzle factor. I just want...no need the next book already!

5 / 5 Stars

*Special thanks to Walker for the review copy*


 

Nhận xét

Đăng nhận xét

Bài đăng phổ biến từ blog này

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Summary from Goodreads Tally can't wait to turn sixteen and become pretty. Sixteen is the magic number that brings a transformation from repellent Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty, and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks, Tally will be there. But Tally's new friend, Shay, isn't sure she wants to be Pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the Pretty world - and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn Pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever. Paperback , 425 pages Published March 29th 2012 by Simon and Schuster (first published January 1st 2005)   My Review Uglies is definitely one of the most highly imaginative reads I have ever came across -...
Đăng nhận xét
Đọc thêm

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge - Blog Tour!

Summary from Goodreads The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak. 'What are you doing here?' It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.' When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on ...
Đăng nhận xét
Đọc thêm

The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true. Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape h...
Đăng nhận xét
Đọc thêm