Review: The White Rose (The Lone City #2) by Amy Ewing (September Sequel Challenge #3)

I actually got an ARC of this book through Books for Trade on Twitter, but originally I got an e-galley from HarperTeen and Edelweiss.  I really wanted a physical ARC though, to match the physical ARC I have of the first book, The Jewel, which I got at BEA in 2014.  So thanks to all of those I've listed, I finally got around to reading it, and enjoyed it!  It was still good, although not as great as the first one.  But it was good enough, and I still can't wait to read the 3rd one.  If you haven't read the first one, there will be spoilers here unfortunately.  In that case, click the link above taking you to my review of the first book, and stop reading this review NOW.  :-)

Where we left off, the Duchess had just caught Violet in bed with Ash, the male companion.  And what is in store for Violet and Ash is something she just can't stand to happen.  So she must run away, but instead of taking the potion that will make her appear dead, she gives it to her friend Raven, who seems to be in an even worse situation.  The two of them end up in the morgue after she's helped Ash escape with the help of Garnet, the Duchesses son, and even Garnet's sister, Carnelian.  But Carnelian loves Ash, even though she hates Violet, so she helps them because of that.  On the run they find out that the Duchess accused Ash of rape and so he is wanted everywhere for that.  Supposedly she still has Violet sequestered away and has signed a contract for her daughter, not yet born, to the Exetor's son.  Something that has never been done.  Violet had been rescued by the Black Key group, but her trip out of the city to the Farm is filled with dangers and chances of being caught.  Once Lucien finally helps them get to the Farm, she will meet Sil.  Sil was a surrogate at one time, and she escaped and is now living and helping try to take back the Island they live on.  She will help Violet figure out her powers, and how she can use them to help the cause. 

Both Violet and Ash's families will come into play in parts of this story, in very sad ways. We learn more about Ash's life as a companion, as well as what led up to the way the city is these days.  There's a lot of information in this story, although I still feel there is more to know.  We also get to meet some of the surrogates that we'd only heard mentioned at the Auction in the first book. 

I really liked that Ash was a pretty realistic character, I felt.  There was definitely some interesting new aspects to the auguries that we learned about, that caused the sicknesses back in The Jewel, that made the surrogates sick.  I'm also very intrigued about the history of the island and the people who were there before.  This definitely one you must read to go on in the story and find out what will happen in this world.

Waiting on Wednesday - The White Rose (The Lone City #2) by Amy Ewing

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  I started seeing this book on other WOWs in March, and so had to add it to my schedule as soon as I could!  I loved the first book, The Jewel, and got the ARC at BEA last summer when I met the author.  So now I will be waiting even longer to read it I'm sure as I won't get the ARC since I'm not going to BEA this year.  Anyway, here is the blurb from Goodreads:

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.

Sounds good and I can't wait to find out what happens next!  How about you?  What are you waiting on this week?

Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

I had seen this book all over other blogs this past year.  And how beautiful is that cover?  So I was very excited to see that the author was going to be at BEA this past summer.  I was lucky enough to get in line and meet her, as well as get an autographed ARC.  I do mean lucky, because really I loved this book.  It is a dystopian novel, and yes, there are many similarities to others already out there, but there are also some very unique bits in it.

The main character is Violet, or at least that is her name until the day of the Auction, when she will be 197 out of 200 girls, with 200 being the best.  And after she is bought, she will no longer have any name, she will just be a surrogate.  In Violet's case, she will be the Surrogate of the House of the Lake.  The House of the Lake is one of the four original founding families of The Jewel.  The Jewel is the center of an island, the wealthiest, most important people live here.  Surrounding them is the Bank, a ring around the Bank is the Smoke where all the factories are.  Around the Smoke is the Farm, well, you can guess that one, and the very outer ring is the Marsh, where Violet comes from.  Surrounding the Marsh is a giant wall that keeps the ocean from coming in and ruining everyone's life.  In this future world the people of the Jewel have become unable to have babies.  And so they search through the lower rings for girls who still are able to do this, as well as ones that have kind of psychic powers, called Auguries. These powers have to do with being able to change the color of things, the shape of things, the size of things.  As well as the final one, which has to do with creating life.  Violet has earned some of the highest scores on these powers.  That is one reason she has such a high number for the auction.  She has been at a type of school before being sent on to the auction.  So should mostly know what to expect.

But once she is purchased, she finds that the woman who she is now a surrogate for, the Duchess of the House of the Lake, does not seem like a very pleasant woman.  Why?  Well, one of the first things she does to Violet is slap her.  The Duchess reasons that if she does that to start with, then hopefully the surrogate will not want a repeat and so will be obedient and not have to deal with that again.  When Violet does things that please the Duchess, she is rewarded.  First with a cello, an instrument that Violet loves to play.  Later it is more freedom to even wander around the house, including the outside, but only with her lady's maid, a mute girl named Annabelle.  She finds Annabelle to become mostly a friend, although there are times Annabelle also is scared of attracting the wrath of the Duchess, and does things that are not so great.  She is unable to even talk to her former friends who are surrogates for other wealthy women, that is forbidden.  She soon learns there is lots of animosity between all the women, all of them are hoping to have a daughter that will be betrothed to the ruler, the Exetor's son, and become the highest link for their family.

Along the way she will learn how to use her powers to communicate secretly with one of her friends.  She will find her first love, in a boy who isn't a possibility, as she has to bear the Duchess's child.  But he does understand her, as he also comes from one of the outside rings, and has come to do what he now does only to save his youngest sister from dying from Black Lung.  She will find an ally in someone else, even though their motives may not be clear at first.  The ending was a total cliffhanger, and I really can't wait to find out what happens next.  As there is a surprise in who she hears the voice of at the end.

A really good story.  Yes, a lot of it is the same in a way as other dystopians, but there is so much that is unique in it that it worked.  Her one ally does remind me a bit of Cinna in The Hunger Games, although I liked Cinna, and I'm not quite sure how much I liked or trusted the one in The Jewel.  I highly recommend this to dystopian lovers like myself.  Great read.  I was able to read all 350-some pages in really about a day and a half, that includes working my high school library job, as well as my part time job at Barnes and Noble.  And on another note, here I am with the author at BEA this past summer:

Amy Ewing and I

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