About
the Book:
Title: THE BLACK KEY
Author: Amy Ewing
Pub. Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
For too long, Violet and the people of the outer
circles of the Lone City have lived in service to the royalty of the Jewel. But
now the secret society known as the Black Key is preparing to seize power.
Excerpt:
Ash has been training a swath of Society members in this quarter,
but his reach is limited, since there’s still a warrant out for his arrest and
execution. He can’t go to the other quarters, or into the other circles, like I
can.
“Mostly the same.” Ash’s frown is deep. “I can’t stop thinking
about the companions. If I could just get to them, they could help us so much.”
“I know,” I say patiently. We’ve had this discussion before.
“Lucien says he’s doing all he can for them. But you’re still a fugitive.”
“Lucien isn’t doing anything because he can’t do anything
for them. They won’t trust him,” Ash says. “That’s a fact.”
I don’t want to have this argument again. Over the past few
months, Ash has grown more and more restless, his concern for the companions
rising with each new attack in the Bank.
“But you’re helping so much here,” I say. “Look what you’ve done
for Raven, for the Whistler and his crew, for all the Society members in the
South Quarter.”
The Whistler, one of Lucien’s top agents, runs a tattoo parlor
where the Society meets in secret. My brother, Ochre, works with him now. Ash
has been training other young men and women to fight, so they can teach those
in the surrounding quarters and circles, since he can’t leave the South Quarter
himself.
“Yeah, only in this quarter, and only at night when no one can
see me, and only when Sil is going there.” Ash stops and sits down on
the front steps, rubbing his temple with the heel of his hand. “Rye is in the Jewel,
right in the Duchess’s own home! If I could just . . . contact him somehow. And
don’t bring up Lucien again—he’s a genius, but companions are notoriously wary
of ladies-in-waiting. They can get you in a lot of trouble if they want.”
It always surprises me when Ash talks about the behind-the-scenes
parts of the Jewel. The sniping among the servants or the illicit romances. The
hierarchies that exist among the royalty’s underclass.
“You’re doing everything you can,” I say. “Your very name is
enough to get people joining our cause.”
Ash has become something of a legend in the Lone City. His wanted
status works in our favor. The rogue companion, falsely accused, who escaped
the Jewel and the clutches of the royalty—the fugitive who evaded capture. He’s
a hero in Society circles.
About Book 1:
Author: Amy Ewing
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Pages: 358
Publisher: HarperTeen
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobook
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.
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.
My review: The Jewel
About Book 2:
Author: Amy Ewing
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
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.
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.
My Review: The White Rose (The Lone City #2)
About the Author:
Amy Ewing earned her MFA in Writing for Children
at The New School and received her BFA at New York University. The Jewel started off as a thesis project and
became her debut novel. She lives in New York City. You can visit Amy online at www.amyewingbooks.com or on Twitter @AmyEwingBooks.
Giveaway:
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Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/26/2016- The Cover
Contessa- Interview
9/27/2016- Once Upon a
Twilight- Excerpt
9/28/2016- Take Me Away
To A Great Read- Guest
Post
9/29/2016- Andi's ABCs- 10's Post
9/30/2016- A Dream
Within A Dream- Interview
Week Two:
10/3/2016- Lisa Loves
Literature- Excerpt
10/4/2016- Literary
Meanderings- Guest
Post
10/5/2016- Fantasy Book
Critic- 10's
Post
10/6/2016- Two Chicks
on Books- Interview
10/7/2016- Curling Up
With A Good Book- Excerpt
