Review : The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : The Jewel (The Lone City #1)
Author : Amy Ewing
Publication Date : September 2nd 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble 

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.

Personal Thoughts 

Despite having been burned multiple times, my thick-head can't seem to understand the concept of not falling for pretty covers. What can I say except that I'm easily manipulated by gorgeous dresses on covers? Is it any wonder that I jumped into The Jewel without even bothering to take a first glance at the synopsis? I blame no one, but myself, for not completely enjoying this book.

For the first 60% or so of the book, I was completely invested in the story line. It had a terrifying concept that had me hooked into the book to the point that I so wanted to know what was going to happen, I was latched hard onto my e-reader. Being forced by society to become a surrogate for rich wealthy and infertile women is an eerie situation for any woman, in my opinion. Once I understood the basics of the society that Violet lived in, I had chills all over my body. I don't know about you guys, but just the thought of being born into a society with the sole purpose of birthing for vindictive women is utterly terrifying. As secrets of this creepy society unraveled, my disgust and fascination for it multiplied and I wanted to know so much more. These surrogates were bought in auctions, flaunted in the public eye as pets and held with an actual leash. There was something about the world building that was oddly engrossing. Despite the good world building, The Jewel did feel like an introduction to a series, especially when it came to the plot. A huge chunk of the book was devoted to exploring the nooks and crooks of the society that Ewing has created, so the plot didn't particularly develop until the last few chapters. So just when things were getting interesting plot-wise, the book ended in a cliffhanger, which is very typical of YA series.

While I had a decent time getting to know the world, my attitude and opinion towards The Jewel shifted once the love interest was introduced. It was a train-wreck with everything just spiraling downward. The romance in this book was so problematic. It pretty much ruined the book for me. This was insta-love at its finest. I hate insta-love as much as everyone else, but I can tolerate it in certain cases if the plot itself is strong or if the author makes me believe that the insta-love is realistic. The romance in The Jewel was unrealistic, especially because you don't really get to know Violet's love interest, Ash. There were no sparks and no build up. They unexpectedly stumble upon each other, they strike up a conversation and then suddenly they are in love out of the blue. When the expressions of love came out, I was completely baffled. Additionally, with the way this book was set to end, I strongly believe that the next book will feature a love triangle. I liked Violet as a character until the romance. She was in no way memorable, but she had a lot of potential to be tweaked and developed in the future. The secondary characters, with the exception of Violet's buyer, themselves, were bland and didn't hold any appeal. Here's the thing, Amy Ewing is talented from what I saw in the first half of the book and if the romance had been developed slower or completely eliminated, this would have been a strong novel.

If I had to rate the book based on the first half, I would rate it 3.5 stars, but the second half only earns 1 star from me. It always makes me sad when books that have the potential to be brilliant get stalled by romances and unfortunately, The Jewel was that kind of read.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 2/5
Characters : 1/5
Writing : 3/5

**Overall Rating : 2.5/5**

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of The Jewel.