Review : The White Rose by Amy Ewing

Summary (from Goodreads)  

Title : The White Rose (The Lone City #2)
Author : Amy Ewing
Publication Date : October 6th 2015
Publisher : Harper Teen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

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.

Personal Thoughts

The Jewel, the first book in The Lone City trilogy, was a book I had very conflicting feelings about. I was fascinated by the unique world building, but at the same time, I was frustrated with certain elements. I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to pick up The White Rose though, but I decided to give it a shot because the cover is gorgeous and because the positive reviews pushed me to. BEST DECISION EVER.

The White Rose was far superior to its predecessor in every way. I started the book in the middle of work and had such a hard time putting it down. The book was addicting since the plot was so much more exciting. All the revelations that were made only amped up my enjoyment and midway through, I was flipping non-stop through the pages excited to find out what was going to happen next. I had some minor pacing issues in The Jewel, but in this book, the pacing was much stronger - it was neither too fast nor too slow, which to me was perfect.

Perhaps another reason why The White Rose worked so much better for me was the romance taking a backseat. I thought the romance between Violet and Ash developed way too fast in the first book and I never felt a connection between them, which took away from my enjoyment of the story. In the The White Rose, the romance wasn't the focus and we only saw few glimpses of romantic scenes between the two of them, which I think did absolute wonders to the story. Plus, the world building, which I was at the same time fascinated and disturbed by in the first book - it's a world where fertile young girls are forced to act as surrogates to the royals, continued to develop and with the exploration of Violet's magical abilities, The White Rose was unputdownable. Not to mention, the ending was killer and left me gasping out loud. Seriously, who do I bribe to get the next book in my hands asap?

I also personally thought the characters in The White Rose were much better fleshed out too. Violet and the gang had much more personality in this book and I completely appreciated that because I was able to connect with them on a deeper level than I did with the first book. They were all going through their own issues, but at the same time, those issues forced them to grow up. Violet, especially, has turned into a fierce and bold character who you root for throughout the story. I was also really glad to see more of Garnet and Raven, two characters who intrigued me in the first story. I have a soft spot for Raven because of everything she has ever gone through and how brave she continued to be. I'm secretly hoping that she and Garnet will find their happily ever afters together.

The White Rose reminded that every author deserves a second chance. The White Rose was a much stronger novel than the first book because every element to the story was of higher caliber. If you can't tell, I'm really really looking forward to seeing how this trilogy wraps up. I hope it does so with a bang.

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5



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

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