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adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve been putting off reading this for so long, I’m glad that I finally pick it up. It’s amazing! I didn’t expect that I’ll like this book this much, I actually expected that I won’t like it. The world is just so fascinating. Raven, I love her. Violet is a little annoying at times but she grow a lot. This book is just full of stories to be told.
Has a mountain to climb because of the Handmaid's Tale and it doesn't deal with enough of the questions, the why of this world, the how it came about and why people put up with it. It's not a bad read but it has a problem with the comparisons to works that came before.
Violet is going to be a surrogate, trained and taken from her family to become an anonymous lot, to become pregnant for some women who can't. The Upper class in this world are unable to conceive and this is their solution. Add in some psionics and you have a complicated situation.
Now how come the surrogates didn't realise, ever, that if you can mess with life you can kill... or you can manipulate those trying to manipulate you. They also should teach them more about self-control. Then again this book made me think more about writing and about what I would do with the story than about the story itself.
Violet is going to be a surrogate, trained and taken from her family to become an anonymous lot, to become pregnant for some women who can't. The Upper class in this world are unable to conceive and this is their solution. Add in some psionics and you have a complicated situation.
Now how come the surrogates didn't realise, ever, that if you can mess with life you can kill... or you can manipulate those trying to manipulate you. They also should teach them more about self-control. Then again this book made me think more about writing and about what I would do with the story than about the story itself.
I received a free copy from the publishers via Edelweiss
The Jewel is the wealthiest section of the The Lone City. It houses the royalty, and now Violet, known as #197. Every year, there is an auction where the women of the Jewel and the Bank can buy surrogates, and Violet is one of them. When she's bought by the Duchess of the Lake, she is greeted by a slap to the face and is soon welcomed to the brutality of royal life. When a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and the Duchess's niece's companion, it threatens both their lives in the Jewel.
The plot was interesting, though the pacing was a bit slow. Fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass and Wither by Lauren DeStefano will probably enjoy The Jewel as it's a mix of them both. At first the plot focused on the surrogacy and the royal way of life but at around 50% in the focus shifted to the affair between Violet and Ash. If it wasn't for the insta-love, I may have enjoyed this shift, but it all happened way too quickly and soon they were professing their love to each other.
The characters were OK, I guess, nothing really too special. Though Garnet was one who stood out even though you didn't see him often. Other than that I think a lot of the characters were depthless. I still enjoyed the likes of Annabelle, and I enjoyed our protagonist, Violet, at times, when she wasn't pining over Ash.
The world building could have been better developed especially because it's a high-fantasy, but it wasn't disastrous. I would have really enjoyed this had it not been for the insta-love and the two had a bit more time to connect before jumping into a relationship.
I would still recommend to fans of The Selection and The Chemical Garden.
The Jewel is the wealthiest section of the The Lone City. It houses the royalty, and now Violet, known as #197. Every year, there is an auction where the women of the Jewel and the Bank can buy surrogates, and Violet is one of them. When she's bought by the Duchess of the Lake, she is greeted by a slap to the face and is soon welcomed to the brutality of royal life. When a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and the Duchess's niece's companion, it threatens both their lives in the Jewel.
The plot was interesting, though the pacing was a bit slow. Fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass and Wither by Lauren DeStefano will probably enjoy The Jewel as it's a mix of them both. At first the plot focused on the surrogacy and the royal way of life but at around 50% in the focus shifted to the affair between Violet and Ash. If it wasn't for the insta-love, I may have enjoyed this shift, but it all happened way too quickly and soon they were professing their love to each other.
The characters were OK, I guess, nothing really too special. Though Garnet was one who stood out even though you didn't see him often. Other than that I think a lot of the characters were depthless. I still enjoyed the likes of Annabelle, and I enjoyed our protagonist, Violet, at times, when she wasn't pining over Ash.
The world building could have been better developed especially because it's a high-fantasy, but it wasn't disastrous. I would have really enjoyed this had it not been for the insta-love and the two had a bit more time to connect before jumping into a relationship.
I would still recommend to fans of The Selection and The Chemical Garden.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Sexual content, Violence, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
