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3.5 ⭐️
I found this book incredibly easy to read and the pages flew by in no time. I think the only thing that stopped this from being a 4 star was the romance was a bit too “Insta love” for me to really feel invested in the relationship.
I found most of the characters good and bad quite interesting and the story concept too. The ending is a huge cliff hanger so I’m definitely going to be getting the next book for sure.
Overall an enjoyable read.
I found this book incredibly easy to read and the pages flew by in no time. I think the only thing that stopped this from being a 4 star was the romance was a bit too “Insta love” for me to really feel invested in the relationship.
I found most of the characters good and bad quite interesting and the story concept too. The ending is a huge cliff hanger so I’m definitely going to be getting the next book for sure.
Overall an enjoyable read.
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:
No
Rating: 85%
This was quite the book. When I went into it, I was expecting a mediocre but still fun YA dystopian story. And in the first half, my expectations were greatly exceeded. I was so engrossed and couldn’t stop reading until I got to the next and the next scene. The surrogate process was interesting, and I didn’t know what each stage would look like, and that propelled me forward.
But once that part of the plot was over and the main character was officially a surrogate, the reading experience almost immediately fell flat. I don’t know if it was me or the book, but it stopped being interesting and just kind of dragged for me. I think it may largely be due to the romance that developed. The whole romantic progression happened way too fast and I didn’t have time to care about them. The two characters went through the emotional journey of their relationship that should have taken 2-3 books in about 50-100 pages. It just kinda felt ridiculous to me. And since the subplot romance is usually what helps propel me forward, the whole reading experience fell flat.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series, but the final page intrigued me, so we’ll see. Otherwise, I was pretty disappointed and don’t feel very invested in the story anymore, even though the first half was excellent.
But once that part of the plot was over and the main character was officially a surrogate, the reading experience almost immediately fell flat. I don’t know if it was me or the book, but it stopped being interesting and just kind of dragged for me. I think it may largely be due to the romance that developed. The whole romantic progression happened way too fast and I didn’t have time to care about them. The two characters went through the emotional journey of their relationship that should have taken 2-3 books in about 50-100 pages. It just kinda felt ridiculous to me. And since the subplot romance is usually what helps propel me forward, the whole reading experience fell flat.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series, but the final page intrigued me, so we’ll see. Otherwise, I was pretty disappointed and don’t feel very invested in the story anymore, even though the first half was excellent.
Woah!
This book is so good. Really trust me it is. And when I hear it's Amy Ewing's DEBUT novel I can't believe it. It is way beyond my expectations for a debut novel.
For those who have read the Selection Series, The Jewel is somewhat vaguely similar to it. But it is not an exact copy of the Selection Series. Honestly I just love every single word of this book it was page-turning I just didn't want to leave it.
I will warn you that this book is a series and the second book and third book is available and I do recommend you to have all three books in possession before starting the series since The Jewel ends as a cliff-hanger and not being able to know what happens next will be the death of you.
XOXO
M.I Creator
This book is so good. Really trust me it is. And when I hear it's Amy Ewing's DEBUT novel I can't believe it. It is way beyond my expectations for a debut novel.
For those who have read the Selection Series, The Jewel is somewhat vaguely similar to it. But it is not an exact copy of the Selection Series. Honestly I just love every single word of this book it was page-turning I just didn't want to leave it.
I will warn you that this book is a series and the second book and third book is available and I do recommend you to have all three books in possession before starting the series since The Jewel ends as a cliff-hanger and not being able to know what happens next will be the death of you.
XOXO
M.I Creator
My goodness I enjoyed this book!
I knew it had had some mixed reviews so I went into this cautiously and honestly, it blew me away! Obviously, any frequent dystopian reader will spot elements that are reminiscent of other extremely popular dystopian reads - but there are so many layers to this story, so much happens and the topic of surrogacy is so much more uncomfortable and serious that I feel this deserves more praise than it has had so far. For some reason, it made me think of 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass (another dystopian I very much enjoyed) on steroids! But 'The Jewel' is so much better than this - there are mysterious back stories, surprising characters, painful coming-of-age experiences and lots of fantastic political skulduggery along with some fantastic characterisation. Overall, this book was an amazing and surprising read.
I knew it had had some mixed reviews so I went into this cautiously and honestly, it blew me away! Obviously, any frequent dystopian reader will spot elements that are reminiscent of other extremely popular dystopian reads - but there are so many layers to this story, so much happens and the topic of surrogacy is so much more uncomfortable and serious that I feel this deserves more praise than it has had so far. For some reason, it made me think of 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass (another dystopian I very much enjoyed) on steroids! But 'The Jewel' is so much better than this - there are mysterious back stories, surprising characters, painful coming-of-age experiences and lots of fantastic political skulduggery along with some fantastic characterisation. Overall, this book was an amazing and surprising read.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
What is an interesting premise gets bogged down by insta-love and a main character who is too whiny to really be liked.
Positives: It's easy to read, Ewing's world is vividly described, and for fans of The Selection or Hunger Games (but without the violence) it's a good readalike.
Cons: Oh boy that insta-love is so extensive I think I felt my eyeballs rolling out of my head. And the blushing. Girl blushes and flushes and reddens SO much.
Positives: It's easy to read, Ewing's world is vividly described, and for fans of The Selection or Hunger Games (but without the violence) it's a good readalike.
Cons: Oh boy that insta-love is so extensive I think I felt my eyeballs rolling out of my head. And the blushing. Girl blushes and flushes and reddens SO much.
The Jewel is a dystopian combining The Selection type of story with a unique world (time period?). Violet, #197, is from the Marsh where people from there are basically at the bottom of the totem pole. When girls go through puberty they have some kind of testing done to see if they have these certain abilities the royal can use. If they do then they are pretty much slaves to the royal. These abilities allow them to make things grow, change colors of things, and do these different things that can then be used in creating children. They are basically able to create and grow children with certain personalities and other traits, so the royal women use these girls to create the child they "want".
The royal cannot have children for whatever reason (I'm still not exactly sure why...), and so they borrow these girls bodies, and force them to have their children. The girls are simply known as the surrogates with a number attached to them according to how well they are able to use their 'abilities'. The royal only see them as bought and paid for slaves. They force them to wear leashes, force them not to speak, and other dramatic things. This book definitely had a dark and twisted plot. But it was so unique and fascinating! I had a few problems with it, but I still really enjoyed it and flew through it.
There are different houses ruled over by the royals which is inside The Jewel. Around the Jewel you have the Marsh where it is the poverty stricken area, and then you have the Farm where the food is made, the Bank where the shops are. It is kind of like your typical dystopian where the city is separated depending on wealth and what you do in society. And then you have the main area where the rich (royal) rule over everything. And so in that aspect this book is your typical dystopian in the way that the city is laid out. Other than the world building, it is so unique!
When the girls get old enough they get auctioned off, and they are at that point known as a number. The ladies of all these different houses will come in and bid on them depending on how strong their abilities are.
Violet goes and lives with the Duchess - the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake wants to have a girl that is this perfect human being to marry one of the children of another royal family. It is kind of confusing. So, anyway, we follow Violet as she moves into the royal house, and how she is treated like a slave. She has been bought by one of the more odd royal ladies. On one hand she seems really ruthless, but then on the other hand she does something really mean, but then it is seems she almost feels guilty for it. So you have this back and forth stuff going on between Violet and the Duchess.
When you first go into this book you have to put aside reality, and how the human population works. If you try looking at things in a realistic way then The Jewel will probably suck for you. This book was definitely unique, dark, twisted, and weird. A lot of people are unhappy with the instalove, and so as I was reading I was waiting for it to show itself. And...I have to admit there were several times I had to stop and roll my eyes. It is so cheesy and ridiculous, which is one reason I rated this book 3 stars. If the romance part would have been done differently then I think it would have had a higher rating from me.
The book wasn't anything deep or special just something fun and entertaining (and twisted) to read. The basic idea has been done a million and one times, but some of the ideas were really unique, and so I think that is why I enjoyed it so much.
The royal cannot have children for whatever reason (I'm still not exactly sure why...), and so they borrow these girls bodies, and force them to have their children. The girls are simply known as the surrogates with a number attached to them according to how well they are able to use their 'abilities'. The royal only see them as bought and paid for slaves. They force them to wear leashes, force them not to speak, and other dramatic things. This book definitely had a dark and twisted plot. But it was so unique and fascinating! I had a few problems with it, but I still really enjoyed it and flew through it.
There are different houses ruled over by the royals which is inside The Jewel. Around the Jewel you have the Marsh where it is the poverty stricken area, and then you have the Farm where the food is made, the Bank where the shops are. It is kind of like your typical dystopian where the city is separated depending on wealth and what you do in society. And then you have the main area where the rich (royal) rule over everything. And so in that aspect this book is your typical dystopian in the way that the city is laid out. Other than the world building, it is so unique!
When the girls get old enough they get auctioned off, and they are at that point known as a number. The ladies of all these different houses will come in and bid on them depending on how strong their abilities are.
Violet goes and lives with the Duchess - the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake wants to have a girl that is this perfect human being to marry one of the children of another royal family. It is kind of confusing. So, anyway, we follow Violet as she moves into the royal house, and how she is treated like a slave. She has been bought by one of the more odd royal ladies. On one hand she seems really ruthless, but then on the other hand she does something really mean, but then it is seems she almost feels guilty for it. So you have this back and forth stuff going on between Violet and the Duchess.
When you first go into this book you have to put aside reality, and how the human population works. If you try looking at things in a realistic way then The Jewel will probably suck for you. This book was definitely unique, dark, twisted, and weird. A lot of people are unhappy with the instalove, and so as I was reading I was waiting for it to show itself. And...I have to admit there were several times I had to stop and roll my eyes. It is so cheesy and ridiculous, which is one reason I rated this book 3 stars. If the romance part would have been done differently then I think it would have had a higher rating from me.
The book wasn't anything deep or special just something fun and entertaining (and twisted) to read. The basic idea has been done a million and one times, but some of the ideas were really unique, and so I think that is why I enjoyed it so much.