Series: The Lone City Book #1
Format: Ebook
Rating: 4 stars
How I Got It: Borrowed from Library (Overdrive)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Publisher: Harper Teen
Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads
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.
Review
I didn’t think I would like this as much as I did. And it went places I wasn’t expecting. Yes, this is a young adult Handmaid’s Tale, but I thought the YA thing would hold it back more. My only real issue is the romance which I’m not really feeling. It actually came across more forced and as a story point then love.
The characters are the strongest part. Violet is good, but does make some silly impulsive decisions. But I do enjoy the other characters more-like the Duchess. They just seem to be more complex and well-developed. And I am intrigued by all the inter-personal/political relationships. I’m mostly curious to see what happens there than to Violet as an individual.
So, I’m not going to spoil anything, but I saw that ending coming from page one. And I think I’m ok with that.
I’ve already placed a hold on the second and third books through my library. Hopefully, I’ll have them in the next few weeks.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
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