- This book had some pacing problems.
- It also had a serious case of insta-love.
- I really want the sequel.
In the book, Violet Lasting is sold as a surrogate to one of the wealthiest families in the Lone City. While she might get to wear fancy dresses and mingle with royalty, she hates being a pampered slave. And she has no desire to be forced to carry another woman’s baby. Especially not the Duchess of Lake’s baby, a woman who seems alternatively cruel, cunning, and desperate. When she gets the chance to escape, Violet grasps it, making plans to leave…only to find herself falling in love and not knowing whether she should stay.
The pacing problems in The Jewel made it a strange read. It took me most of the novel to realize that it was a dystopia, not a fantasy. (The surrogates were able to perform auguries, a weird, limited sort of magic that made me assume this was a fantasy.) Information about the world Violet lived in came in small pieces, and some huge questions (i.e. the whole sci-fi/magic system) were not even answered by the end of the novel, which ended in a complete “What-the-heck?!?!?!?!” cliffhanger. Most of the book revolved around Violet going to parties and figuring out the intricacies of the relationships between all of the important characters in the book, Because of the complexity of the subject matter of the world and the characters’ place in it, this didn’t really bother me. It actually gave me hope that this might be one trilogy where the author didn’t use up all her good ideas in the first book.
Even with the pacing problems (and the insta-love, but I think enough rants have been thrown over that subject that we can skip it), the novel fascinated me. The thought of a woman being forced into being a surrogate (instead of choosing to become one), was horrifying, and Ewing did an admirable job of making the horror immediate for the reader. She also created a truly terrifying antagonist in the Duchess, who somehow still seemed human.
This is one of those books I’d recommend with reservations. I liked it because of the concept and an interesting villain. If the pacing and insta-love bothered you enough that you hated it/wouldn’t pick it up, I wouldn’t blame you.
So what do you think? Has anyone else read The Jewel? Want to give it a try?
Thanks to HarperTeen for providing a copy for us to review.
WRITTEN BY JENNY
Jenny’s Current Obsessions: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, pictures of baby animals, the word emulsify, finding the perfect dress that makes her look skinnier than she is, cake, Sauvignon Blanc, sun-dried tomato pesto, and making a dent in her TBR list.
