The Jewel by Amy Ewing Review

Review: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

In the Jewel, we meet Violet, the protagonist. The dystopian novel is kind of a cross between The Selection and Hunger Games or at least that is how it was presented to me. In this world, teenaged girls from the poorest areas are taken from their families and auctioned off to the highest royal bidders. There is a biological issue that makes Royalty unable to produce children causing those in power to seek out the genes of women from the poorest areas. 

The Good:

Violet is a feisty character whose banter with her best friend Raven is a highlight of the novel for me. I was moved by her emotional turmoil as she says goodbye to her family before the auction. The heart of the books is seeing things through her eyes. Her feeling help ground the reader. I still can't get over the fact there was an auction...

 At times she does come off as a bit whiny but I'm not sure if that could be more about the voice actor reading the book. This one I listened to as an audiobook.

The Not So Good:

The pacing was bit off and I found it difficult to relate to the other characters.  Ash, Violet’s love interest, is basically a prostitute to help royal female prepare for marriage. His relationship with Violet doesn't feel honest which is likely due to their first interaction. Spoiler Alert, it is not positive.  The impact of it stayed with me. I’m not sure if I ever liked him and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them.

Also Violet laments over her love for her family but she is able to place them in harm's way by escaping!  I struggled with this too.  At times she comes off as selfless while others it reads are more selfish. This is evident in her decision to sacrifice her freedom for Raven's.

My Verdict:

The book was okay, but I’m not interested in reading the next one in the series. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy about the book, story, or characters.