* This Post will be updated as I finish each book. *
The Jewel (The Lone City #1)
Amy Ewing
YA - Fantasy, Dystopia
358 Pages
This book showed up in my Facebook and Instagram feeds as recommended for many weeks, months maybe, before I actually downloaded it. I read the entire book in two days. Now, granted, that is my normal reading speed... I've just been slacking lately... A lot. This book was in a way, wonderful. But it was also horrible as in it was very degrading towards women, but I will explain that.
This book is about a girl named Violet Lasting, aptly named for the vibrant violet color of hers eyes, in case you were wondering. Violet was born a surrogate. Not a surrogate as in a woman who volunteers to carry another woman's child... No, Violet was born the kind of surrogate who is forced to live in secluded "homes" and be raised to fulfill her duty to carry a royal child and keep the bloodline alive. The royal women in the Lone City cannot bear their own children, so they must have a surrogate. These surrogates aren't technically mortal, for lack of a better word. These women, the surrogates, have certain powers which they use to manipulate the genetics of the child, en utero, to determine how they will look and be. They manipulate the child's hair color, their skin color, and sometimes (as in Violet's case) they may even be able to manipulate the rate at which the child grows after conception.
This book ended on a cliff hanger and I almost bought the second book on Amazon, since I'm fourteenth in line on the e-library hold list, because I was so eager to find out what happens. I didn't though, because I honestly only ever read most books once and I'm not going to spend money on a book that I might never read again.
These women who are born surrogates do not know that they are surrogates until they are tested at age twelve, but once they find out, they are sent to live with other surrogates and taught to use their powers. These girls are literally sold at an auction and bought by royalty based on their looks and scores on their tests. How awful is that? Violet is bought by the Duchess of the Lake, who has waited nineteen years to purchase another surrogate because it had to be the perfect one.
The Duchess of the Lake is obviously bipolar. When Violet first meets her, she slaps her across the face to "warn her" to behave. A few days later, she buys Violet an extravagant cello only to smash it to pieces a week or so later as punishment. The reason the Duchess purchased her is because of Violets score in the growth section of her final tests, in which she scored a perfect 10. The Duchess of the Lake wants a daughter (Royalty is only allowed one son and one daughter) who is perfect in every way... and who will be birthed in only three months. Since Violet has such great powers in growth, she practices with the Doctor to make sure that she can make this child grow at three times the rate of a normal child. They practice on a tree out in the garden because I guess growing trees is the same as growing children? Anyway, the first attempt at impregnating Violet nearly causes her to die in front of hundreds of people while performing a cello concert for them, and the second time is unsuccessful as well, but not as dramatically.
Before Violet was sold to bear the Duchesses child, she was "prepped" by a man named Lucien, who is a Lady in waiting for the Electress (Basically the queen, who isn't really royal, of everyone including the duchesses who are actually royal). Lucien sees something in Violet that reminds him of his sister, who was also a surrogate, and he wants to save her from the horrible, short life that she would endure and promises to get her out. He gives her a key thing that is like a walkie talkie, but no one can eavesdrop on your conversation. An invention of Lucien himself. Violet ruins this plan when she and Ash, her lady's niece's boyfriend, get caught together.
Ash is a consort who was also purchased, but as a boyfriend for the Duchess's niece. At the end of the book, she and Ash are caught in bed together and Ash is beaten in front of her and dragged to the dungeon. Violet is dragged upstairs to her room to await punishment. At the last minute, her key/walkie talkie-like thing that no one can ease drop on "rings" and Garnet, the Duchess's son, says "We are going to get you out." That's it, that's how it ends. Can you see why I was so eager to read the rest of the series?
Overall, I give this book a 4/5 because I really hate that this book is about selling women for their bodies. Even if it isn't in a prostitutional way. Carrying a child is a blessing that not all women are able to enjoy, but I don't believe that women who can have children should be forced to carry for those who can't. If this book were about voluntary surrogacy, this book would get a 5/5. Get the book, read it, cry a little and maybe yell a bit. Read the whole series in two days, if you can manage that. Just don't spoil it for me.
The White Rose (The Lone City #2)
Amy Ewing
YA - Dystopia
308 Pages
So if you remember, back in October I read The Jewel by Amy Ewing, book one in the Lone City trilogy. Boy did I rave about that book, and frankly, still do. The White Rose though, not full marks, but a four out of five stars for me. The White Rose gave some more insight to what Violet and the other surrogates are capable of, and how twisted the nobility of the Lone City are, but I felt like it was just a companion piece to the story. I know that sounds really bad, but I don't mean it to be. This book was mainly about escaping the Duchess of the Lake and keeping Ash from being caught, but frankly, I enjoyed the last chapters, when Violet, Raven and Ash were living with Sil at the White Rose best.
The White Rose takes place after Violet and Ash are caught in bed together in the Duchess of the Lake's manor. A companion and a surrogate, *tsk tsk tsk* Ash is beaten in front of Violet and then taken to the Dungeon, then the Duchess brings Annabelle, Violet's mute, innocent, lady in waiting, and slits her throat and tells Violet that she killed her. Of course, Lucien is MIA and Garnet is supposed to be Violet's rescuer. Violet is supposed to wake up in the morgue "dead" in a few hours, but she gave the serum to Raven, her best friend instead, to save her from the abuse and the pregnancy that will kill her. Raven does miscarry and die after arriving at the White Rose, but Violet revives her using her powers correctly. More on that in a bit.
Garnet manages to get Violet, and Ash (because we all knew that she wasn't leaving without him), out of the manor and to the morgue. From there, Violet has to use the auguries (powers) to manipulate the incinerator, the only way out of the morgue where no one will find them out. She, Ash, and Raven travel through the sewage system following a map that Lucien gave them when Raven (who apparently has a new ability) takes them right to where the exit they've been looking for. Ash is seen, and Violet gets separated, but in the end, they make it to the safe house separately after a night apart.
The journey from there goes from a companion house disguised as a man and his prostitutes to hiding in a storage compartment in a train, to being stored in shipping containers until finally, they make it to Lucien and Garnet. From there, Violet has to "trust her instincts" and lead them to where they need to be. That's how they end up at the White Rose.
Okay, now my favorite part! Sil, a sassy, no nonsense, maternal, former surrogate built up this place, The White Rose, a safe haven for herself and other surrogates, to learn the real use of their abilities. The auguries are not the powers that surrogates are born with, the nobility twisted and corrupted the girls' ancestral connection with the elements when their people (the nobility's) took the island and murdered the natives. The girls who are confirmed "surrogates" are actually great-great-great-great (continues?) grandchildren of the native people of the island that had a connection with the elements. They were one with the elements and the elements were with them. Sil teaches Violet this, and Violet teaches Sienna (the lioness from the auction), and two other girls when brought to her.
The story takes a dramatic turn when Violet finds out that the Duchess of the Lake has quickly and quietly found a replacement surrogate (who becomes quickly pregnant) after Violet escapes. This surrogate turns out to be Violet's younger sister, the girl that Violet is trying to start a revolution to save.
Like I said, this book isn't as great as the first, but I'm looking forward to delving into The Black Key (Book #3).
The Black Key (The Lone City #3)
Amy Ewing
YA - Dystopia
304 Pages
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