The Jewel
The Lone City Book 1
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4.6 • 182 Ratings
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
Violet Lasting is no longer a human being. Tomorrow she becomes Lot 197, auctioned to the highest royal bidder in the Jewel of the Lone City. Tomorrow she becomes the Surrogate of the House of the Lake, her sole purpose to produce a healthy heir for the Duchess. Imprisoned in the opulent cage of the palace, Violet learns the brutal ways of the Jewel, where the royal women compete to secure their bloodline and the surrogates are treated as disposable commodities. Destined to carry the child of a woman she despises, Violet enters a living death of captivity – until she sets eyes on Ash Lockwood, the royal Companion. Compelled towards each other by a reckless, clandestine passion, Violet and Ash dance like puppets in a deadly game of court politics, until they become each other’s jeopardy – and salvation.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Set in a chilling dystopian world and bursting with shocking twists, The Jewel is a spellbinding YA fantasy. Violet Lasting is a teenager who’s been reared to become a Surrogate, auctioned off to bear a royal child and lose her identity forever. Fuelled by a reckless romance, Violet begins to challenge her terrifying fate from within the Duchess of the Lake’s luxurious prison. Amy Ewing’s vivid storytelling is alive with real tension and soaring emotion—this is a breathtaking series starter.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First-time author Ewing adds to a genre saturated with stories of poor, beautiful girls forced to live among the upper class. Sixteen-year-old Violet Lasting is from the direst sector of the Lone City. It's an island run by powerful royals who can no longer bear their own children and must hire surrogates, like Violet, with unique powers called auguries. In an annual auction, Violet is sold to the powerful Duchess of the Lake, who parades her around in fine dresses, but demands that Violet deliver a perfect daughter quickly. As Violet begins to realize the dangerous political machinations at play, the plot becomes further complicated as she falls for an off-limits guy. The idea of forced reproductive slavery provides an attention-grabbing hook, but thin worldbuilding and some narrative missteps (at least four chapters end with Violet falling into darkness after being drugged, and there are unfortunate references to characters' almond-shaped eyes or skin "the color of dark brewed coffee") don't help the story stand out from the pack. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING
This book is amazing. Definitely read.
Beautifully written
Loved the first book. You took me to another world. Great story line and brilliant settings. A journey I won’t forget.
Ordered the follow up and found myself persevering towards the end due to creeping spiritism in an otherwise fascinating tale.
Tried the third book but too much weirdness and witchcraft for me, so gave up torturing myself for the sake of a denouement.
(I know they said they weren’t witches but they lied)
Brilliant!!
I don't usually read books but I saw this on book of the week and as it was free I download and began to read it; and aren't I glad that I did? It's an absolutely amazing novel, it's gripping, tense and emotional; you can't help but feel as if you know the characters. After I read this I went mad, I had to found out what happens next, after all Violet (main character) was now someone I knew, thus I'm going to buy the next novel in the series. This novel is honestly spectacular!