"The Jewel"

The Jewel Review 


I wanted to review "The Jewel" by Amy Ewing because it was just so good and I loved it so much. For me, I was having a really hard time finding a series book I really liked recently and I feel like I just found one!

So, it is definitely dystopiany. As I started reading it, I was reminde
d a lot of "The Hunger Games". Instead of the capital there is "The Jewel", and surrounding that there are 5 different cities (I don't know if cities is the right word) that are separated by walls. Each one getting poorer as you go, and having their own distinct function: shops, factories, farming; etc. Another thing that reminds me of The Hunger Games is the main character has I guess you can say a designer that really likes to her, and it just reminded me of Cinna. However, I don't want to give anything about him away.

So at puberty girls in The Marsh (the outermost city) have to be tested for this genetic difference which gives them powers called auguries. These auguries help the royalty who live in the Jewel have children, because otherwise they're babies will die (something to do with their genetics). If the girls have this difference, they are sent to a holding facility (they have no choice) until a certain age and then are auctioned off to royalty in the Jewel. The girls who were the best at these skills had a higher rating at the surrogate auction so they went for more money.Once in the Jewel, they are forced to be surrogates to whatever royals purchased them. They are essentially slaves and cannot ever go back to their family afterward. She does end up meeting a boy, but the book doesn't revolve around it. So, if you're looking for a love story - you won't get that until the latter half. Also, I feel like the second book in the trilogy is going to be a love triangle, just a guess :)

I've heard mixed reviews about this book before, but I think it was amazing. The characters are extremely well-written. I feel like the main character develops into a strong woman throughout the book, making a selfless, life-changing decision at the end. Also, the end has a plot twist! It makes me crave the next book - which doesn't come out until October 2015.