The Jewel

The other night at a bar, I ask my boyfriend if he'd like to know about the silly YA book I started reading to help me out of my reading slump.He agreed, on one condition, he wanted to guess some things first.Dystopian future with ranks? YesA very pretty girl from the lowest rank? ... yesHe begins to smile nowShe has an ability or something that makes her special and desirable to the higher ranks? ...Attractive and forbidden guy from within the ranks she falls for and risks her life to be with after knowing him a short time?.... yes...A horrible secret, and the inner circle is bad? YesA plot to overthrow the status quo that she is somehow central of?... yes...Photomanip cover... a girl... either overlooking a wasteland or in a fancy dress..? come on...He starts laughing and I add " but it's like the handmaids tale too, but with magic""Oh, that's kind of cool"And he was right, I read this in less than a day. It was formulaic, and fit allvthe YA checkboxes, but it was delivered well. I liked the characters, I rarely rolled my eyes at them and it kept me enthralled. The romance was small yet big enough. The world was decently developed and somewhat believable (royal imbreeding can get gross). I wanted to know what happened, and I literally let out an exasperated huff noise at the end and bought the 2nd book, feeling frustrated that prime shipping will take a whole 2 days. The problem with the YA formula is that often the writers aren't talented. Amy Ewing took this formula, and was obviously inspired by other books, but made it her own, and did it well, well at least above average for YA. This is not some amazing tale, it does not convert me from my non ya book usual, but it was refreshing to see that there are some decent story tellers in this genre. I'd place it in the guilty, but not too guilty pleasure read zone. If you enjoy YA, or like me, turn to it in desperate need for a quick, thoughtless read during dry spells of reading, I highly suggest it. It's a quick, enjoyable, formulaic but suprisingly interesting book.

The Jewel is guaranteed to draw you in. The cover is an attention grabber, and a mix between the covers of the Selection and the Winner's Curse. But the story itself was the most intriguing, and it was unlike anything I've ever read before.If anything, this book reminded me of the Hunger Games. Train ride, rebellious heroine, probable uprising- even its own Cinna. I like stories that have a fresh premise, and this book did not fail to deliver. I will continue the series in the hope that the rest are as good as the first book.When I began reading it, I didn't know that the plot would be so horrifying. I guess that goes to show that descriptions can be pretty vague. If some topics make you squeamish, I suggest you find a different read.This book combines science and magic in a spectacular way. It's a quick read, but a satisfying one. It exceeded my expectations for sure.Unfortunately, I'll have to drop a star for the love story and it's execution. I was so excited the first hundred or so pages in, thinking that finally, FINALLY the main character would be a single, independent woman. No love interest at all! But, of course, as this is a Young Adult book, we meet Ash Lockwood, a jaw-droppingly handsome protagonist that Violet will think about and moon over for the rest of the novel.Come on!Their love was really rushed. I can stand YA romance if it progresses at a slow pace, with feelings of affection between the two. A small crush that takes time to develop. But this? This was love at first sight, quick denial, and extreme love again.Anyway, sappy romance aside, I loved this novel. I hope the White Rose has many adventures planned for Violet!

Favorite Quote:“Hope is a precious thing, isn’t it,” she says. “And yet, we don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone.”I found myself really enjoying this novel. I was originally planning to read The Selection since my friend absolutely raves about it, but after reading some of the reviews I wasn’t inclined to read another love triangle. One of the reviewers suggested this novel as it’s along a similar thread, but a bit darker. So I figured why not, I already had this in my kindle library from a while back when it was on sale, and jumped in.First off I want to appreciate the pacing. This book never had me bored, yet I never felt rushed either. I honestly really liked the pacing of this book. I felt like the events happening made sense with the story line and I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to know what was happening, what was coming next. It was an addictive read.The writing is also another strong point for this novel. It was smooth and easy to read. I felt it was easy to get swept up into the story. It felt easy to connect with our MC, Violet. Violet was quite well written. You really feel her emotions throughout the story. Her helplessness, anger, frustration, fear, desperation. She goes through a tough time throughout this novel.I can see how people would feel it has insta-love qualities. You actually don’t even meet the love interest until 50% of the book. Yet I can see how their romance kindles so quickly. That forbidden feeling, secret trysts but she seems to struggle with trust. I do like how she constantly thinks of Raven and her situation. I look forward to the second book, from the end of this one I get the feeling we shall see a lot more of the side characters like Raven and Garnet.I have to say the story is compelling. I want to know what happens. I’m curious to see how they’ll work to overthrow the royalty and the surrogate systems. I feel like the second book will blossom from here. We get to see them in a completely different setting and I can’t help but be intrigued. I want to know more.Admittedly the premise of how the royals are unable to have their own children is strange, but I can definitely see the nasty things the royals do to further their own goals. I personally just took as it was. The Augury (read: magic) at first seemed out of place but I could see how it was worked in to enhance the surrogates and it gives an extra touch.I honestly had a good time reading it. The story was interesting, I enjoyed the premise, I’m looking forward the potential of the side characters. Considering the darker tones, I still had fun. It feels like I got exactly what I was wanting going in and that’s not too something I feel that I experience very often. I definitely plan to continue the series.

Über das Buch habe ich bisher nur sehr gute Rezensionen gelesen und gesehen und daher waren meine Erwartungen relativ hoch. Das Cover ist natürlich sehr schön, aber man sollte sich davon nicht täuschen lassen, denn dahinter steckt eine Dystopie.Der Anfang der Geschichte hat mir sehr gut gefallen und das hat sich auch so bis zur Mitte des Buches gehalten. Danach hat sich die Handlung in eine Richtung entwickelt, die mich nicht mehr packen und unterhalten konnte. Für mich wurde die Geschichte zu absurd und unglaubwürdig.Generell das Thema des Buches erschien mir anfangs noch sehr interessant und neuartig, aber nachher muss ich sagen, dass ich es nicht sehr passend für ein Jugendbuch finde.Violet soll ein Kind für die Herzogin bekommen, da alle Angehörigen des Adels unfruchtbar sind. Dazu hat sie noch besondere Fähigkeiten, die für mich keine besondere Bedeutung für die Geschichte haben. Man hätte diesen Aspekt auch weglassen können, denn er hat keinen Mehrwert geschaffen.Vielleicht spielt der Aspekt in den Folgebänden aber noch eine wichtige Rolle.Die Protagonistin Violet war mir anfangs recht sympathisch, aber später haben mir einige ihrer Handlungen und Aussagen missfallen und waren für mich auch unverständlich.Die Liebesgeschichte in dem Buch hat mir leider überhaupt nicht zugesagt und die Anziehung zwischen den beiden Protogonisten war für mich ebenfalls unverständlich. Zum Glück hat die Autorin auf ein Liebesdreieck (vorerst) verzichtet, aber trotzdem hat mir dieser Aspekt nicht gut gefallen.Das Englisch ist relativ einfach und auch der Schreibstil hat mir gefallen. Das Buch ist aber auch schon auf Deutsch erhältlich, für alle, die keine englischen Bücher lesen.Ich hatte sehr gehofft, dass mir das Buch richtig gut gefallen würde, aber dem ist leider nicht so. Ich überlege trotzdem dem zweiten Teil noch eine Chance zu geben, aber richtig interessieren tut mich die Fortsetzung nicht.Fazit:Eine Dystopie, die sehr vielversprechend geklungen hat, mich aber nicht packen und überzeugen konnte. Gerade die zweite Hälfte war sehr schwach und die Liebesgeschichte konnte mich auch nicht überzeugen.

Faz tempo já que eu aprendi que a expectativa que o leitor tem para um livro antes de começar a ler sempre influencia no que ele vai achar. Esse foi um livro que eu comprei apesar de ver várias resenhas de pessoas em quem confio dizendo que não gostaram dele. Quando eu mesma resolvi ler, achava que seria uma história boba, sem grandes acontecimentos, só para passar o tempo. Admito que não esperava gostar muito.E devo reconhecer que o livro não é excepcional, o enredo não é brilhante, os personagens não são complexos e muitos dos detalhes da vida da protagonista são bastante bobos e superficiais, talvez até amenizados para ser uma história para leitores mais jovens. Mas esse é um livro para adolescentes e sua melhor característica é que ele é bem divertido! Não dá para negar que eu adorei a leitura, que quero ler todos os livros da trilogia o quanto antes e ainda mais os contos extras. Talvez eu tenha dado uma nota mais alta do que o livro merece só por isso, só por ter me divertido tanto.Ainda tenho críticas a fazer é claro, e quero começar pelos nomes dos personagens. Esse foi um detalhe que eu tive que me forçar a relevar, senão poderia ter estragado minha leitura. Na tradução para português, isso talvez nem seja uma questão, mas lendo em inglês é impossível não perceber a escolha da autora de dar a todos os personagens nomes de cores, flores, animais, pedras e outros substantivos, e foi uma péssima ideia. Ameaçou tirar toda a credibilidade da história mil vezes, porque todo mundo tinha um nome ridículo. Se fosse um ou outro personagem, ou sempre nomes que já são usados como nomes comuns hoje em dia (por exemplo, Violet), tudo bem. Mas Cobalt? Cinder? Foi complicado não me deixar irritar com isso.Outro problema do livro é o romance. A autora demorou tempo demais para introduzir um par romântico para a intensidade de sentimento que ela queria criar entre os dois personagens. Eles se apaixonam completamente rápido demais. Aliás, acho que teria sido muito mais crível e mais potente mesmo a relação dos dois se eles tivessem criado essa relação como aliados antes de chegar a ser algo romântico. Mas o único jeito de fazer isso seria ter feito o carinha entrar na história bem antes. Do jeito que ficou, não deu o menor tempo de eu me apaixonar pelo personagem também, aliás, mal o conheço e não faz muita diferença para mim se eles vão ficar juntos ou não. Essa é a parte mais fraca do livro, infelizmente.Eu adorei o enredo, achei que tinha sempre algo acontecendo, várias reviravoltas e revelações que me surpreenderam na maior parte do tempo e, mesmo quando não eram tão inesperadas, ainda foram interessantes. Acho que existem alguns pequenos furos em tudo, como o fato de que, se essas mulheres são tão raras e únicas, por que seriam tratadas sempre como descartáveis e fáceis de substituir? Mas eu adorei o final, adorei a última revelação e estou louca pelo próximo livro por causa dela!Minha parte favorita dessa história é a mágica, que eu nem sabia que tinha. Foi algo que me conquistou de verdade, me fez querer fazer parte desse mundo. Só teria sido melhor se a protagonista fosse mais investida em ser incrível nisso, se ela cultivasse seus poderes e tentasse evoluir por ambição própria. Como eu falei, os personagens do livro não são muito complexos ou têm grandes desenvolvimentos, mas não acho que ela chegou a ser uma personagem ruim ou mal feita. Minha favorita é a Duquesa, mas a Violet tem bastante potencial, e tinha nesse livro também, por exemplo, para negociar mais sua própria vida, para se impor mais. Ela não é tão submissa quanto poderia ter sido, mas eu preferia ter visto mais empoderamento nela.Eu acho que essa história toda tem bastante potencial e espero que a autora o aproveite até o último livro, porque agora eu estou super animada com a trilogia e quero amá-la até o final!

Ich bin begeistert von diesem ersten Buch der Serie.Es ist eine ganz neue Welt die ich so noch nirgendwo gelesen hatte und nicht wie die immer gleichen Vampirbücher.Die Geschichte ist spannend geschrieben mit einigen unerwarteten Wendungen und Charakteren mit denen man sich gut identifizieren kann.Freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band.

Ich habe alle drei Teile gelesen und der erste ist der Beste. Trotzdem hat es sich für mich sehr ausgezahlt die Trilogie zu lesen. Die Sprache ist gut und einfach zu verstehen, obwohl ich nicht an das Lesen von englischen Büchern gewöhnt bin.Leseempfehlung!!

è arrivato, ma era di una biblioteca, di conseguenza pieno di timbri e pure con il cellophane incollato alla copertina. Bah. Per lo meno è intero.