Title: The Black Key
Author: Amy Ewing
Series/Standalone: The Lone City Series (Book #3)
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Dystopian
Publisher: 2016
Year Published: HarperTeen
Format: Audiobook
"For too long, Violet and the people of the outer circles of the Lone City have lived in service of the royalty of the Jewel. But now the secret society known as the Black Key is preparing to seize power.
And while Violet knows she is the center of the rebellion, she has a more personal stake in it- her sister, Hazel, has been taken by the Duchess of the Lake. Now, after fighting so hard to escape the Jewel, Violet must do everything in her power to return to save not only Hazel, but the future of the Lone City."
My Rating: 2.5/5
So I finished this series as I started it with an audiobook. And I thought it was a solid mah. I liked some parts of the book but overall wasn't a huge fan of the series as a whole. I found the characters changed in a negative way. I thought that the events that transpired in this book were easy to see coming and not that hard hitting. I just thought overall it was a letdown. I'm giving it 2.5 because I found the beginning to be interesting while the ending to be cheesy and rather predictable.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The White Rose
Author: Amy Ewing
Series/Standalone: The Lone City (Book #2)
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2015
Format: Audiobook
"Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has n o choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.
But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised- a mysterious house in the Farm.
But there's a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. but is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?
The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won't be able to put down until the final shocking moments."
My Rating: 3.5/5
So this is the second book in the Lone City series and I found myself really enjoying it. I won't go on a huge rant with things that were slightly problematic in this review, I will say how I felt about it overall though. It was a good audiobook. I thought that the characters paths were still interesting and while we did see some growth and learnt more about some characters pasts, we didn't really see a huge leap and change. I did find myself feeling this was a bit of a filler for the final book (which I have on hold on audiobook at the library). This book took little time to get into and while I had to concentrate, it didn't involve a lot of focus and I did love the kickass female them that it set. Especially when I was working out at the gym, it was a good distraction from how out of breath I was feeling (#sofit). I do hope to continue with this series and read some of the ebooks that are available through overdrive, but I don't feel a huge rush to jump into the next book, I'll get to it when I can.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
So this was a book I picked up because I enjoyed the first one and hadn't read a dystopian like this in a long time. I thought that the world was interesting and seeing different kinds of servitude to a ruler was interesting to me. The idea of companions and surrogates was interesting to me. In this book we learned so much more about the world how regimentals are taken, as well as ladies in waiting. It was interest and sad to see a world where there was so little choice in what you became, where the rich keep getting rich and the poorer are continual losing loved ones and lives. I think that the author does a very good job of getting a reader interested in different aspects of the world, but around the last 2 hours of the audiobook I found myself getting bored with where this story was going. And while the author tried to write a surprising ending, I wasn't surprised by what happened and guessed it within the last half an hour of the audiobook. For these reasons I thought this book was ok, it was good but not my favourite dystopian of all time.
Characters:
Violet: I think that Violet started to find peace with herself and what she had to do. But at the same time I found her a frustrating character because she was constantly saying it was time for answers she just got the bare minimum but then kept getting angry about it. I also thought she made many poor choices. I'm interested to see how her sister's kidnapping will change her, I can't see a way it won't.
Ash: To have to leave your sister to die when you are helping so many others can not be easy, but to see him without a purpose is so frustrating. Not quite as frustrating as people not taking his need for help seriously. Companions don't ask for what they get either. They aren't given a choice.
Raven: To see her so week and so different was scary, but also important to remind the reader what they were fighting against. I was surprised that she didn't want to learn what the other elemental powers were, but I can see how she would be frightened after all she's been through.
Sil: I'm not sure if this is how you spell her name, but I listened to the audiobook so I'm just guessing. She's a weathered woman. She's seen things that no person should ever have to and has lived through the building of a revolution I only hope she gets to see a better world.
Lucien: His story was another one that broke my heart. To hear that his father sold him out so similar to how Ash's family sold him out broke me. It was hard to see that they couldn't see eye to eye. They have no reason to fight, they should remember who they are really trying to fight but we'll see how well that works out.
Garnett: I wonder what made him really turn to the Black Key and could he be the weak link? It's sad to think that that's possible, but he didn't really get what he wanted out of the deal, he still had to marry the boring teacup lady.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The House of The Stone
Author: Amy Ewing
Series/Standalone: The Lone City (Book #1.5)
Genre: Dystopia, Young Adult,
Pages: 82
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2015
Format: Ebook
First Line: "I am Raven Stirling."
"In The Jewel, we followed Violet in her servitude under the Duchess of the Lake. Now we'll hear Raven's story and her time as a surrogate for the Countess of the Stone in this digital novella from Amy Ewing.
When Raven is bought at the Auction, she knows immediately that things will not go well. And when she arrives at the Countess's palace, Raven quickly discovers that the Countess is much less interested in having a baby than experimenting with Raven's mind and body. Raven can only hope for an escape... and to see Violet again, all the while reminding herself that she is Raven Stirling, and she does matter.
HarperTeen Impulse is a digital imprint focused on young adult short stories and novellas wth new releases the first Tuesday of every month."
My Rating: 4/5
I want more. That's all I can really think in the moments after finishing this short little novella. I want to know more. I want to hear about her life before the Exetor's Ball and about how she stays so strong in between. Maybe we'll get more from the next book in the Lone City series and I certainly hope so because Raven is such an important character to th main character in the series and she is leading such a different life in comparison to Violet's surogacy. I do wonder about the past in this series, like generations in the past so I hope to read more of the novellas when I get through the series as a whole if I still enjoy it..... here's hoping.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
Title: The Jewel
Author: Amy Ewing
Series/Stand Alone: The Lone City (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year Published: 2014
Format: Audiobook
"The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, Born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty- because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.
Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Dutchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel's glittering facade; the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.
Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess's petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for."
My Rating: 4/5
So this is another audiobook that I started a few days ago and flew through. I found that I really wanted to finish this before getting in to deep with King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard because they both have the dystopian vibe and I didn't want to confuse myself about which was which or what happened in each. I really enjoyed this first book and I've been warned that many people did but didn't like the rest of them which is fine. I'll wait and see. The audiobooks are all available through my library so I'm not really losing anything by listening to them in my spare time. I've also heard that the other two are even shorter than this one. I"m interested to see how this all plays out. I thought that this was a really good first instalment the characters were interesting and just the right amount of frustrating. I will admit that I stuck around at first more for the world as I was interested in the idea of surrogacy and why this was the case for the royals. I was also interested in how the main character reacted to the challenges around her after such a shift in her life. I will note that the reason this book didn't get a full 5/5 stars from me is because of the instalove that takes place in this book. I wasn't against it 100% I just didn't think it was necessary. I understand why the author did it but I'm just not a fan of it in this kind of book. But that ending bumped this books overall rating up for me. Damn! Damn!
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
