REVIEW: The Jewel by Amy Ewing

The Selection meets The Handmaid's Tale in this darkly riveting debut filled with twists and turns, where all that glitters may not be gold. The Jewel means wealth, the Jewel means beauty—but for Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Born and raised in the Marsh, Violet finds herself living in the Jewel as a servant at the estate of the Duchess of the Lake. Addressed only by her number—#197—Violet is quickly thrown into the royal way of life. But behind its opulent and glittering facade, the Jewel hides its cruel and brutal truth, filled with violence, manipulation, and death. Violet must accept the ugly realities of her life . . . all while trying to stay alive. But before she can accept her fate, Violet meets a handsome boy who is also under the Duchess's control, and a forbidden love erupts. But their illicit affair has consequences, which will cost them both more than they bargained for. And toeing the line between being calculating and rebellious, Violet must decide what, and who, she is willing to risk for her own freedom.

 I received an advanced reader's edition of this book from EpicReads as a giveaway prize and I received a finished copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review from the publisher before the release date. All opinions are my own. 

2 of 5 stars (Please read my rating system further below. 

As soon as I received my early copy of The Jewel, I picked it up right away because of my genuine excitement for its release. I had heard so much hype from my friends and the lovely ladies at EpicReads; I was hoping that The Jewel would be absolutely spectacular, since the premise was very promising. As soon as I was about 100 pages into the story, I knew that they story had fallen flat, and I knew that this type of story definitely wasn't for me. I didn't want to judge The Jewel if I had only read 100 pages of it, which was why I continued reading the entire book. By the time that Violet met Ash, the story had become a little bit messy and unclear. I think another reason for my disappointment in this book was because of my resentment towards the instalove. 

My rating system: (I do use half stars.) 

5 - I do not use the 5 star. Not because a book might not be worthy, but because a book is never perfect. 

4 - I loved it! There weren't too many flaws, and I had no trouble getting through it. (A 4 star rating is the highest rating I've ever given a book.) 

3 - I enjoyed the book, but there we're flaws that made me enjoy it less. 

2 - I finished the book, but there were too many flaws for me to enjoy it. 

1 - I could not finish the book, and I probably did not finish it....

Reviewer:
Grace