Review of The White Rose by Amy Ewing

Advance Review of Amy Ewing's The Lone City: The White Rose

Release Date: October 6th, 2015

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

The compelling and gripping sequel to Amy Ewing's debut, The Jewel, which BCCB said "Will have fans of Oliver's Delirium, Cass's The Selection, and DeStefano's Wither breathless."

Violet is on the run—away from the Jewel, away from a lifetime of servitude, away from the Duchess of the Lake, who bought her at auction. With Ash and Raven traveling with her, Violet will need all of her powers to get her friends, and herself, out of the Jewel alive.

But no matter how far Violet runs, she can't escape the rebellion brewing just beneath the Jewel's glittering surface, and her role in it. Violet must decide if she is strong enough to rise against the Jewel and everything she has ever known.

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

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 no 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.  

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So let me start by saying that The Jewel was one of my 2 favorite books that I read in 2014 (the other being Red Rising). Needless to say, I have been praying that I would get the Advanced Copy of it to read... and I did!!!

This book picks up exactly where we left off in the Jewel. Violet is locked in her room after the Duchess has caught her with Ash, the Companion that was purchased for the niece of the Duchess of the Lake. They had committed the ultimate sin by falling in love. Seeing as how both Violet and Ash are property, they have no hopes of ever being together. Or do they?

I can't give too much away, but seeing as how the synopsis does say this, I'm happy to re-enlighten you... By chance fate, they are broken out of their respective "prisons" (the how and by who you will have to wait for), thus beginning their journey through the rings of the Lone City. While Ash's disappearance is announced in the news and his face printed on flyers posted everywhere, after the Duchess says that he has committed a crime by raping her surrogate. So now the Regimentals (the royal's version of a police force) are after him, as well as everyone else who is out to get the reward on his head.

We also see the return of Raven, Violet's surrogate friend who was being abused by the Duchess of the Stone. In The Jewel, Violet had given Raven a serum, that would make the user seem dead after ingested, which was meant to be taken by herself. She knew that Raven needed to get out much more than she herself did.

So now they are all on the run together. With the help from members of a secret society that goes by the name of The Black Key, they make it to a house in The Farm, one of the outer rings of the Lone City, and meet a new ally who will help Violet find her true potential.

This book was filled with just as much excitement as The Jewel, but in different ways. We learn a lot more about some of my favorite characters and their back stories. We also meet a bevy of new characters who will be joining the fight against the Royalty. Unfortunately, the Villain from the first book whom I loved to hate, the Duchess of the Lake, is not in much of this book. I'm sure we will see her return in the third installment though. This book was quite incredible from the very beginning, up until the cliff hanger ending.

I don't want to rub it in, but I really don't know how you are going to wait all those months until it comes out.

If you want a couple of other books to read while you are waiting:

Pierce Brown - Red Rising
Kate Jarvik Birch - Perfected
Kiera Cass - The Selection