The White Rose by Amy Ewing | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

The White Rose by Amy Ewing is the second in the Lone City series and picks up where The Jewel leaves off. Honestly, I found The White Rose to be an okay sequel, yet kind of bland as well. I mean, as I was reading I sort of confused this plot with The Selection and Red Queen in my mind. If you are looking for a stand out totally unique book, chances are this is not the one. However, if you are desperate to find out what happens next after finishing The Jewel and are a total sucker for pretty dress covers, then it stands to measure that you may like The White Rose. I mean, I enjoyed my time reading this book, just it wasn’t OH MY GOD SO AMAZING AND UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT.

The White Rose picks up where The Jewel leaves off, I think. If I do spoil The Jewel for you, my apologies — it is not intentional, just I really cannot for the life of me remember all that much about what happened in the previous book. So, okay, Violet is being tortured by the Doctor because she’s been caught in a compromising position with Ash, the companion. So, Violet must find a way to escape.

She does, and she also manages to break Ash out as well, but it is too late for Annabelle. With the help of Lucien, the male lady-in-waiting who is a eunuch, Violet escapes to the Farm. In addition to Lucien’s help, there is a shadowy group called the Society of the Black Key which is poised to start a rebellion against the royalty because everyone lives a life of drudgery except for the royals.

As a main character, Violet is kind of compelling. I mean, I would say that ultimately she is kind of forgettable. However, while reading the book, I was concerned for her. I hated how she and other surrogates were treated. Yet, I liked how Violet started to come into her powers and use the elements for good. I liked that she began to grow a backbone, so to speak. After finishing The White Rose, though, I probably will not think about Violet again until the third book is out — which I will likely read because of the cliffhanger.

So, I think The Jewel was kind of billed as love triangle sort of romance. In The White Rose, it seems that Violet’s pretty solid in her attraction to Ash. Garnet plays a secondary role and is helpful to the revolution, but it’s not like Violet is making out with him. For me, this romance felt like it was all tell and no show. I mean, I read about how Violet seems to love Ash and is amazed by him — yet, I did not get the big deal or see any sort of chemistry between the two.

Within The White Rose by Amy Ewing are the hallmarks of a dystopian world centered around magic and reproduction — and lack of reproductive choice. There is also a sort of social stratification caste system that is interesting. I think that this series has some potential for world building — however, there’s just a whole lot going on – from magic to revolution to love triangles to the how and why the Jewel and the Lone City are the way that they are. While, I am typically good at keeping all of these things straight — I just felt that it was too much packed into such a short book. I think I would rather have seen some of the elements dropped and expansion into other bits. I would have liked a tighter focus. Alas, The White Rose was an okay read, I’d recommend it if you are looking for a palate cleanser read and maybe don’t want to get too emotionally involved in another series.

Other Reviews of The White Rose by Amy Ewing:

Between My Lines – “It also suffers from middle book syndrome”

Feed Your Fiction Addiction – “I think that Ewing has set us up for a wild ride!”

Books Are Life - “the majority of the story just drug on and on and on and on”

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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