The White Rose by Amy Ewing Series: The Lone City #2
Also in this series: The Jewel
Published by HarperTeen on 10/6/15
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian
Pages: 320
Source: Edelweiss
My content rating: YA (Some talk of sex, including prostitution)
My rating:
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.
The White Rose was the second book in The Lone City series, and it sets Violet on a path toward revolution. It picks up right where the last book left off – Violet and Ash have just been caught together and Ash has been hauled off to await his execution while Violet has to deal with the Duchess (since she didn’t follow through with Lucien’s plan to fake her death). Well, of course, Lucien does his magic and gets Violet away (with Garnet’s help), but the danger doesn’t end there. Ash is now a wanted fugitive, and Violet begins to learn the mysteries of the Auguries and believe that she really can help bring down the Jewel. The question is can they do it all in time to save the people they love?
What fed my addiction:
- Gender bending. I loved the role reversal in this book. Normally, you see stories where there’s a damsel in distress who is just seen as a pretty face and can’t do much to help herself. In this book, that was Ash (well, besides the damsel part). Ash has to live with the stigma of being a companion. Many of the characters in the book don’t see him as anything else for a long time – they don’t see him having any valuable skills beyond his skills in the bedroom and his attractive physique. Add to that the fact that Ash has no Auguries, and Ash has quite a complex – he feels inadequate, useless. I loved seeing Ash gain his strength and sense of worth as the book went on.
- Raven. It turns out that Raven has some pretty interesting (and useful) side-effects from her horrible time in the Jewel. I actually thought that Raven’s powers held a lot more depth and interest than Violet’s did and I’m interested to see what happens with her in future books! (Is that a romance with Garnet I smell brewing?)
- Revelations. There are plenty of twists and turns and new revelations in book two to propel us to the next book (the final book, I assume?). And, of course, the book ends with a major revelation – I did see it coming to some extent, but it was still an exciting way to end the book!
What left me wanting more:
- Slightly slow in some places. There were times that the pacing of this book felt just a little bit slow. Perhaps a slight case of middle book syndrome, but nothing major.
This was a very solid second installment in the series, and I’m looking forward to the next book. I think that Ewing has set us up for a wild ride! I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author
Amy Ewing is the young adult author of THE JEWEL, the first in a trilogy from HarperTeen, coming out September 2014.
She grew up in a small town outside Boston, where her librarian mother instilled a deep love of reading at a young age. Amy moved to New York City in 2000 to study theater at New York University. Unfortunately, her acting career didn’t quite pan out. She worked in restaurants, as an administrative assistant, a nanny, and a sales representative for a wine distributor before the lack of creativity in her life drove her to begin writing.
Amy received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children from The New School, where she was lucky enough to meet a fabulous community of YA writers who keep her sane on a daily basis. She lives in Harlem, where she spends her days writing, eating cheese, and occasionally binge watching The Vampire Diaries.
Author Links:
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21 responses to “The White Rose by Amy Ewing – Review”
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I haven’t read either of these, but that’s good you really liked the sequel. Sorry the slower moments but it does happen!! Glad it didn’t take away from the overall story.
I really enjoyed both books in the series so far, and I’m eager to see where it all goes.
I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews for this so far, maybe even more so than for the first book. Glad this was a good edition to the series for you!
I think there were a lot of people who were frustrated by the instalove in the first book, but you’re past that by the second book, so …
I have not read this series, so I skimmed your review a bit. I love the idea of the role reversals with gender though. And when I saw this post, the first thing I noticed was the cover. That dress is stunning! The fact that you gave it four stars is icing on the cake. 🙂
I know those dresses are amazing, right? They make for gorgeous covers.
i have not read the first one, the gender bending seems interesting, wonder if it would work with me
Yeah, I liked that there was a male character who was seen as just a pretty face instead of the other way around.
I really enjoyed this one as well. It was a great sequel. I 100% agree with you on, Raven. She’s such an interesting character. I’m looking forward to seeing her character develop more in the next books.
Lovely review!
Yes, I think that Raven might be my favorite character in the series.
Hey there,
I love this series
Read the first one and still need to read the next one, but I wrote a review on my blog, thought you might want check it out 🙂
Thxs
I definitely will check it out!
Thanks for looking really:-*
HOW ABOUT THAT COVER THOUGH? Hands down girl, I think this is the reason this book is so popular. Just like The Selection series, those dresses always win! <3 I'm glad you liked this book girl and good news: Your awesome super human powers have convinced me to read this book. So tank you. <3
I have to admit that I’m a sucker for a pretty cover, that’s for sure!
Ooh, I just love the sound of this book. To be honest, your review had me sold at the whole gender bending point because I LOVE when books mix things up a bit like that. I have this one but not the first book yet so I have to go buy that one first xD Looking forward to it!
This sounds like a great sequel with the exception of it being a bit slow in places, but sounds like it has enough good things to make up for that. The gender bending or normal roles sounds interesting. Raven sounds like an interesting character. Great Review!
That cover is gorgeous, and despite being slower in places it does sound good. Love the breakdown review. I should take a look at book one
I know it’s not most bloggers’ favorite, but I’m really enjoying this series! I think it’s fast paced and I like the characters. I’m definitely hoping for a Raven and Garnet pairing!
Great review, lady!
I also enjoyed this book and can´t wait to read the next installment. Great review!
Adriana @ Reading Fictional
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