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The Jewel (The Lone City, #1)
Amy Ewing | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.8 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
My goodness. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book and I struggled through the 1st have but that ending!!! Holy mangos was that good!

Royalty comes with its perks in the Jewel but it also comes with its flaws.
 Royalty cannot bear their own children (well they can but they come out deformed and pass away).
 So they seek and purchase Surrogates. Once a female who has hit puberty test positive to be a Surrogate they are taken and kept at a facility to be auctioned off to these Royals.

We follow the story of Violet and her journey after being sold.

This story does have a romance but the story is more politically driven.

There were some faults that made this book a 4 instead of a 5.

Firstly the beginning just exploded with information and didn't really easy you into the plot. There were multiple times I had to reread the sections to understand what was going on or who certain people were.

Secondly the romance in this didn't give us much build up. I mean I do like the couple but there was not much to go progression wise.

Other than that this book was beautifully written and once I pushed through the 1st half I could not put it down.

Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
  
Elizabeth of York: The Last White Rose
Elizabeth of York: The Last White Rose
Alison Weir | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this rather melancholy story of the last Lancastrian princess - Elizabeth of York.
It’s 500 pages of history, with loads of details of what it was like to be a female royal during times of instability and unrest. Even for royalty it wasn’t a great time to be a woman. Only good for one thing: providing the next generation. But Elizabeth bucked that trend somewhat, and Weir makes the case for her having some influence with Henry VII. She was a literate, intelligent woman at a time where women weren’t always well educated. Her duty is always to her country and her family - and she had to play a dangerous game of keeping Richard happy whilst hoping that Henry would succeed. After all, she considers Richard responsible for the deaths of her brothers, one of whom was the true heir to the crown (but will we ever really know what happened to these boys?).

I really enjoyed this. I know from reviews I’ve read that some people believe it’s too long, but I can’t see how it could be made shorter and still make sense! There’s so much happening during Elizabeths lifetime: civil war, chopping and changing kings, backstabbing, family strife, births, deaths, marriages - the lot!

Three generations of royalty are covered wonderfully in this book, and I for one ate it up!