The Jewel by Amy Ewing

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Title: The Jewel by Amy Ewing
Pages: 368
Summary: This YA novel is interesting.  I chose it because it was similar to the Selection series by Kiera Cass and at first thought it was going to be a complete rip off of it. It's not! The premise of this story is that the royal lineage is maintained by girls who have the genetic code required to carry royal babies.  These girls are tested when they are thirteen and if they have the right code they are removed from their families and placed in holding facilities until they are sixteen. At sixteen they are auctioned off to the royal families and become that family's surrogate.  The main character of this story, Violet Lasting, is sold to the Duchess of the Lake. The Duchess of the Lake is in need of a special surrogate that can deliver her a healthy, special baby girl so she can arrange a marriage to the Exetor (king) son.  She will stop at nothing to do it.  Violet, or Lot 197, is caught up in a situation that she doesn't want to be in.  She misses her family, her choices, and her friends. But it's not all bad. The Duchess rewards her when she is good and she has the luck of falling in love. Her falling in love as well as her relationship with another member of the Royal Court provides the intrigue and suspense. This is a solid story and I will continue the series but there are a few times when the story is predictable.

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