Good Choice Reading: Review: The White Rose by Amy Ewing

THE WHITE ROSE
by Amy Ewing
Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected publication: October 6th 2015
by HarperTeen

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 has my emotions all over. The Jewel was one of my favorite reads of last year, but unfortunately I did not enjoy The White Rose as much as I did The Jewel.

The White Rose offers a lot more than The Jewel, so why didn't I enjoy it as much? I think for multiple reasons, and one being is that I had a hard time finding that connection with the characters like I did in the first book. I don't know what it was, really, but I didn't really care for them. Well, that's not entirely true. I did end up liking Ash way more in this book than I did in the first, and my love for Garnett remains the same. Violet didn't really do anything that made me dislike her, but I didn't love her. I also think the fact that I read book one so long ago, that I sort of forgot all the reasons why I loved her so much. I wasn't a fan of the romance in book one, and unfortunately I am still not a fan of it in The White Rose. Even though I am now a fan of Ash, and understand him better, I just don't feel the chemistry between him and Violet. It just isn't there for me. I do think Ash steps up to the plate though, and shows Violet that he is more than just a "Companion". He doesn't just sit back and play the puppet in this one.

Oh, and I can't forget Violet's best friend, Raven. Poor Raven. She has been through so much and she struggles a lot with herself. She plays a bigger role in this book than the first, and I am happy the author did that. She was one of my favorites in the first, too.

Despite all that, there are plenty of things I did like about The White Rose. To me, it moved a lot faster than the first book. I got a lot of answers in this sequel, and even some history on the characters. There is also a lot more magic, which sort of lacked in the first. I think this is the reason why I as able to enjoy it and finish reading it. I have hope that the third book is going to be ten times better than this one, and maybe Ash and Violet's romance will really blossom. I plan on finishing the series since I do like Amy Ewing's writing style.