The Black Key by Amy Ewing Series: The Lone City #3
Published by HarperTeen
Published: October 4th 2016
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For too long, Violet and the people of the outer circles of the Lone City have lived in service to the royalty of the Jewel. But now the secret society known as the Black Key is preparing to seize power.
And while Violet knows she is at the center of this rebellion, she has a more personal stake in it—her sister, Hazel, has been taken by the Duchess of the Lake. Now, after fighting so hard to escape the Jewel, Violet must do everything in her power to return to save not only Hazel, but the future of the Lone City.
I started on the journey of The Lone City (The Jewel, The White Rose, and The Black Key) in 2014 not really knowing what to expect. I had just gone on a binge read of The Selection series and I needed more book crack. To be honest I picked up The Jewel because of the cover. I’m not going to lie. It had a pretty dress and I just finished a series that had pretty dress covers. Thankfully it 100% worked because I fell in love with the story and the characters and the unexpected twists that lead to The White Rose and once again being sucked in. And luckily, The Black Key followed suite. I didn’t love it as much as books 1 and 2, but it really was a satisfying ending for a series I was very immersed in.
I can’t really say too much without giving away some of the plot twists of the other two books so this part is going to be very very vague. What I can tell you is that I loved the changes and the growth that happened for Violet. In the beginning she was so naïve about life and the world surrounding her. She was sheltered and unsure about everything. But by the end she was so strong and self-assured. She still made mistakes and didn’t always do what was the best thing, but she did do what she thought was the best at the time of the decision. She really grew up as the trilogy progressed and that was by far the best part of the series as a whole. I also loved how she was willing to be a leader. She took a ragtag group of people and made something out of them. It was very reminiscent of the final season on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it really worked in this story.
The other thing I liked was the gender switch that took place a lot through this series. Instead of a woman acting as the role of “escort” it was actually the role of men to play that part, to be the (for lack of a better word) whore. That was actually refreshing. And it was refreshing to see Violet, the woman, be the one telling Ash, her companion, that he couldn’t do something so that he would be safe. That doesn’t happen a lot in books. Stereotypical gender roles are almost always followed so I love that Ewing went a different route.
Basically, I can’t believe this series is over. It has been 2 years that I have been wrapped up in this world that Amy Ewing created and now it is over. I’m half sad and half satisfied, but really I just want more Ash and Violet in my life. Okay and all the other fantastic characters, and Amy’s writing. I don’t think that is too much to ask. Pick up this series if you’re looking for something entertaining to read.
Reviews: The Jewel || The White Rose
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