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.

SPOILER ALERT: As book 2 in a series, this review will contain spoilers for The Jewel, so stop here if you don’t want to see them!

Plot: ★★★
Characters: ★★★
Readability: ★★★★

The Story

Violet Lasting, former surrogate for the Duchess of The Lake, is running from The Jewel and the Duchess herself after being caught with Ash.  Running from the city, learning more about The Auguries and the stirrings of rebellion made for a gripping and fast-paced follow-up to The Jewel.

When I read it…

I picked this up on the 1st of October and couldn’t put it down – finished the 3rd of October 2015.

What I’d heard before I read it:

Actually very little – I downloaded a copy through Edelweiss because I can’t resist a dystopian, even though I thought The Jewel was just okay.  I tried to avoid reviews of this one because I knew this book would either make or break the series for me and I didn’t want to let anyone else’s opinions skew my own!

What worked for me:

• The pacing: I found this fast-moving, gripping and easy to get engrossed in
• Getting a few more answers: I was frustrated by the lack of information in The Jewel and felt it was trying too hard to be mysterious, so I liked getting some more information in The White Rose
• Character development: Violet was less perfect and much more real feeling, and I loved getting to know Garnet & Raven more
• The romance: The relationship between Violet and Ash is more developed, and less shallow feeling, which I definitely enjoyed

What didn’t quite work for me:

• Ash: There were times when I liked Ash but there were also times I couldn’t stand him, and I guess I’m just not convinced by him.
• The world-building: like in The Jewel, I still feel like maybe there’s just too many elements, and they still feel somewhat disjointed, though the information we did get definitely made this less of an issue than in the first book
• The cliffhanger: it’s sad but true that cliffhangers feel so common now that I was looking for it – and I thought it was easy to see coming

Overall thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed The White Rose, and I was definitely more hooked by it than I was by The Jewel, but it just didn’t wow me.  I liked the quick pacing and the storyline, but I also always had a slight feeling that something was missing.  I felt like I never truly connected with the world, and it just didn’t stand out enough for me to give it more than three stars.  I suspect I’ll end up re-reading The White Rose before the final book comes out, as I have a feeling I won’t remember all that much.

Will I continue the series?

I’ll be keeping up with the series, but the sequel isn’t one I’ll be pre-ordering or rushing out to pick up on release day.

Other Reviews of The White Rose: Ex Libris | Laura’s Little Book Blog | Feed Your Fiction Addiction