The Jewel

The Jewel by Amy Ewing, 2014 HarperTeen

     In the Lone City life is broken into circles surrounding the royalty. Lords and Ladies and their households are in the center of the small city-state. Next comes a circle of the bankers and merchants. Around the non-royal rich are the factories, then a circle containing the farm. The final and poorest circle is the Marsh where the royalty pluck their surrogates from the ranks of young women.
     Young women like Violet are tested as they reach puberty. If they test positive for an enzyme which creates the Auguaries (Mystic magical abilities to manipulate matter) the girl is taken to a holding facility where she learns how to control the Auguaries and is prepared for a life among the royalty.
     Violet has passed through her training and is now going to the Auction with her best friend Raven. Beyond the preparation of the auction all life for the surrogates is unknown - they will be bought by either royalty or select wealthy merchants, then bear a child for that family.
     As one of the more sought-after surrogates of her year Violet is one of the last to be auctioned. She is purchased by the Duchess of the Lake for her perfect score on the Auguary Growth. The Duchess wants the child Violet will bear to be the perfect foil for the son of the Exetor (Leader of the City).
     Naively Violet expects to be cared for and to enjoy her time with the royalty, but when the ladies of court are not above murdering each other's surrogates it appears all is fair in their power games. An unexpected friendship and a forbidden romance have Violet questioning what it is to choose and whether or not the status quo is worth the cost.
     The Jewel shows how the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Dealing with mature content including reproductive medicine and family planning, Amy Ewing's debut is written for young adults, focusing on teen readers.