The White Rose by Amy Ewing

A Lone City series, bk 2. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781406347586
Recommended for 15+ years. In this world some girls are taken from their homes to be surrogates for the elite. Each year they are sent to an auction where they are bid on by the rich women from The Jewel. Violet is a surrogate who has just been caught in bed with her boyfriend Ash, by The Duchess of the lake. With the help of Garnet, the Duchess's son, they manage to rescue Ash and her pregnant friend Raven and escape into the Lone City. It's here that she learns about a rebellion and how her own powers can help. The only problem is: what are they and could Violet ever reach her full potential?
I found The White Rose initially difficult to follow as I hadn't read the previous book, The Jewel, however the more the book progressed the easier it was to become absorbed into the storyline. The first half I found a bit repetitive as it explained what had happened in the first book, though it soon picked up and became fast paced with a few shocks and spins into the story line. The characters interaction with each other was well developed and I found that I really enjoyed getting to know each of them. The ending ends with a cliff hanger to which made for an interesting lead up yet I suspected how it would end, which was a little disappointing. With all that said and done I am now looking forward to reading the first book and I'm sure I will enjoy the third book as well.
I am going to recommend this book to the readers who really loved the Divergent series and also readers who enjoyed Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's tale.
Jody Holmes