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The Lone City #3
The Black Key
For too long, Violet and the people of the outer circles of the Lone City have lived a life of servitude, controlled and manipulated by the royalty of the Jewel. But now, the secret society known as the Black Key is preparing to seize power and knock down the walls dividing each circle.
And while Violet knows she is at the center of this rebellion, she has a more personal stake in it—for 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.
And while Violet knows she is at the center of this rebellion, she has a more personal stake in it—for 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.
295 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2016
About the author
Amy Ewing
17 books2,349 followersAmy Ewing is the young adult author of The Jewel, the first in a trilogy from HarperTeen, coming out September 2014.
She grew up in a small town outside Boston, where her librarian mother instilled a deep love of reading at a young age. Amy moved to New York City in 2000 to study theater at New York University. Unfortunately, her acting career didn’t quite pan out. She worked in restaurants, as an administrative assistant, a nanny, and a sales representative for a wine distributor before the lack of creativity in her life drove her to begin writing.
Amy received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children from The New School, where she was lucky enough to meet a fabulous community of YA writers who keep her sane on a daily basis. She lives in Harlem, where she spends her days writing, eating cheese, and occasionally binge watching The Vampire Diaries.
She grew up in a small town outside Boston, where her librarian mother instilled a deep love of reading at a young age. Amy moved to New York City in 2000 to study theater at New York University. Unfortunately, her acting career didn’t quite pan out. She worked in restaurants, as an administrative assistant, a nanny, and a sales representative for a wine distributor before the lack of creativity in her life drove her to begin writing.
Amy received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children from The New School, where she was lucky enough to meet a fabulous community of YA writers who keep her sane on a daily basis. She lives in Harlem, where she spends her days writing, eating cheese, and occasionally binge watching The Vampire Diaries.
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February 16, 2017
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I've been sitting here for several moments trying to figure out how to begin this review. The Lone City is such a weird YA trilogy: it's dark, and yet not dark enough; it makes genuine attempts to be gritty, but is bogged down by cliche and tepid romance; it appears to be a fantasy novel, yet the world-building is so terrible that it could just as easily be a drastically different version of our world. In short, The Lone City is the perfect storm of things that I don't generally like in YA, and especially NOT in YA fantasy, and by all rights, I should have figuratively thrown this book out the window (figuratively, because I read it on my laptop, woo).
And yet, by some miracle, The Lone City was...okay.
THE JEWEL was confusing and shallow, but was dark enough that I thought there might be something to the world-building. It raised more questions than it answered, however, so my expectations for book two went up. THE WHITE ROSE answered some of my questions, but raised a whole host of new ones and took the world-building in the complete opposite direction of what I thought the author was setting it up for. Suddenly, I wasn't looking at a dystopian future, but a bizarre alternate universe fantasy world, apparently.
What.
Book three, THE BLACK KEY, was fair game. I decided that I just wasn't going to have any expectations; this time, I was just going to sit back and try to enjoy this crazy, crazy little ride.
***WARNING: SPOILERS***
Violet used to be a surrogate - an empty vessel for the rich upper class to impregnate and then kill when they were done with her. Except, all surrogates have magical powers. And it turns out that these magical powers are far more potent than anyone bothered to tell them, and are linked to the land. Because, as it turns out, the royal class are invaders in this world; the surrogates are the original inhabitants - "the Paladins" - who were enslaved and then exploited by the invaders.
At the end of the last book, it's revealed that Violet's preteen sister has been impregnated by Violet's ex-owner, so she and the other Paladins devise a plan to not only take The Jewel by force and free all the surrogates, but also to rescue Violet's sister. Violet's love interest, Ash, goes on to stage the rebellion while Violet poses as a lady-in-waiting inside her old house for reconnaissance. The clock for their grand coup is ticking down. All they need are the last few pieces of the puzzle.
The world-building was never fully resolved (or if it was, I missed it). We know that the royals are exploitative pieces of sh*t, but the middle classes weren't really explained. It's sort of implied that Paladin powers can skip a generation, which is why Violet's mom didn't have any, so I guess we're just supposed to assume that everyone who isn't royalty is a "native" inhabitant who was then subjugated by outsiders. We also never really found out where the invaders came from, why they can't get pregnant, and why the hell they have cars. (I'm still hung up on that getaway car from THE WHITE ROSE. It makes me think that, like THE SELECTION, this world might be a futuristic version of our world, but again, since the world-building was so badly done, I can't be sure.)
I felt the pregnancy thing with Hazel was a cop-out, but mostly I was relieved that a preteen hadn't actually been impregnated against her will because that would have been awful. I decided I hated Violet again in this book, because all she does is a) whine, b) blow cover, and c) make stupid and selfish decisions. When she's going undercover under the name "Imogen" she actually falls for it when someone tries to trick her by saying, "Violet?" Add to that the fact that she can't stop smirking at people and glaring at Carnelian (her "rival" for Ash), and it's amazing she wasn't discovered from page one of this ridiculous plan. But going back to cop-outs, in the conclusion of this book there are two glaring ones that I literally could not believe.
Cop-out #1: This whole plan has been building up to getting revenge against the people who exploited them. Violet has it in for The Duchess, who killed one of her friends, almost got her love interest killed, and then kidnapped her younger sister. At the end of the book, she has the opportunity to use her powers to kill The Duchess - in fact, The Duchess even challenges her to do it - and Violet actually says, "I could, but I'm not gonna." (Maybe not in those exact words, but it was close.)
I'm sorry, but WHAT?
Cop-out #2: Violet went undercover to save her sister. She knows that her sister was kidnapped because of her. She's constantly talking about how much she loves her sister. But when she thinks she might have to choose between her sister - who she's known and allegedly loved for years - and this boy she just met but has decided she loves for some reason, Violet literally freezes in place and does nothing, while thinking (again, not in these exact words, but close), "I can't make this choice!"
B*tch, I don't see a Kellogg's label on your forehead, so you cannot POSSIBLY be cereal.
But don't worry, Violet doesn't have to make any hard choices at the end, because Raven - who has undergone much more terrible things at the hands of the royal class - kills The Duchess and saves both Ash and Hazel, so Violet doesn't have to decide between her sister and her insta-love. I couldn't help but feel like the author wanted to keep Violet a "nice" person, and thought that Violet wouldn't be able to be "nice" anymore if she had a murder under her belt, however deserved. There was a lot of cognitive dissonance and back-tracking, with Violet deciding things like, "Oh hey, Carnelian isn't a bad person after all, even though she tried to steal my boyfriend (whom I technically stole from her...) because she totally saved my boyfriend for me so I wouldn't have to lift a finger! Wow, what a great gal!" It led to some serious character inconsistencies, and I lost whatever respect for her character that I reluctantly gained over the last two books. I've decided she's a spoiled twit.
The Lone City is a strange trilogy. I can't say it's one of the best I've read, but it was engaging enough that I couldn't put it down and never really felt bored. Some readers might be annoyed by Violet's selfishness and confused by the world-building, but it's different enough that they'll probably be grudgingly fascinated by it, like I was. If The Lone City is anything, it's definitely unique.
1.5 stars
Want to read
February 17, 2016i need this like right now!!! THE ENDING FROM THE WHITE ROSE IS KILLING ME!!!
WE GOT THE COVER OHMYGOD
WE GOT THE COVER OHMYGOD
October 8, 2016
“Help me. Help me help my sister.”
This was a YA dystopian story, and the end to the series.
Violet took a lot of risks in this book, and really went out of her way to try and do what she thought was right. She did maybe take too many risks at times though, and put herself and other people in danger because of it.
The storyline in this was about Violet returning to the Jewel to try and save her sister, and working to take down the royalty from the inside. This was an enjoyable story but it did take me a while to get into it, we certainly got a lot of deaths thrown in towards the end to keep things a bit more interesting though.
The ending to this wasn’t quite as strong as I hoped, but it was a happy ending.
7 out of 10
December 31, 2017
"Es diferente leer un titular en un periódico a ver las ruinas ennegrecidas que dejamos atrás".
La Ciudad Solitaria fue una trilogía distópica que me sorprendió gratamente. En realidad no esperaba mucho de la historia porque ya estaba un poco saturada de tramas de chicas bonitas, revoluciones y opresión. Con La Llave Negra se cierra una historia cruda, desagarradora y sangrienta.
El final ha llegado y las apuestas son muy altas. La revolución, toda la Sociedad de la Llave Negra se están jugando sus vidas con este ataque definitivo que están planeando. Hay infiltrados, información que va y viene, reclutas y aliados inesperados. Pero, sobre todo, hay fichas que están cambiando constantemente, hay jugadas que ni la Sociedad ni la realeza de La Joya se esperan. Hay movimientos desesperados, sentimientos que deben contenerse y un objetivo que oscila en el filo de una daga.
Con La Llave Negra nos metemos de lleno en el papel de una líder que no sólo pelea por la justicia de toda una clase, sino también por la seguridad de su familia y amigos, que son quienes están más expuestos al peligro. Este es un libro de tácticas, de dejar enfriar la venganza hasta que está en su punto y de redención por todo el daño que la realeza ha causado.
La Llave Negra es una historia en la que la muerte está en cada página, nadie está a salvo. Y eso es algo que no me dejó soltar el libro en ningún momento. El ritmo es tan vertiginoso y las ganas de saber si el gran plan maestro va a funcionar, que te lo acabas en una sentada. Como les decía, hay muertes necesarias, hay muertes por las que te alegras y hay muertes que te dejan destrozado. Pero los personajes se adaptan a las situaciones y se hacen más fuertes, creen profundamente en su causa y en que los sacrificios de sus amigos no fueron en vano.
Si hay algo que rescato de los dos últimos libros de esta trilogía es que, afortunadamente, no se centran mucho en el romance... que incluso desde el primer libro no me convenció mucho. Si bien la relación de Violet y Ash está ahí, nunca es el motor principal de nada y la autora se centra muchísimo en las injusticias, la crueldad y la revolución que están gestando desde la Sociedad de la Llave Negra.
Quiero decir que me fascinó el papel y la redención que obtienen los acompañantes en este libro. Durante toda la saga y a lo largo de la historia de la Ciudad Solitaria, no los han considerado más que objetos sexuales y en La Rosa Blanca y La Llave Negra, gracias a Ash, entendemos profundamente lo miserables que son sus vidas, lo solos que se sienten y los vicios a los que tienen que recurrir para poder seguir trabajando y enviando dinero a sus familias. Gracias a Ash el foco ya no sólo se centra en la vida inhumana de las sustitutas, sino que también la misera de los acompañantes sale a la superficie.
La Trilogía de la Ciudad Solitaria, a pesar de estar enmarcada en el molde de la revolución contra un sistema opresor, es una historia valiente y sensata que, sin duda, marca un montón por los temas tan difíciles que trata de una manera cruda e inolvidable. Me encantó que la autora nunca tuvo miedo al escribir sobre drogas, sexo, violaciones, prostitución, trata de personas, tortura y abuso.
La Ciudad Solitaria fue una trilogía distópica que me sorprendió gratamente. En realidad no esperaba mucho de la historia porque ya estaba un poco saturada de tramas de chicas bonitas, revoluciones y opresión. Con La Llave Negra se cierra una historia cruda, desagarradora y sangrienta.
El final ha llegado y las apuestas son muy altas. La revolución, toda la Sociedad de la Llave Negra se están jugando sus vidas con este ataque definitivo que están planeando. Hay infiltrados, información que va y viene, reclutas y aliados inesperados. Pero, sobre todo, hay fichas que están cambiando constantemente, hay jugadas que ni la Sociedad ni la realeza de La Joya se esperan. Hay movimientos desesperados, sentimientos que deben contenerse y un objetivo que oscila en el filo de una daga.
Con La Llave Negra nos metemos de lleno en el papel de una líder que no sólo pelea por la justicia de toda una clase, sino también por la seguridad de su familia y amigos, que son quienes están más expuestos al peligro. Este es un libro de tácticas, de dejar enfriar la venganza hasta que está en su punto y de redención por todo el daño que la realeza ha causado.
La Llave Negra es una historia en la que la muerte está en cada página, nadie está a salvo. Y eso es algo que no me dejó soltar el libro en ningún momento. El ritmo es tan vertiginoso y las ganas de saber si el gran plan maestro va a funcionar, que te lo acabas en una sentada. Como les decía, hay muertes necesarias, hay muertes por las que te alegras y hay muertes que te dejan destrozado. Pero los personajes se adaptan a las situaciones y se hacen más fuertes, creen profundamente en su causa y en que los sacrificios de sus amigos no fueron en vano.
Si hay algo que rescato de los dos últimos libros de esta trilogía es que, afortunadamente, no se centran mucho en el romance... que incluso desde el primer libro no me convenció mucho. Si bien la relación de Violet y Ash está ahí, nunca es el motor principal de nada y la autora se centra muchísimo en las injusticias, la crueldad y la revolución que están gestando desde la Sociedad de la Llave Negra.
Quiero decir que me fascinó el papel y la redención que obtienen los acompañantes en este libro. Durante toda la saga y a lo largo de la historia de la Ciudad Solitaria, no los han considerado más que objetos sexuales y en La Rosa Blanca y La Llave Negra, gracias a Ash, entendemos profundamente lo miserables que son sus vidas, lo solos que se sienten y los vicios a los que tienen que recurrir para poder seguir trabajando y enviando dinero a sus familias. Gracias a Ash el foco ya no sólo se centra en la vida inhumana de las sustitutas, sino que también la misera de los acompañantes sale a la superficie.
La Trilogía de la Ciudad Solitaria, a pesar de estar enmarcada en el molde de la revolución contra un sistema opresor, es una historia valiente y sensata que, sin duda, marca un montón por los temas tan difíciles que trata de una manera cruda e inolvidable. Me encantó que la autora nunca tuvo miedo al escribir sobre drogas, sexo, violaciones, prostitución, trata de personas, tortura y abuso.
November 4, 2016
1 1/2 stars
I want to say this was a completely ridiculous, stereotypical dystopian/fantasy trilogy and I would never recommend it, but that's not entirely true. For some odd reason, I liked the second book. Sequels are usually the ones that end up disappointing me, but here it was the opposite. Let's run through what I thought of this series:
The Jewel was addicting, but I had so many problems with it. The vague world building, underdeveloped characters, instalove, and clichés, just to name a few…
The White Rose was dramatically improved. I grew fond of Violet and Ash (even the romance!), there was so much more action, and above all, it was super entertaining…
And then there's The Black Key. This turned out to be my least favorite in the trilogy. Violet Lasting and her friends - a group of rebels known as the Black Key - are planning to revolt against the Jewel, a city where wealthy people thrive and treat the poor like animals, making them into servants, surrogates, and "companions" (aka prostitutes).
In The Jewel, Violet was purchased as a surrogate, but she escaped. Now she has a plan to overthrow the city entirely by disguising herself and sneaking into the heart of the Jewel - to the house of the Duchess of the Lake.
These books are pretty terrible and I'm not sure why I continued reading them, though I suppose that's one good thing about them - the unexplainable desire to read more. Maybe it's the addictive writing or so-bad-it's-good plot similar to The Selection. I've compared The Selection to bad TV you can't stop watching, and I feel like this series is much the same.
So many of the plot points didn't make sense, like when Violet suddenly felt the need to use her powers to make a bunch of key shapes in mirrors - and then her friend got blamed for it and killed. All for something stupid that Violet never had to do in the first place.
The Duchess was a looming threat, but she seemed ridiculously fake. She was a caricature of a villain whom I couldn't take seriously. There was a reveal about her toward the end that changed nothing and was only there for the sake of having a "plot twist."
A very rushed, mindless, action-filled finale that hurriedly tied everything up. I know I brought this upon myself and can hardly be surprised by this poor conclusion. I can't deny these weren't quick reads, though. I might pick up a different book by this author in the future.
I want to say this was a completely ridiculous, stereotypical dystopian/fantasy trilogy and I would never recommend it, but that's not entirely true. For some odd reason, I liked the second book. Sequels are usually the ones that end up disappointing me, but here it was the opposite. Let's run through what I thought of this series:
The Jewel was addicting, but I had so many problems with it. The vague world building, underdeveloped characters, instalove, and clichés, just to name a few…
The White Rose was dramatically improved. I grew fond of Violet and Ash (even the romance!), there was so much more action, and above all, it was super entertaining…
And then there's The Black Key. This turned out to be my least favorite in the trilogy. Violet Lasting and her friends - a group of rebels known as the Black Key - are planning to revolt against the Jewel, a city where wealthy people thrive and treat the poor like animals, making them into servants, surrogates, and "companions" (aka prostitutes).
In The Jewel, Violet was purchased as a surrogate, but she escaped. Now she has a plan to overthrow the city entirely by disguising herself and sneaking into the heart of the Jewel - to the house of the Duchess of the Lake.
These books are pretty terrible and I'm not sure why I continued reading them, though I suppose that's one good thing about them - the unexplainable desire to read more. Maybe it's the addictive writing or so-bad-it's-good plot similar to The Selection. I've compared The Selection to bad TV you can't stop watching, and I feel like this series is much the same.
So many of the plot points didn't make sense, like when Violet suddenly felt the need to use her powers to make a bunch of key shapes in mirrors - and then her friend got blamed for it and killed. All for something stupid that Violet never had to do in the first place.
The Duchess was a looming threat, but she seemed ridiculously fake. She was a caricature of a villain whom I couldn't take seriously. There was a reveal about her toward the end that changed nothing and was only there for the sake of having a "plot twist."
A very rushed, mindless, action-filled finale that hurriedly tied everything up. I know I brought this upon myself and can hardly be surprised by this poor conclusion. I can't deny these weren't quick reads, though. I might pick up a different book by this author in the future.
December 14, 2016
Such a fast paced read, I had to stay up late to finish it in one sitting! I love Violet and how powerful she is, and what she inspires in others. Her sense of loyalty to her family and friends was lovely to read about. Aside from that, man, did things get real at the end there. The plots and motivations for the different characters all came to the surface and it made So. Much. Sense. I also thought that all the deaths were really well handled too, so overall, this is one of the best finales I've read in a series....ever!
July 31, 2019
"I'd rather die fighting the royalty than serving them."
It's like I connected with Air and flew through these pages.
The finale of The Lone City- Trilogy is fast paced, violent and bloody. It was as well written as the first two books in the series and it surely kept me glued to the pages. You get to see a whole other side of the city and of the life of it's inhabitants which was really fascinating. There are some things that could've gone another way for this to be perfect, I mean... But all in all I really liked the whole series and I do not regret revisiting Violet on her journey.
April 9, 2017
Lucien...oh Lucien...I'm gonna miss you! I really don't know what I feels. Its all mixed up. I'm sad, angry, happy, disappointed, and etc. This third book of the series really makes me emotionally crazy. However, I do think this book is much more better than the other two. Gonna miss all the characters though. The whole review will be in my blog soon.
Want to read
July 22, 2015I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW
November 30, 2017
4,5 Sterne
Ein schöner und spannender Abschluss dieser Reihe.
Ein schöner und spannender Abschluss dieser Reihe.
July 22, 2019
Sin duda el mejor de la saga.
No pude soltarlo desde que empecé a leerlo, tanta acción, magia y yo preocupada de sus a estos personajes con los que finalmente me encariñé les pase algo.
En este libro Violet debe volver al lugar donde más peligro corre y hacerse pasar por otra persona mientras cumple su misión. No puedo decirles más que eso porque sería spoiler.
Me gustó bastante y me voy con una buena impresión de esta trilogía, la escritura crece un montón del primer libro a este. Más aventuras, más drama y un objetivo claro. Derrocar a la realeza, al principio de la saga no me esperaba que tome ese rumbo y después me quedé pensando... ¿No es en todas las distopias juveniles el objetivo derrocar al gobierno opresor?
Más motivos para recordarles este libro si les gustan las distopias, la fantasía y quieren un libro fácil de leer, entretenido y sobre un grupo de personas que buscan decidir sobre su propio destino.
.
Yo leyendo la llave negra: 😥😮😲😊🤗
No pude soltarlo desde que empecé a leerlo, tanta acción, magia y yo preocupada de sus a estos personajes con los que finalmente me encariñé les pase algo.
En este libro Violet debe volver al lugar donde más peligro corre y hacerse pasar por otra persona mientras cumple su misión. No puedo decirles más que eso porque sería spoiler.
Me gustó bastante y me voy con una buena impresión de esta trilogía, la escritura crece un montón del primer libro a este. Más aventuras, más drama y un objetivo claro. Derrocar a la realeza, al principio de la saga no me esperaba que tome ese rumbo y después me quedé pensando... ¿No es en todas las distopias juveniles el objetivo derrocar al gobierno opresor?
Más motivos para recordarles este libro si les gustan las distopias, la fantasía y quieren un libro fácil de leer, entretenido y sobre un grupo de personas que buscan decidir sobre su propio destino.
.
Yo leyendo la llave negra: 😥😮😲😊🤗
September 5, 2017
Es ist vorbei 😭😭
Ich habe dieses Buch innerhalb von 24h gelesen...das sagt schon alles, oder? Es lässt sich einfach so schnell lesen und verschlingen und macht total süchtig!
Auch wenn ich gern noch ein bisschen mehr darüber gewusst hätte, was in der Zukunft passieren wird, ist das mein Lieblingsband der Reihe 💖 Die Charaktere sind so stark und bilden ein so großartiges Team. Außerdem gab es in diesem Buch einige geniale Szenen (ich denke nur an das Aufeinandertreffen Ravens mit ihrer früheren Herrin! BADASS!), die mein Herz erobert haben.
Toll 💕
Ich habe dieses Buch innerhalb von 24h gelesen...das sagt schon alles, oder? Es lässt sich einfach so schnell lesen und verschlingen und macht total süchtig!
Auch wenn ich gern noch ein bisschen mehr darüber gewusst hätte, was in der Zukunft passieren wird, ist das mein Lieblingsband der Reihe 💖 Die Charaktere sind so stark und bilden ein so großartiges Team. Außerdem gab es in diesem Buch einige geniale Szenen (ich denke nur an das Aufeinandertreffen Ravens mit ihrer früheren Herrin! BADASS!), die mein Herz erobert haben.
Toll 💕
October 18, 2016
This was unexpectedly excellent. I actually loved it.
RTC.
RTC.
March 28, 2017
Zu einem krönenden Abschluss hat noch ein bisschen was gefehlt.
April 7, 2020
*NON SPOILER SERIES MINI REVIEW*
What a lovely trilogy! I flew through all three books in a matter of 72 hours and had such a fun time. I loved being immersed in this storyline and grew a connection with these characters quite quickly. It has a similar premise to The Selection series which I absolutely loved back in 2014, so these books made me a bit nostalgic and make me want to do a Selection series re-read. The writing in these books are a bit juvenile, with the world not being as complex and confusing as some YA fantasy/dystopian novels in the world. It made them easy to fly through and really grasped my attention. I wish we could get a 4th book to see what comes next in The Jewel world, one can dream! Highly recommend these :)
What a lovely trilogy! I flew through all three books in a matter of 72 hours and had such a fun time. I loved being immersed in this storyline and grew a connection with these characters quite quickly. It has a similar premise to The Selection series which I absolutely loved back in 2014, so these books made me a bit nostalgic and make me want to do a Selection series re-read. The writing in these books are a bit juvenile, with the world not being as complex and confusing as some YA fantasy/dystopian novels in the world. It made them easy to fly through and really grasped my attention. I wish we could get a 4th book to see what comes next in The Jewel world, one can dream! Highly recommend these :)
January 9, 2017
WOWWWW! what a conclusion. by far one of the best, most consistent series i have ever read. speechless.
January 15, 2018
Ein gelungener Abschluss der Reihe.
Zwar hätte ich mir den Kampf am Ende ein wenig ausführlicher gewünscht, aber das ist meckern auf hohem Niveau.
Die Charaktere haben eine so unglaubliche Entwicklung durchgemacht und ihr Entschlossenheit für ihre Ziele zu kämpfen und einzustehen ist überwältigend.
Insgesamt fand ich den ersten Teil am Besten, aber auch Teil 2 und 3 sind nur knapp an den 5 Sternen vorbeigeschlittert.
Von daher klare Empfehlung für diese Reihe.
Zwar hätte ich mir den Kampf am Ende ein wenig ausführlicher gewünscht, aber das ist meckern auf hohem Niveau.
Die Charaktere haben eine so unglaubliche Entwicklung durchgemacht und ihr Entschlossenheit für ihre Ziele zu kämpfen und einzustehen ist überwältigend.
Insgesamt fand ich den ersten Teil am Besten, aber auch Teil 2 und 3 sind nur knapp an den 5 Sternen vorbeigeschlittert.
Von daher klare Empfehlung für diese Reihe.
January 2, 2023
3 stars ✨
“Once to see it as it is. Twice to see it in your mind. Thrice to bend it to your will.”
1st review of 2023!
The Black Key was an enjoyable read. This series was fun, it had a lot of potential-but I felt like this last installment could have been a little more interesting, it just was ok for me though. I was looking forward to an intense dramatic action packed ending but it sorta lacked. Don’t regret it though, it was a great spin on a lot of other dystopian novels I’ve read in the past which made it fun and a unique twist on some of my favorites.
“Once to see it as it is. Twice to see it in your mind. Thrice to bend it to your will.”
1st review of 2023!
The Black Key was an enjoyable read. This series was fun, it had a lot of potential-but I felt like this last installment could have been a little more interesting, it just was ok for me though. I was looking forward to an intense dramatic action packed ending but it sorta lacked. Don’t regret it though, it was a great spin on a lot of other dystopian novels I’ve read in the past which made it fun and a unique twist on some of my favorites.
December 8, 2017
*** 3.5 STARS ***
I didn’t like this book as much as I liked the second part of the series but I still think it was a great conclusion to this trilogy! The only things that bothered me a little were that the beginning was really slow and that whenever events from the other two books were mentioned, they were also once again thoroughly described. It just really disrupted my reading flow. I usually don’t mind those recaps of the other books because they do help if you don’t read all the books in a row, but I just felt like the recaps were way too long and I just felt myself skipping over them. But besides that, this was a very enjoyable read!
I didn’t like this book as much as I liked the second part of the series but I still think it was a great conclusion to this trilogy! The only things that bothered me a little were that the beginning was really slow and that whenever events from the other two books were mentioned, they were also once again thoroughly described. It just really disrupted my reading flow. I usually don’t mind those recaps of the other books because they do help if you don’t read all the books in a row, but I just felt like the recaps were way too long and I just felt myself skipping over them. But besides that, this was a very enjoyable read!
October 22, 2016
The Black Key is an entertaining and captivating dystopian series, blending fantasy with an oppressive rule and a band of heroines that are determined to end the oppression. The Jewel begun Violet's journey as a Surrogate, chosen by the Duchess of The Lake to bare her an heir and a sibling for Garnet, the former playboy Prince. After their brazen escape, Violet, Raven and former Companion Ash have retreated to the White Rose, a rural haven for those seeking solace from the merciless royal court. Throughout the series, we've seen Violet mature into a young woman who understands that her mistakes no longer define who she is, a leader among women on the verge of a revolution. But unlike previous installments, Violet now finds herself returning to The Jewel to rescue sister Hazel, despite Ash's protest. I loved Violet for her strength, which could often be seen as condescending as she asks Ash to remain at the White Rose.
Dejected and a wanted fugitive, Ash believes he is beneficial to the rebellion and is able to assemble the Royal Companions to which Violet is opposed, refusing to allow Ash to jeopardise his freedom for the cause. With Lucian's assistance, Violet returns to the House of The Lake under the guise of a new Lady In Waiting for Garnet's betrothed. Returning to the wealth of the castle felt remarkably like an adaptation of The Jewel and a regression in terms of character development and storyline. Violet is reckless and makes incredibly careless decisions which may threaten the Black Key revolution. She feels responsible for Hazel's abduction, the Duchess having seized Hazel to take Violet's place as Surrogate and her internal guilt fuels her desire to make dangerous decisions which are generally not the best cause of action.
As Violet masks her identity in The Jewel, the former surrogates are being guided by Raven, a former surrogate herself who was tortured in her time within The Jewel. Raven is one of my favourite characters and I was disappointed that she wasn't able to play a greater role in The Black Key as her strength and resilience is one of the aspects that endeared me to The Lone City series. I would have liked to have experienced the girls exploring their Augury abilities, especially given the oppression of the Surrogates throughout the series and their journey to freedom.
Although it felt anticlimactic throughout the storyline, the final few chapters were brilliantly written, emotional and vividly imagined with friends reuniting, although not everyone will make it through unscathed. Such a wonderful debut series that is often underestimated by readers. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dejected and a wanted fugitive, Ash believes he is beneficial to the rebellion and is able to assemble the Royal Companions to which Violet is opposed, refusing to allow Ash to jeopardise his freedom for the cause. With Lucian's assistance, Violet returns to the House of The Lake under the guise of a new Lady In Waiting for Garnet's betrothed. Returning to the wealth of the castle felt remarkably like an adaptation of The Jewel and a regression in terms of character development and storyline. Violet is reckless and makes incredibly careless decisions which may threaten the Black Key revolution. She feels responsible for Hazel's abduction, the Duchess having seized Hazel to take Violet's place as Surrogate and her internal guilt fuels her desire to make dangerous decisions which are generally not the best cause of action.
As Violet masks her identity in The Jewel, the former surrogates are being guided by Raven, a former surrogate herself who was tortured in her time within The Jewel. Raven is one of my favourite characters and I was disappointed that she wasn't able to play a greater role in The Black Key as her strength and resilience is one of the aspects that endeared me to The Lone City series. I would have liked to have experienced the girls exploring their Augury abilities, especially given the oppression of the Surrogates throughout the series and their journey to freedom.
Although it felt anticlimactic throughout the storyline, the final few chapters were brilliantly written, emotional and vividly imagined with friends reuniting, although not everyone will make it through unscathed. Such a wonderful debut series that is often underestimated by readers. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
November 10, 2016
H O L Y B A N A N A S !
The Lone City trilogy is one of the best YA trilogies I read so far <3
The world building and magic system is awesome :) the story is so gripping, intense and sometimes very emotional :) and what matters most: we've got Violet, a very selfless, caring and strong female protagonist who improves every single book a bit more :) her companions are so lovely and very well written as well :)
The trilogy has more to offer than just beautiful book covers :)
PLEASE please please read this trilogy if you haven't already done it 'cause it's totally worth your time <3
The Lone City trilogy is one of the best YA trilogies I read so far <3
The world building and magic system is awesome :) the story is so gripping, intense and sometimes very emotional :) and what matters most: we've got Violet, a very selfless, caring and strong female protagonist who improves every single book a bit more :) her companions are so lovely and very well written as well :)
The trilogy has more to offer than just beautiful book covers :)
PLEASE please please read this trilogy if you haven't already done it 'cause it's totally worth your time <3
July 14, 2017
Der Anfang war soooo viel versprechend aber das Ende hat mich doch irgendwie enttäuscht. Ich dachte das Buch endet mit einem großen booooom aber irgendwie war es wie ein kleines pff... Schade aber ich kann damit leben. In diesem Teil ist Violet anders, einfach rücksichtslos, nur zwischendurch kam die alte Violet zum Vorschein. Die Liebesgeschichte fand ich ehrlich gesagt auch einfach zu gezwungen ohne dies wäre es auch nicht schlimm. Ich fand es war nichts ganzes und nichts halbes. Aber im großen und ganzen war es trotzdem eine tolle Reihe.
June 8, 2022
شجاعت و ابهت از این کتاب و شخصیتاش میباره🤌
۱۰۰ صفحهی آخرو تو یه روز خوندم-بله تو امتحانای خرداد😌😂-
در کل اینجلد خیلی قوی تر بود-کاملا داستان پخته تر شده بود و از تک به تک توصیفها لذت میبردم...
حس میکنم واقعا اونجا بودم-انگار همشو خواب دیدم و پاشدم...
کلا شاید بااینکه قابل پیشبینی بود، انقدر جزئیات قشنگه و همه چی خوب با هم مچ میشه و اتفاقات کاملا جوندار و باورپذیرن که آدم لذت میبره☝🏼
خلاصه که تو این مجموعه بهم خوش گذشت خیییلی خاص و موردعلاقم نبود ولی فضاشو دوست داشتم...ترکیب دارک و سافت بود🥂💫
*دلم براشون مخصوصا گارنت تنگ میشه🥲😔
۱۰۰ صفحهی آخرو تو یه روز خوندم-بله تو امتحانای خرداد😌😂-
در کل اینجلد خیلی قوی تر بود-کاملا داستان پخته تر شده بود و از تک به تک توصیفها لذت میبردم...
حس میکنم واقعا اونجا بودم-انگار همشو خواب دیدم و پاشدم...
کلا شاید بااینکه قابل پیشبینی بود، انقدر جزئیات قشنگه و همه چی خوب با هم مچ میشه و اتفاقات کاملا جوندار و باورپذیرن که آدم لذت میبره☝🏼
خلاصه که تو این مجموعه بهم خوش گذشت خیییلی خاص و موردعلاقم نبود ولی فضاشو دوست داشتم...ترکیب دارک و سافت بود🥂💫
*دلم براشون مخصوصا گارنت تنگ میشه🥲😔
Want to read
February 29, 2016Oooooooookay.
I haven't even read the second book yet to get this far, but you know what?
Heck yes.
Untitled?
No problem.
gasps
There's a cover....and a title...... and it's beautiful!
I haven't even read the second book yet to get this far, but you know what?
Heck yes.
Untitled?
No problem.
gasps
There's a cover....and a title...... and it's beautiful!
November 3, 2021
۳.۵ ولی رو به پایین
چون یه شخصیت خوبو احمقانه کُشت و یه بیمصرف رو نجات داد.
چون یه شخصیت خوبو احمقانه کُشت و یه بیمصرف رو نجات داد.
April 26, 2018
Dieser Band war der sehr gelungene Abschluss einer zauberhaften Trilogie. Hier war anders in den beiden anderen Teilen wieder eine ganz andere Handlung im Vordergrund, was unheimlich zur Spannung beitrug. Außerdem fand ich dieses Buch unerwartet traurig und dramatisch. Das Ende habe ich mir ähnlich, aber nicht exakt so vorgestellt, da hat mir irgendwas kleines gefehlt. Ich bin wirklich traurig, dass diese Reise mit Violett, Ash und Co. vorbei ist, aber mindestens genau so froh, solch eine tolle Reihe gelesen zu haben. Und das sicher nicht zum ersten und letzten Mal!
February 27, 2021
“The people you love make you strong, Violet. They make you brave and fearless. I wish there were some way I could make you see that.”
Actual Rating: 2.75 stars
This was fine for what it was.
It's been a few years since I read the first two books, but I had never gotten around to finishing the trilogy. I'd actually kind of forgotten about it until I was scrolling through Hoopla and saw that it was available. Since my reading tastes are vastly different than they were when I read/enjoyed the first two books, I went into this one with pretty low expectations. Even for all of my never-ending love for cheesy dystopians, this series is not the highest quality and I knew that back then. It did exceed my extremely low expectations, so take that for what it's worth.
I hate the main character with a burning passion but other aspects of the plot make up for it. For being a baseline dystopian, there are enough unique elements to set it apart from all the other stories it no doubt took inspiration from. An aspect I appreciated in this one was when Violet actually saw the people in the palaces as people even if she didn't care five minutes later lol. It's very common for dystopians to have a black and white view of the good side and the bad side, and this was no exception, but there was a brief moment when it almost was.
How-freaking-ever, I have NEVER been more pissed off by a character death than the major one in here.
Anyway, I'm glad I finished the series but it's definitely not one I'm going to remember.
Actual Rating: 2.75 stars
This was fine for what it was.
It's been a few years since I read the first two books, but I had never gotten around to finishing the trilogy. I'd actually kind of forgotten about it until I was scrolling through Hoopla and saw that it was available. Since my reading tastes are vastly different than they were when I read/enjoyed the first two books, I went into this one with pretty low expectations. Even for all of my never-ending love for cheesy dystopians, this series is not the highest quality and I knew that back then. It did exceed my extremely low expectations, so take that for what it's worth.
I hate the main character with a burning passion but other aspects of the plot make up for it. For being a baseline dystopian, there are enough unique elements to set it apart from all the other stories it no doubt took inspiration from. An aspect I appreciated in this one was when Violet actually saw the people in the palaces as people even if she didn't care five minutes later lol. It's very common for dystopians to have a black and white view of the good side and the bad side, and this was no exception, but there was a brief moment when it almost was.
How-freaking-ever, I have NEVER been more pissed off by a character death than the major one in here.
Anyway, I'm glad I finished the series but it's definitely not one I'm going to remember.
January 1, 2019
Meine Meinung: Ich bin super gut in den dritten Teil reingekommen, obwohl zwischen dem zweiten und dritten doch knapp ein halbes Jahr liegt. Aber da mir die vorherigen Teile super gut gefallen haben, musste ich den dritten Teil dann auch noch irgendwann lesen.
Das Buch ließ sich richtig schnell lesen, wie auch die ersten beiden Bände, da der Schreibstil super toll ist. Es wurde nicht zu detailreich geschrieben aber auch nichts ausgelassen meiner Meinung nach. Die Kapitel wurden auch nicht zu knapp oder zu lang gehalten was ich sehr gut finde!
Die Handlung an sich hat mir super gut gefallen, da man am Ende des zweiten Teils erfährt, das die Schwester von Violet entführt wurde und Violet macht sich dann im dritten Teil natürlich auf die Suche nach ihr. Es war sehr spannend von Anfang an.
Das Ende aber war mit Abstand das beste an dem Buch. Die letzten 100 Seiten war es richtig spannend und ich konnte das Buch nicht aus den Händen legen, da es mich so gefesselt hat. Der dritte Band ist der beste aus Trilogie!
Charaktere: Violet beweist ein weiteres Mal ihre Stärke. Sie ist super mutig und hilfsbereit. Sie setzt sich wirklich für jeden ein und das macht sie zu einer tollen Persönlichkeit. Auch Ash hat seinen Teil gut gespielt. Er ist nämlich genau so stark, mutig und hilfsbereit wie Violet. Leider spielt er in dem letzten Teil nicht so eine große Rolle. Dennoch geht es hier jetzt auch mehr um die anderen Surrogates, was ich super finde, denn die haben die Aufmerksamkeit verdient. Garnet ist auch wieder mit dabei, genau so wie Lucien, denn die beiden sind ein tolles Team und retten die Menschen. Eher gesagt wollen sie ja den Adel stürzen. Sie sind alle sehr mutig!!
Fazit: Das Buch hat mir einfach unglaublich gut gefallen. Auch in diesem Teil beweisen die Mädchen ihre Stärken, was durch den Schreibstil der Autorin gut umgesetzt wurde. Aber das beste an dem Buch war definitiv das Ende. Es war mega spannend und ich konnte mich nicht losreißen von dem Buch! Absolut empfehlenswert! 5/5 🌟
June 20, 2019
Opinión personal:
Desde que leí el libro 1 esta historia me atrapo....la brutalidad que tenía esa realidad era despiadada y cruda envuelta en falsos ideales, pervertida con poder y ambición.
Seguí con el dos y la autora dio una especie de luz entre tanta oscuridad ocurriendo, una pequeña llama que encendería después para alentar a todo aquel que este bajo el yugo de la realeza.
Entonces deben de saber que estaba esperando el final....ese libro que me diera un desenlace único, uno épico...grande escandaloso y memorable.
Y lo fue.....corto pero lo fue.
Sin duda la autora sabe cómo crear tensión. ..Como hacerte querer saber más y más en cada capitulo. Ella te alimenta con pequeños bocados de esperanza, de lucha...para que el plato fuerte se disfrute.
Yo casi iba a más de la mitad del libro y nada mas no veía sangre...no veía a la revolución en su estado más puro…ya estaba yo toda cardíaca, mordiéndome las uñas y pensando: Ya se va a acabar el libro y nada mas no veo nada!!....pero los últimos 6 o 7 capitulos entraron con todo.
Todo el coraje, la venganza, el odio de toda una vida de esclavitud. ...de vivir en la miseria por no tener oportunidades... O por obligarte a vender tu cuerpo por el placer y la avaricia de la nobleza.
Leí muerte, sangre...de personajes buenos, dulces...personajes que me dolieron...leí destrucción....pero con ello leí la libertad que tuvieron...la sensación agridulce de la victoria por los caídos. Leí como una civilización que creían extinta volvía a la vida...como florecía la esperanza para el futuro que todos soñaba.
Mereció completamente la espera a esos últimos capítulos.
La llave negra tiene todos lo que se necesita para ser una de los mejores finales que leí, no falta la acción, las traiciones, la falta de confianza, los misterios, las muertes y también un poco de amor.
Desde que leí el libro 1 esta historia me atrapo....la brutalidad que tenía esa realidad era despiadada y cruda envuelta en falsos ideales, pervertida con poder y ambición.
Seguí con el dos y la autora dio una especie de luz entre tanta oscuridad ocurriendo, una pequeña llama que encendería después para alentar a todo aquel que este bajo el yugo de la realeza.
Entonces deben de saber que estaba esperando el final....ese libro que me diera un desenlace único, uno épico...grande escandaloso y memorable.
Y lo fue.....corto pero lo fue.
Sin duda la autora sabe cómo crear tensión. ..Como hacerte querer saber más y más en cada capitulo. Ella te alimenta con pequeños bocados de esperanza, de lucha...para que el plato fuerte se disfrute.
Yo casi iba a más de la mitad del libro y nada mas no veía sangre...no veía a la revolución en su estado más puro…ya estaba yo toda cardíaca, mordiéndome las uñas y pensando: Ya se va a acabar el libro y nada mas no veo nada!!....pero los últimos 6 o 7 capitulos entraron con todo.
Todo el coraje, la venganza, el odio de toda una vida de esclavitud. ...de vivir en la miseria por no tener oportunidades... O por obligarte a vender tu cuerpo por el placer y la avaricia de la nobleza.
Leí muerte, sangre...de personajes buenos, dulces...personajes que me dolieron...leí destrucción....pero con ello leí la libertad que tuvieron...la sensación agridulce de la victoria por los caídos. Leí como una civilización que creían extinta volvía a la vida...como florecía la esperanza para el futuro que todos soñaba.
Mereció completamente la espera a esos últimos capítulos.
La llave negra tiene todos lo que se necesita para ser una de los mejores finales que leí, no falta la acción, las traiciones, la falta de confianza, los misterios, las muertes y también un poco de amor.
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