The Black Key (Lone city trilogy Book 3) Kindle Edition

As most of you know, I have been in love with this series since The Jewel came out. It started out as a unique view of dystopian worlds, and the second book in the trilogy brought up deeper thoughts and ideas to think about. The Black Key expanded on the themes of colonialism, freedom of choice (and consequences), and classism. This final installment did not disappoint, and Ewing left me with a lot to think about after I finished the book.Violet, like most leading characters, grew throughout the course of the trilogy. However, unlike a lot of literature, she was still flawed and still made mistakes, even after she learned to take responsibility for her actions and saw what some choices cost. While I was frustrated with her at times, I really appreciated the fact that she remained a real and relatable character. Through Violet's trials and mistakes, other characters grew as well, including Ash. He wasn't my favorite in this installment, but he at least got more fleshed out and became a strong character in his own right. Lucien and Garnet were my favorites, though I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Garnet's complexity toward the end of this book. I also would have liked to have seen more of how being in the Jewel changed Hazel. I felt like that her growth was a bit rushed since she was such a background character until midway through the 2nd novel, and I think that really didn't do her justice.The Black Key started off kind of slow, in my opinion, but by the 4th chapter, things really picked up and I became invested in the story. After that event/Violet's decision, which started the narrative of freedom of choice and consequences, the Violet had trials coming at her from all directions, and it was interesting to see how she navigated each of those. Some of her decisions had dire consequences, and it really helped me see that even though we all can make small "incorrect" decisions from time to time, it's not our fault when something horrific happens because of those choices. Yes, Violet could have made a couple of decisions better, but the outcomes of those choices were a lot harsher than they should have been. I've made some small decisions in my own life that ended terribly bad, and I always beat myself up over that, just like Violet did. But through Ewing's writing, I was able to see that Violet wasn't at fault. The people who took things too far were the ones to blame for the horrific consequences, and that helped me view my own life differently. I love when novels can change the way that I look at things as well.In addition to the narrative of choice, there was also a background narrative of colonialism and the prices that are paid for people colonizing an area. As this novel shows, history is written by the winners, and because of that so many people didn't know who or what they were. The royals attempted genocide on the indigenous race, much like the English attempted genocide on America's indigenous peoples, and many colonizers (royals) didn't know that the indigenous race still survived. The terrifying lengths that the royals went to in order to control the indigenous population and get all that they could out of them mirrored how many corporations, and even our own government, treats our very own indigenous population in America. Ewing masterfully weaves these two narratives together and creates a unique and enthralling story about Violet and the history of the Lone City.Overall, I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys unique dystopian and/or fantasy novels. Ewing assumes her readers are intelligent people, and she gives us a lot to think about with this trilogy. Her storytelling is excellent, and while there were some really harsh moments in this book, I feel like I'm a better person for reading it. Ewing has a strong voice, and she definitely has a lot to say about society. I look forward to her next project.

The Black Key was an exciting and epic end to a great dystopian series. There were shocking moments and secrets. Characters took risks and took action. Different elements of all of the books were pulled together well, and even though there were loses along the way, the characters ended with a hopeful new world. Despite all of these good elements, there was a certain aspect to the structure of the ending that made me think that if it had been done in a different way it would have been more climactic. Violet makes a decision to go and be by her sister when she is in trouble. Rather than being the lead in the revolution, she takes a back seat and bides her time while watching over her sister. While I didn't have a problem with this course of action, I did think that had a different route been taken for the story the action-packed, page turning epic moments would have been more likely to happen. Down this path, Violet was more in a observatory role where all of the actions that happened in the story were ones that were acted upon her rather than ones she was directly a part of bringing about. And while she did make choices throughout the book that had surprising consequences, the biggest shocking moments of the book had nothing to do with her. So while I still thought this was a good ending to the story, I think I prefer an ending where the character is in the thick of it, leading the charge, making plans, and carrying them out left and right. This way the character is getting stuff done throughout the story rather than waiting on the sidelines for the day to come when they can finally act. But overall, this series was a good one to pick up.

Overall, the build up to the final battle and the resolution was great. As always, the author kept me interested with plenty of unexpected twists and turns and kept the MC's in so much danger that you had to keep reading to see what happened and who would make it through that final battle. I felt along with the characters and was celebrating with them in their triumphs and crying with their missteps and losses.

Amy Ewing is new to me. In 5 books, she has made me a fan!! Her writing style swiftly transports you to wherever she is writing, in this case, the Jewel. Her descriptions are so vivid without taking away from the story. I can see everything the character sees and hear them beside me. Such a great writer!!Ok... on this book.I love the struggles the surrogates and The Society goes through and the failures of some plans. This book opens a surprise with an even bigger surprise ending. You HAVE TO catch this series!!Thanks Amy for a great series!! Looking forward to more!!

I was so excited when I preordered the book after reading the first two. It did come on time for which i am happy. The only bad thing is that the back cover was already creased down the middle. I don’t know if it was already like that before it was shipped or it happened while it was on its way to me. A little disappointing to have a brand new book that’s already damaged.

This was the final in the trilogy. I won't say that it was so good that I needed to know what happened next, but it just seemed so unfinished. The climax was okay. Predictable. SPOILER: It ends with the core group together looking out over the ocean. But, what happens now? One of the Royalty said the rest of the island NEEDED the Jewel. Why? Was she saying society would fail? I'd like to know what happened next. It would have been good to even give a flash florward. People in the Marsh were unahappy, are they happier now? Is there order?Otherwise, the storyline was predictable. People live. People die. Love story, etc.

Já me surpreendi muito com várias histórias, mas essa trilogia é a campeã nesse quesito. Não dava nada para o primeiro livro e acabei adorando! Cheguei ao segundo cheia de expectativas e jurava que era quando ia me decepcionar, mas amei cada segundo dele. E esse terceiro, que tinha tudo para estragar a história anterior, conseguiu me surpreender desde o começo, mesmo quando eu achava que já não tinha mais como. Essa trilogia merece muito mais atenção do que tem.Os três livros não são perfeitos, têm alguns defeitos e detalhes que poderiam ser melhores, mas em nenhum momento deles eu cheguei a querer dar menos do que quatro estrelas. Esse terceiro talvez mereça só 4,5, por seus poucos defeitos também, mas eu amei tanto a história que não conseguiria dar menos. Essa trilogia me fez chorar, me fez rir e me divertiu de um jeito que eu nunca achava que ela conseguiria! E esse final foi lindo, principalmente a última cena.Antes de falar as partes que mais amei, vou fazer minhas críticas. A primeira é que eu ainda acho que o livro poderia ter sido maior. Esse e o segundo, aliás, e isso não teria atrapalhado o ritmo (ótimo, por sinal). Também acho que algumas cenas do final poderiam ter ficado um pouquinho só mais difíceis para o lado da Chave Negra, mas ainda não foi nada que estragasse a história. Minha última crítica é que eu gostaria de ter lido pelo menos um epílogo contando da sociedade depois de tudo! Mas ainda é lindo poder imaginar!O ponto alto desse livro (e dos outros, porque eles têm isso também, mesmo que menos intenso) é que eu passei toda a leitura praticamente segurando a respiração! Era incrível o quanto eu estava nervosa, como ficava pensando o tempo todo que tudo ia dar errado! Me preparei o livro inteiro para tantas tragédias, que quando algumas aconteceram, eu quase não senti direito (mentira, até chorei em umas aí, mas acho que foi menos do que teria sido se eu não estivesse tão preparada para uma destruição completa dos meus sentimentos).A minha segunda parte preferida, que definitivamente é um dos pontos mais altos da história, é a união entre as mulheres desse livro! É ver a irmandade, a força que elas têm juntas! Meu deus, eu me emocionei todas as vezes em que vi pelo menos duas mulheres dando a mão (literal ou figurativamente) para se tornarem mais fortes. É maravilhoso ver isso, principalmente quando a trilogia quase tem aquele toque de protagonista super poderosa.Eu também amo como os três livros conseguiram explorar a Cidade Solitária, os cenários do segundo livro principalmente, e os lugares onde o enredo desse terceiro livro levou a história. Sério, me surpreendi com o enredo nesse, achei mega interessante e divertido o ângulo que a autora resolveu dar para tudo, mesmo que eu passasse por tudo sofrendo de ansiedade. Foi muito incrível, sério.A última cena foi linda também, a ponto de me fazer chorar depois de fechar o livro (sou muito chorona com livros, sério). Fez sim a história toda valer a pena, me deu saudades do começo e definitivamente me fez questionar o que está acontecendo com o mundo para essa trilogia ainda não ser mais famosa do que A Seleção! Sim, o romance dela não é dos melhores, é um pouco rápido e segundo plano totalmente, mas todo o resto é maravilhoso! A revolução que não tem em A Seleção tem aqui, e esses três livros conseguiram explorar o mundo da Cidade Solitária de um jeito que cinco livros da outra série não chegaram nem perto de conseguir explorar um país enorme daqueles.Fico tão feliz de ter ignorado as críticas ruins e as capas não tão boas e condizentes com a história para ler essa trilogia! E acho que cada pessoa que não dá nada para ela deve tentar ler também. Não existe nada mais maravilhoso do que se surpreender com um livro incrível.Por último, só quero dizer que queria entrar na história e roubar o Rye para mim!

Dieses Buch ist das letzte Buch der Trilogie und ein super Abschluss der Reihe! Es ist wie seine beiden Vorgänger ebenfalls sehr spannend und mitreißend geschrieben und auch dieses Buch schafft es, einen immer wieder mit seiner Handlung zu überraschen. Ich konnte wieder einmal nicht aufhören mit dem Lesen. Die Charaktere bleiben sich und ihrer Art weiter treu und sind immer verständlich und ihre Handlung nachvollziehbar, was ich sehr schön fand, da sie einem mittlerweile ans Herz gewachsen sind. Ebenso ist der Schreibstil der Autorin wieder sehr toll, dieses Buch ist einfach toll zu lesen und die Welt ist sehr anschaulich beschrieben.Das Einzige, was mich an dem Buch gestört hat, war, dass es so kurz ist. Es war sehr schnell durchgelesen und an einigen Stellen hatte ich das Gefühl, dass die Handlung etwas gehetzt ist und etwas länger bzw. etwas mehr zwischendrin hätte passieren können. Besonders am Anfang des Buches. Ebenso kam das Ende sehr abrupt, ich hätte gerne noch gewusst, was weiter passiert. Auch fand ich es schade, dass viele vorherige Hauptpersonen wie Ash oder Raven kaum in der Handlung aktiv vorkamen.Trotz allem kann ich diese Buchreihe nur jedem empfehlen, sie lohnt sich definitiv und ich hatte sehr viel Spaß beim Lesen!!

"I am not a mere surrogate, bought and leashed and paraded around anymore. In the end, the royalty will know that. And they will fear me." (Pos. 2088)Die Vorbereitungen für die Rebellion laufen auf Hochtouren. Violet versammelt immer mehr Surrogate um sich und zeigt ihnen ihre eigentlichen Fähigkeiten, der Black Key-Geheimbund sorgt mit zahlreichen Anschlägen für Unruhe und Violets Freund Ash sucht Unterstützung bei seinen Gefährten. Denn der Tag der nächsten Auktion rückt immer näher und endlich soll die Mauer zum "Juwel" fallen. Wird es ihnen gelingen, die "Lone City" zu befreien?"The Black Key" ist das Finale der Lone City-Trilogie von Amy Ewing. Und was für eins! Denn im Gegensatz zum ruhigeren Mittelband geht es hier richtig rund und die Geschichte fesselte mich von Anfang bis Ende."Family is forever. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. And I will get you out of this place. I promise." (Pos. 1722)Black Keys, Gefährten, Surrogate - alle rüsten sich zum Kampf gegen den herrschenden Adel. Zudem schwebt Violets Schwester immer noch in großer Gefahr und Violet fasst einen gewagten Plan, der sie zurück ins "Juwel" führt. Doch die skrupellose Herzogin vom See verfolgt ihre eigenen Ziele und hat noch so manche unangenehme Überraschung parat. Nicht nur für Violet wird die Situation immer gefährlicher und riskanter, auch Garnet und Lucien, welche die Rebellion heimlich unterstützen, gehen ein hohes Risiko ein. Schon bald spitzt sich die Lage dramatisch zu und schockierende Ereignisse machten mich teilweise richtig fassungslos."These people are the air I breathe and the blood I bleed. They are my courage. I will not let them down." (Pos. 3447)Das Ganze liest sich auch im englischen Original leicht und flüssig. Der Spannungsbogen ist diesmal perfekt aufgebaut und erreicht mit dem Auktionstag seinen absoluten Höhepunkt. Ich konnte das Buch bald nicht mehr aus der Hand legen und habe durchweg mit den Protagonisten mitgefiebert und mitgelitten. Werden es Violet & Co schaffen, die Mauern einzureißen, den Adel zu besiegen und die "Lone City" mit all ihren Ringen zu vereinen? Auch wenn am Ende noch einige wenige Fragen offenbleiben, finde ich den hoffnungsvollen Abschluss rundum gelungen.Insgesamt kann ich daher "The Black Key" sehr empfehlen. Ein gelungenes und mitreißendes Finale einer tollen dystopisch-fantastischen Trilogie, für das ich 5 Sterne vergebe. Ich freue mich schon auf weitere Romane von Amy Ewing.

The brilliant finale to a really good trilogy.The story is quite innovative and for people who enjoy a little supernatural touch to their novels, this book seems like the perfect combination of love story and saving-the-world-from-evil plot.So strap in for a city in peril and a young girl who meets her destiny!

Fiquei chateada com as bordas amassadas da lombada (em cima e embaixo), já comprei vários livros da amazon e não esperava isso de um livro importado que eu paguei mais caro.