The girl is a surrogate from The Marsh, the outer, and poorest, of five concentric circles that make up the city where she lives.
The centre is The Jewel, where, after puberty, talented surrogates like Violet are auctioned to provide children for the aristocracy living there and whose women are all infertile.
Known by her lot number, 197, Violet is sold to the Duchess of the Lake and begins a life of luxury and servitude.
She meets Ash, a young man whose role is to be a paid companion to the duchess' niece, but their romance is uncovered and Ash thrown into the dungeon.
There are other issues for Violet, primarily her wish to escape and save her friend Raven, who is being ill-treated, but readers will have to wait to find out what happens, as The Jewel is the first book in a trilogy.
If it is anything to go by, the series will be a winner.
- Gillian Vine
