Pawn
Author:
Aimee Carter
Series: The
Blackcoat Rebellion
Pages: 346
Publisher:
Harlequin Teen
Genre:
Young Adult – Dystopian
Release date: 26th November 2013
Amazon
Synopsis. (Goodreads)
For
Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III
in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people
she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the
country.
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.
There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.
There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.
Review:
3 ½ out of 5 stars
Pawn is a book I have been anxious to read
since I first glimpsed the interesting cover, which I love! And it was a nice
start to Aimee Carter’s newest series, The
Blackcoat Rebellion.
Aimee Carter’s formulaic society is one
where couples can have no more than one child, if they do they are sent to
group homes until they are tested for societal rank and placed in a suitable
job. Rankings range from I through to VII, I’s and II’s are generally unheard
of and sent to Elsewhere, III’s generally end up in a menial service role and
V’s and up in office and government jobs.
Kitty Doe has taken the test and rated a
low level III so she is to be sent off to work in the sewers but has a plan to
make enough money to eventually escape with her boyfriend Benjy – but she ends up confronted by the most powerful man in
the country with an offer to become someone else which turned her whole life upside down but she
was also given the chance to leave her old life behind and live the life of
luxury as a VII which is the most elite ranking available but it came with a
cost – she was masked, surgically altered into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's
niece, who died under questionable circumstances.
I
came to like Kitty despite a few minor irritations; she was strong and knew
what she wanted even if at times I didn’t agree with her actions you could
understand why. Her devotion to Benjy was wonderful and even though I expected
a love triangle with Knox, Lila’s fiancé I was relieved nothing eventuated.
The
romance was definitely not at the forefront of the story and I would have liked
to have learnt more about Benjy to see his appeal, what we do know is he is
extremely self-sacrificing but I think I actually preferred Knox and with the
ending we are given, I am keen to see how the romance plays out.
The
premise is unique and the multi-layered plot was fast-paced and exciting as we
see Kitty learning
more about the rebellion that Lila had secretly promoted. The title is perfect and
Kitty is definitely a pawn in a game between right and wrong; it is filled with
power struggles, threats, conspiracies and a really messed up family which all
made for an interesting read.
I enjoyed the secondary characters and the
villains were perfectly evil – Daxon and Augusta were frightening and at times
I didn’t know who could be trusted, everyone seemed to have their own agenda
and I could never really get a feel for who was playing for good or bad.
There were a few minor things which grated
on my nerves, (Possible spoilers - highlight to show) the beginning frustrated me with Kitty so will nilly giving away
her virginity and not seeming to show any emotion with it, this was also the
case when she woke after being surgically enhanced; I expected screaming,
demands etc. but it didn’t come – she also came across as being naïve in
certain situations when truths were sitting right in front of her, it caused
unnecessary complications. Although it does have a similar feel to other
dystopian novels, the concept is creative but I would have liked more
background information on why things became the way they now were; I found this
aspect to be lacking as well as more details about the Blackcoats and the
rebellion.
Aimee Carter’s writing is engaging and
despite having a few issues with Pawn,
it was enjoyable none the less and I am eager to learn more about this
dystopian world.
Overall, Pawn was an entertaining read but wasn’t flawless with its
execution; there are many questions left unanswered so I hope we get follow-up
in the sequel. Fast-paced and filled with political intrigue
and conspiracies, this book will appeal to fans of captivating yet brutal
dystopian worlds.
Thank-you kindly to Harlequin Teen for the
opportunity to read and review Pawn.
About the author: Aimée Carter was born and raised in
Michigan, where she currently resides. Her first novel for young adults, THE
GODDESS TEST, will be published by Harlequin Teen on April 19th, 2011. The
sequel, GODDESS INTERRUPTED, will follow in January 2012.Find her on Twitter at @aimee_carter.
