Sunday 10 November 2013

ARC Review: Pawn by Aimée Carter

Pawn by Aimée Carter
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

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.
Title: Pawn
Author: Aimée Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: November 26th 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Thoughts:

Pawn was such a welcome surprise! I wasn't really a fan of Carter's The Goddess Test series, but Pawn is nothing like it at all.

I liked our main character, Kitty, from the start. She's spunky, not afraid to say what she thinks and she loves her friends fiercely. Although she says a lot of things without thought, she knows when to keep her mouth shut and she sees through lies and conspiracies. Everyone underestimates her because she only got a III and she can't read, but they are so very wrong - Kitty is smart. The other characters were so well-developed too. Although I'm not a fan of books in which the MC already has a relationship with someone, Benjy easily won me over. He was such a sweetheart! His love for Kitty is obvious, and he is so kind. The other characters all had believable motivations for doing what they did and they didn't act out of character. Although the villain(s) of the story felt a bit flat in the beginning, they have their backstories as well and eventually we find out why they are the way they are.

Pawn was filled with so many twists and turns! It seriously blew my mind. The start of the book is relatively calm, but after we find out what Elsewhere is (which blew my mind as well), every other page seemed to bring a new twist! Carter did not hold back with the surprises and the result is both dazzling and awesome. The twists weren't predictable either - I think I only saw one of them coming. The constant surprises make Pawn a fast, action-packed read. I read this book in one day, even though it has close to 350 pages.

For those who are afraid, there is no love triangle in this book. Maybe one will emerge in the next book, but Pawn is not focused on the romance, and when it does, it's Kitty/Benjy all the way. I really liked how the romance took a backseat to the plot, or rather how it was part of the plot. The romance was actually used to progress the plot, and I loved that! You don't see that oftern nowadays.

Speaking of, Pawn is deliciously original! It might look like your typical 'poor girl gets rich and rebels against the country'-story, but it's anything but that. The wealth of life as a VII is only remarked upon to show the contrast between the lives of those with a IV or lower and those who live like kings. Yes, there is a rebellion, but even that is refreshingly original. Instead of a herione who takes a nose-dive into a rebellion, Kitty thinks things through and is even hesitant to rebel against the Harts. Not only that, but the plot is very much focused on the betrayal and lies within the Hart family as opposed to the rebellion.

In all, Pawn is extremely enjoyable! When the twists and turns start pouring in, you'll hardly have time to catch your breath. A fast-paced and original read with delightful characters and many surpises!

10 comments:

  1. I loved Kitty as well! She was really strong with her situation. The twists and turns were also pretty surprising.

    Lovely review, Celine! <33

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  2. OMG I love the sound of this! It just arrived in the mail today and I look forward to reading it! Yay I'm so glad it's original and has no love triangle. Thanks for your review, makes me excited to read it.

    Jeann @ Happy Indulgence

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    1. I hope you like it! Almost everyone I know has given this 4 stars :) There might be a love triangle in the next book, but none in this one!

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    2. Just finished and I thought it was amazing! Gave it 5 stars :)

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    3. That makes me happy :D I'm glad you liked it!

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  3. Oh, so interesting to read this, because this book felt a bit like the opposite for me. I'm happy you enjoyed the things I didn't like so much, although I have to agree that the romance was cute :D

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    1. Ooh, then your review will be very interesting to read as well! This was - to me, at least- a very fun book. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts!

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    2. I love a cute relationship, I can't wait to meet Benjy! :-)

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  4. This sounds like a thoroughly pleasant surprise! And the MC reminds me of Rose from VA, which is awesome! (Although slightly less impetuous.) Like you I thought Goddess Test was OK but not enough to convince me to read this one... Now I shall have to reevaluate!

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    1. Hmm, I wouldn't say she reminded me of Rose because she doesn't so much fight with her hands as with her brain. She was still very enjoyable, though! I hope you try this one out, it's worth it! It was really fun and pretty good.

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