The Blackcoat Rebellion: Pawn (1)
by Aimee Carter
Genre(s): Dystopian, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Published: Nov 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Summary: "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." -Taken from Goodreads
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." -Taken from Goodreads
Review: This book has me a bit torn. I immensely enjoyed the plot as it
unravels and the characters were nicely done. The writing moves at a
rapid pace that constantly left me wondering where things would go next.
And on the flip side was an inadequately built world around them.
Kitty has grown up in a world where people take a single test that determine what kind of life you will have. A six is the best (government officials, etc), a four is average and a one gets you sent Elsewhere, never to be seen of heard from again. However there is one class above it all. The elite sevens- of which only the Hart family members are privileged enough to be. When Kitty tests out as a three and is to be separated from her boyfriend she makes a few frowned upon choices and winds up with a very strange "offer" to become a seven. Next thing she knows she is Lila Hart! To protect those she loves she is enticed to become Prime Minister Hart's pawn.
Through the early parts of the book I wanted to knock some common sense into Kitty. She is very naive and oblivious to a lot going on. She is the perfect pawn, never asking questions. I often found myself disappointed with her. On the flip side, the other characters seemed very well done. There is room for doubt as I was stuck inside Kitty's head for the duration of the book but from what I read, each of them has hidden depths and multiple sides that are periodically revealed to the reader.
The world in which Kitty lives makes no sense. How did America become ruled over by a single family? How have they remained in power? The explanation is weak and filled with holes. For some countries that have always lived in government fear, this might have worked but I don't see America ever accepting such a thing. Revolts and riots would be way out of hand and overthrown such a concept. In many ways, the government system is similar to the one used in Kiera Cass's 'Selection' series. Yet it bothers me more here with what the plot focus is. Political games is much higher in this book.
There are several twists and turns in this book. Each character has their own agenda and secret(s). Everyone. Alliances seems to alter. Some real, others false and each time you think a character is going to zig, they zag. This had be distrustful of the characters and not quite sure how things would turn out. Some twists were obvious but some of the personality ones in particular were intriguing. People's motivations especially.
Overall, the book is an enjoyable read. I just need to pretend that the setting is somewhere other than the US. It is a fast read (seems shorter than it is) and is easy to get through. I will be continuing this series. The ending left enough to continue on that my mind will not put this series at rest. So while not an overly heavy cliffhanger awaits, there is enough of an edge to leave me wanting more.
Kitty has grown up in a world where people take a single test that determine what kind of life you will have. A six is the best (government officials, etc), a four is average and a one gets you sent Elsewhere, never to be seen of heard from again. However there is one class above it all. The elite sevens- of which only the Hart family members are privileged enough to be. When Kitty tests out as a three and is to be separated from her boyfriend she makes a few frowned upon choices and winds up with a very strange "offer" to become a seven. Next thing she knows she is Lila Hart! To protect those she loves she is enticed to become Prime Minister Hart's pawn.
Through the early parts of the book I wanted to knock some common sense into Kitty. She is very naive and oblivious to a lot going on. She is the perfect pawn, never asking questions. I often found myself disappointed with her. On the flip side, the other characters seemed very well done. There is room for doubt as I was stuck inside Kitty's head for the duration of the book but from what I read, each of them has hidden depths and multiple sides that are periodically revealed to the reader.
The world in which Kitty lives makes no sense. How did America become ruled over by a single family? How have they remained in power? The explanation is weak and filled with holes. For some countries that have always lived in government fear, this might have worked but I don't see America ever accepting such a thing. Revolts and riots would be way out of hand and overthrown such a concept. In many ways, the government system is similar to the one used in Kiera Cass's 'Selection' series. Yet it bothers me more here with what the plot focus is. Political games is much higher in this book.
There are several twists and turns in this book. Each character has their own agenda and secret(s). Everyone. Alliances seems to alter. Some real, others false and each time you think a character is going to zig, they zag. This had be distrustful of the characters and not quite sure how things would turn out. Some twists were obvious but some of the personality ones in particular were intriguing. People's motivations especially.
Overall, the book is an enjoyable read. I just need to pretend that the setting is somewhere other than the US. It is a fast read (seems shorter than it is) and is easy to get through. I will be continuing this series. The ending left enough to continue on that my mind will not put this series at rest. So while not an overly heavy cliffhanger awaits, there is enough of an edge to leave me wanting more.
(almost 4 stars)
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.*
Giveaway:
I am offering up 2 ebook copies of Pawn. I will gift you the book via Amazon.com or B&N. Your choice. I will just need an email address that I can gift to.
Have fun!
It's a shame that the world building didn't go into too much detail. My favorite novels always have the best world building! Luckily it still sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a single test determining what kind of life you will have. It's just scary enough to be possible in the future.
ReplyDeleteI love a book with a lot of details. Especially in a world like this.
ReplyDeleteBut overall your review sounds great...so maybe a book to put on my to read list?
Twisty, turny and with lots of secrets? Sounds great. Too bad there wasn't more detail with the world building but I'm definitely willing to give it a try. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteAnn S