Book Shelf: Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1) by Aimee 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.

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Review:

Pawn is Aimee Carter's foray into the dystopian genre after her successful Goddess Test trilogy and introduces us to a society where individuals are ranked based on an aptitude test and political intrigue runs rampant. In a world where faces can be changed and people's motives aren't what you expect, no one is as they seem.

Man, Pawn is a really difficult book to review for me. I feel like whatever I'm going to say is going to come across harsh, especially considering that for the most part I did like this book. The thing is, whilst Aimee Carter's writing and storytelling is solid, there were times when reading Pawn when I really struggled to become invested in the story. Now, it was in no way a bad book, it was quite readable but it just didn't captivate me like I hoped it would. Which disappoints me because I can't pinpoint exactly what it was about Pawn that I didn't like.

That being said, I did enjoy it. Which I admit contradicts my previous statement. Pawn started off quite slow for me and it took until more than halfway before I found myself interested in the plight of the characters and the storyline, but once I got over that hump I was intrigued. Pawn had a lot of promise. Personally, I would have liked a bit more back story, but Carter has set us up nicely with Pawn as a first story in a series. It had all the elements of an engaging read; mysterious and otherwise engaging storyline, likable characters and high stakes but something was missing from this book and I can't quite put my finger on what.

Our heroine Kitty Doe was likable and served her purpose as the main character. As someone who lived a life of a lower classed individual and then who was thrust into the spotlight when she is Masked and forced to play the role of the Prime Minister's niece, Lila Hart, I felt she adjusted well to her situation. She was brave when she needed to be, but also very normal and human and even though she was very much screwed she didn't give up. And yet for all this, I wasn't completely sold on her either. I mean, I liked her, but I didn't like her if that makes sense? Technically there was nothing wrong with her, but I just was never completely invested in her as I like to be with main characters.

One thing I will give Carter props for is the twisted family she was written in the form of the Hart's. This high society and political family will just as easily stab each other in the back than give each other a kiss and hug. Going through the motions, it was often easy to overlook the fact they have attacked, killed and betrayed each other left right and center. Considering the fact that I believe they actually cared about each other, some more than others, they made for some interesting reading.

Though Kitty is in a relationship with Benjy, I didn't personally feel the connection. Aimee Carter writes a conflict for their relationship in the form of "Lila's" fiancé, Knox and though there was no outright spark and connection between he and Kitty, I quite liked Knox. He and Lila's cousin Greyson were the best of the bunch in this book.

Despite my misgivings with Pawn, I did honestly like the book towards the end. As revelations come to light, Aimee Carter does a good job of keeping the pace moving all the way until the very end. As the first book in the series, I expect a lot of growth in future books and with the state of the Hart family so up in the air, and I actually find myself interested enough to read the second book; in the hopes I like it better than the first, if not too see what happens.

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by HarlequinTEEN (Thank you guys!)
Format: Paperback
Buy it: Bookworld | The Nile | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Recommendation: If you enjoy dystopians then you will probably wanna pick this up.
Cover: I think the cover's pretty cool--different.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: Yes, I do want to read more.....