Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

Title: Pawn.
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1.
Author: Aimee Carter.
Publication Date: November 26th, 2013.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen.
Format: Paperback, 296 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



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 in misery as s III, 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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Pawn has a really unique and interesting plot that will draw the reader in and definitely keep them on the edge of their seat! Right from the beginning of reading Pawn, I was well and truly hooked – I ended up reading over half of it in just one evening. You’re immediately drawn straight into Kitty’s world – and the action commences from the first few pages. Aimée Carter is a really fantastic author and the world building throughout Pawn was absolutely incredible and beautifully detailed. There are also so many twists and turns throughout it, that even though I kept guessing what would happen next, I don’t think I was ever right!

Kitty Doe is our main protagonist throughout the novel, and to be perfectly honest – I have mixed feelings about her. On one hand, I didn’t really feel like her character was that well developed, and seemed a little bland and boring a lot of the time. But on the other hand, there were quite a few instances where she had a real spark and fire in her, which I thought was amazing – even if they didn’t last for long. I did like Kitty’s character – but she wasn’t the strongest female protagonist I’ve read about. I hope that in the next book she’ll become a little more developed, stronger and starts acting more in control and less of a spineless little girl that she was in this book.

There are two male secondary characters in Pawn; Benjy, Kitty’s boyfriend and Knox, who was the fiancé of Lila; the Prime Minister’s niece. Thankfully though, there isn’t a love-triangle! Benjy was such a sweet, kind, caring and devoted boyfriend, he’d literally do anything for Kitty – even running away from everything they’ve ever known so they could be together. As for the Knox, I absolutely adored him as well; he really seemed to care about Kitty and about what would happen to her. Knox was constantly trying to protect her, doing everything in his power to keep her and Benjy safe. At first, I thought that Knox and Kitty would make a really amazing couple, but as the novel progressed, I changed my view, and thought that their friendship was like a brother-sister relationship. Either way, I loved both of their characters and I thought Kitty was very lucky to have two guys care about her as much as they did!

The rest of the characters are all so different, yet really interesting at the same time! The majority of the people that we are introduced to throughout the book are very blood-thirsty, merciless, cruel and sadistic in their own ways, but I think that it personally made the book even better. There doesn’t seem to be enough characters now days with these traits – and I found it really fun and interesting to read about them and their actions and thoughts. As for the romance between Kitty and Benjy; it isn’t really the main focus in the book, which at first I found a little disappointing. But as I got further and further into Pawn, I realised that it really didn’t matter – the book was just as great with the romance just as a sideline.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Pawn and I’m extremely curious to find out what happens next in the sequel and see where the characters end up! I believe Pawn well and truly earned the 4/5 star rating – and if Kitty’s character had been a little more developed, then it may have earned a 4.5, but oh well. I’d recommend this book to any dystopian fan, especially if you love an unpredictable novel. Aimée Carter’s writing is really wonderful and I’m eager to read more from her in the near-future – she’s definitely an author to look out for!

Quotes

"But the world is out there, and it understands that the illusion of knowledge and freedom is not the same as the real thing. Eventually it will fade, and there are those who will do whatever it takes to make that happen sooner rather than later."

"Kitty," he said, as if testing out my name. "Is that short for something?"
"Yeah," I said. "It's short for 'my mother was insane and had a thing for cats."

"Have you ever played chess, Kitty?"
I eyed her. What did a board game have to do with this? "Not really."
"You and I should play sometime. I think you would like it," she said. "It’s a game of strategy, mostly. The strong pieces are in the back row, while the weak pieces—the pawns—are all in the front, ready to take the brunt of the attack. Because of their limited movement and vulnerability, most people underestimate them and only use them to protect the more powerful pieces. But when I play, I protect my pawns."
"Why?" I said, not entirely sure where this conversation was going. "If they’re weak, then what’s the point?"
"They may be weak when the game begins, but their potential is remarkable. Most of the time, they’ll be taken by the other side and held captive until the end of the game. But if you’re careful—if you keep your eyes open and pay attention to what your opponent is doing, if you protect your pawns and they reach the other side of the board, do you know what happens then?"
I shook my head, and she smiled.
"Your pawn becomes a queen." She touched my cheek, her fingers cold as ice. "Because they kept moving forward and triumphed against impossible odds, they become the most powerful piece in the game. Never forget that, all right? Never forget the potential one solitary pawn has to change the entire game."