Tuesday 10 December 2013

Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter


Title: Pawn
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 1st December 2013
Source: Bought
Rating: 3 out of 5

Description: 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.

Pawn is an unexpected surprise. Twisty and turney, this dystopian adventure is choc full of shocking surprises. This book was defiantly not what I was expecting. What I thought was going to be a book filled with intrigue turned out to be a book where secrets have secrets and no one is whom they seem. Pawn is a game where everyone is playing to win; only everyone has a different set of rules. This book is defiantly dangerous, edgy and filled with secret agendas, even though at times it felt a little over the top.  It didn’t entirely sweep me off my feet but it was a good read.

The book begins with a bang. Pawn is set in a dystopian society that exhibits a divide between the poor and the wealthy.  Pawn has a lot of elements in common with other dystopian novels. However where Pawn stands out is its unexpected surprising plot that dishes out revelation after revelation. Kitty lives in a society that determines a person place by their rank. Kitty is ranked an III, but is offered the choice to become a VII and a member of the ruling family. To become a VII she has to transform and pretend to be the Prime Minister’s niece Lila.  But as a member of the ruling family she has to deal with a rebellion, secret agendas and the all-powerful Hart family. Kitty’s life is on the line because if she so much as steps out of line its means her death.

The book quickly delves into story. However it is the events at the start and the end of the book that grab your attention.  The middle of the book didn’t capture my attention as much as I would have liked. Aimee Carter ensures that there is a sense of danger and underhandedness incorporated into each aspect of the story as characters scheme and plot. As a result only some of the secrets and revelations were truly shocking.  That being said some of the events to me seemed to be a bit over the top and excessive as there was enough duplicity going on without adding to it. At times it seemed as through the characters were trying to out do themselves with all the backstabbing making things a little convoluted.

Kitty is stuck in a very unfortunate situation, especially in the beginning as Kitty makes a very hard choice about what to do about the rank she has been given.  Kitty journey was also very fascinating as she goes from trying to survive to being a formidable player in a dangerous game.  Kitty is a trooper; she’s street smart, persistent and loyal. She has no illusions about the rebellion. She tries to stay alive and save those who she loves. Along the way she discovers that she may be more valuable to the country than she thought.  My only problem with her was that she was a little too trusting in some situations and very quick to believe in others.

The Hart family was a whole bunch of crazy, manipulative individuals who exceeded in backstabbing. The entire family was trying to get one up on one another. So much destruction and corruption all within one family. It’s really interesting to watch their dynamics especially between Celia, Daxton and Augusta. This was one dysfunctional family whose hobby was murdering each other.   

There was not a lot of romance in this book, however the romance that we did get was something I did not particularly enjoy.  Benjy was a standard sort of a love interest.  He was a little boring in my opinion. There was nothing remarkably special about him and Kitty. Their relationship was already in full swing by the time the book starts so I wish we could have seen more of their relationship. Kitty goes to great lengths to protect him but I felt like I didn’t really understand the depth of their relationship.

A good book with dubious characters and unexpected revelations.

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