~ Book Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter ~

Title: Pawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion #1)

Author:  Aimee Carter

Publisher: Harlequin TEEN

Release Date: November 26, 2013

Pages: 296
Format: e-Book

Source: NetGalley
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre:  Dystopian 
 

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.

Holy mother of all books! This caught me totally by surprise and blew my socks off! I was a little hesitant when I started reading this, but I am glad that I continued reading. Let me tell you, it’s amazing and mind-blowing. For being a dystopian book, this story differentiates itself from others of its same genre. The world building, the plot, the characters it’s just awesome! I was hooked from page one until the very end.

Kitty Doe is a “nobody”, basically. She was abandoned, given up by her parents and raised by the system in a foster home. On her seventeenth birthday, she gets marked with a III, one of the lowest rating in the caste system that the government has. But when she is given the opportunity to live as a VII, Kitty thinks about everything that she is going to lose and/or gain. For her to be able to get her new markings, she has to take over Lila Hart’s life, a member of the ruling family that tragically died in an accident. All this comes with a price.  Impersonating Lila means no freedom, no choices, no family or friends, she has to live by the family rules and follow them in a straight line.

Soon Kitty discovers that everything about the ruling family is not what meets the eye. Dark secrets, betrayals and lies run in the family, and now she is caught in the middle of a forming storm.

Ms. Carter did a magnificent job with this book. I mean the plot, was twist, after twist, turns here and there. I was not expecting any of them.  Just when I think I had everything figure out, BAM, another revelation comes up. The story is full of action that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. Even though the cast system is not something new among dystopian novels, Pawn made it different and way better. I have to give another point to the author for creating a book free of a love triangle. I was pretty sure that there was going to be one, but only one man holds Kitty’s heart from beginning to end. So don’t be afraid my fellow readers.

Overall, this book is really, really good! The plot is impressive; there is romance, action, betrayals, lies and so much more. The ending of the book doesn't have a cliffhanger but it does have the promise of sequel full of more goodness like Pawn. If you are a fan of dystopian, this is definitely a book for you.