Author: Aimée Carter
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion #1
Release Date: November 26th 2013
Pages: 346
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 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.
Review:
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, this will not influence my review in any way.
This book was a pleasant surprise! I started reading it at the same time as I started watching Orphan Black. They are both about people taking other people's identities, an intruiging concept!
This book was a pleasant surprise! I started reading it at the same time as I started watching Orphan Black. They are both about people taking other people's identities, an intruiging concept!
Quick summary
The world in Pawn is divided into 7 sections: from I to VII. You get your rank via a test. Our protagonist Kitty gets a III, which condemns her to a low job. She is bought by the president who Masks her as his niece Lila, who had been killed. Kitty has to impersonate her to stop a rebellion fused by Lila's actions.
Characters
Kitty was very likeable, caring and didn't hold back her opinions. But I did have the feeling her intelligence fluctuated a lot, one easy thing she couldn't figure out and another difficult thing she solved easily.
Benji and Knox were both good guys and set on protecting Kitty. There is no love triangle in this book, hopefully also not in the next one.
The bad guys did not have a lot of depth. The grandmother and president were just bad and only cared about power. They did things to their family that were quite extreme and slightly unrealistic.
Plot
The plot had a quick pace and was exciting. It was like one big game of chess, in which Kitty is the pawn and used by everyone (great title!). You were constantly guessing who was on which side and what would happen next. There were a lot of twists and a few unpredictable shocks. Fortunately there was no overwhelming romance in the story. Benji and Kitty were already together at the start of the book and were sweet as a couple.
Dystopian World
The dystopian world of Pawn was interesting and well developed. One test determines the rest of your life. Most people score low and have as a result a bad life. If you protest or if you get too old, you get sent Elsewhere, a mysterious place. Kitty makes a lot of shocking discoveries of how her world works and is therefore determined to continue Lila's rebellion. I would have liked to learn more about the rebellion and how the Blackcoats work, hopefully in the sequel we will.
Conclusion
Characters
Kitty was very likeable, caring and didn't hold back her opinions. But I did have the feeling her intelligence fluctuated a lot, one easy thing she couldn't figure out and another difficult thing she solved easily.
Benji and Knox were both good guys and set on protecting Kitty. There is no love triangle in this book, hopefully also not in the next one.
The bad guys did not have a lot of depth. The grandmother and president were just bad and only cared about power. They did things to their family that were quite extreme and slightly unrealistic.
Plot
The plot had a quick pace and was exciting. It was like one big game of chess, in which Kitty is the pawn and used by everyone (great title!). You were constantly guessing who was on which side and what would happen next. There were a lot of twists and a few unpredictable shocks. Fortunately there was no overwhelming romance in the story. Benji and Kitty were already together at the start of the book and were sweet as a couple.
Dystopian World
The dystopian world of Pawn was interesting and well developed. One test determines the rest of your life. Most people score low and have as a result a bad life. If you protest or if you get too old, you get sent Elsewhere, a mysterious place. Kitty makes a lot of shocking discoveries of how her world works and is therefore determined to continue Lila's rebellion. I would have liked to learn more about the rebellion and how the Blackcoats work, hopefully in the sequel we will.
Conclusion
I loved this book, especially the Masking concept. It's a creepy idea that you can live in a world where they can remake everyone into someone else.
I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!
