Pawn by Aimée CarterSeries: The Blackcoat Rebellion #1
Published by: Harlequin Teen on November 26, 2013
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 346
Source: NetGalley
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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.
The first thing I have to say about Pawn is: WOW it has a lot of twists! Seriously. So many bombs were dropped and twists were made that I didn’t see coming. They fit in well with the story and totally worked, but I was not prepared! It was like BAM BAM BAM and my eyes were like O_O X_X o_O ^_^
Moving on!
I loved the world building in Pawn. There’s something about this kind of caste/rank system that pulls me in. I like the idea of numbers and tests. It, along with the rebellion aspect, reminded me a lot of The Selection. If you lay them out, the overall ideas are quite similar: a caste/number system, a girl who has a low number who is given the chance to have a high number, a monarchy type government, and a rebellion. Vaguely similar ideas, and I loved them both!
I wasn’t 100% sold on the romance, but I think that’s fine because it wasn’t the center of the story by any means. The romance does have its place, but it’s a nice side story. The main focus of Pawn was the plot and the rebellion. So if you love the romance, that’s an excellent bonus! If not, it’s no big deal because it’s just a small part of the book.
The rebellion is what really kept me hooked on this story. It’s so deeply intwined in the story and there are so many unexpected twists! I’m REALLY curious to see how everything pans out!
The characters were another interesting part of the story because there are a lot of them, but they each have their own story. There are different motives and agendas, but most of the characters are pretty merciless and cutthroat. It’s a bit crazy O_O But that’s why it’s so interesting!
I think it’s great to see Carter pull off a book like this. I personally think that Pawn was quite different from The Goddess Test, but I love both books for different reasons. It just goes to show that Aimée Carter has no problem expanding into other genres and totally rocking them!
The Verdict
I am so excited about the rebellion. That is what’s going to make me grab the next book right away. I want to know what is going to happen next. And those twists, wow. Happy you loved this one too.
Yeah I totally agree! I can’t wait to see how it all pans out.
I’ve read this one too! It was pretty neat, particularly all the face-swapping stuff. Niiice! But, I wasn’t convinced when they made Kitty taller. Ehh, for me, it wasn’t as well grounded as the rest of the premise. But it was a nice read. 🙂
Yeah the masking process was pretty far fetched, but I kind of just brushed it off lol!
Yey so agreed! I was actually kind of thrilled that the romance was very clearly not the focus since a lot of YA dystopian is the opposite on that front. I’m so flipping excited for book two now 😀
Same here! 😀
I loved the Goddess Test series but this one didn’t really sound that appealing but now I am curious…lol. Maybe I will give it a try.
so glad you loved it. I am hoping to get this on audio when its released.
I’m starting this book today! I’ve heard so many great things. Can’t wait to start reading!!
I loved the testing system. It was very evocative of our current “you can be anything if you study hard enough (but not really) because we’re such a meritocracy (but only if you fit a certain definition of smart)” system that we have these days. I could totally see how our current attitudes could get more extreme and codified and turn into the system in this book.
I really liked this book too! Though, like you, I also wasn’t sold on the romance. I actually preferred Knox over Benji – haha. Oh well…
I finished this one at the beginning of the week and really, really enjoyed it. I haven’t read her other series yet but I am going to have to make it a priority now.I was so glad that the romance wasn’t a big plot point in this first book. So many YA/Dystopians have romance as a big element.
I’m starting to feel like an outsider. Every review I’ve seen so far has been positive. I didn’t like it that much. It has some great aspects, but for some reason it didn’t wow me 🙁
Aw, bummer! 🙁 Can’t love them all!
I am now much more interested in reading this one! It sounds really good and I also think the idea of the caste system (like in the Selection which I loved) is really interesting! Awesome review 🙂
Woo hoo!! Love that you loved it. I’ve been watching all the reactions start to come out of PAWN and I’m super excited. It’s so different than the Goddess series. I can’t wait for the next one.
Woot! So glad to see you say that Aimee clearly has no trouble writing something diff than the Goddess Test trilogy. That makes me so excited for this book, Ashley! I’m so glad you loved this one.