Review: Pawn

Pawn by Aimee Carter

Publication Date: November 26th, 2013
Genre: YA Dystopian
Amazon/Barnes and Noble

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.

Pawn was a thrilling read, and no where near your typical, old-hat dystopian. Aimee Carter managed to create a world that wasn’t a copy cat, and I could tell she put a lot of work into making the future society seem unique and complete. Be on the lookout for this novel.

It seems to me that a lot of dystopians have love triangles (Hunger Games, The Selection, Shatter Me etc.) so I was elated when I realized that Pawn did not have a bothersome triangle of love and angst. I am not even against love triangles, but they can become overwhelming. Agreed? Pawn’s awesome romance was a nice relief. Benjy was a sweet love interest, and I hope to see more of him and Kitty together in the next book. They seem to click in an awesome way... and I am glad Benjy is not the average, cliched “bad boy” I have grown wearisome of.

That said, the romance is not the front-and-center of Pawn. Nope. The plot mostly revolves around Kitty’s masquerade as the adored Lila. After Kitty basically fails an important test of ranking, she is offered a chance for a much higher ranking. Kitty soon awakes as Lila, the prime minister’s niece, who is a dead, and a formerly rebellious leader of the group against the rankings, and, ultimately, the society.

However, as Kitty masquerades as Lila, she finds more and more lies and political battles. She is told many things, but neither her nor the reader know what to believe. I loved this part of Pawn. There is so much uncertainty and excitement on the part of the reader as you wait for juicy things to be revealed! The world that Kitty endures seems very terrible at the beginning, and just worsens as you learn more. Especially as the minister’s family and other powerful figures are immersed into chaos and fight among themselves. It is hard to tell what a character really wants, and sometimes, your first impression of a character is very wrong indeed. I only have one little complaint... there is this reveal I saw coming, and I thought Kitty should have considered the possibility sooner. Does it ever bother you when you figure something out before the main character does? 

Overall, Pawn is an intriguing story, and I have high expectations for the sequel! If the book sounds up your alley, most definitely pick the thrilling ride up and immerse yourself into a twisted dystopian world!

4/5 Stars

*I received this book from HarlequinTEEN in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Pawn! 

Happy Reading