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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I had super high hopes for this book, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I wasn't really pulled in until about 3/4 of the way through. The shortcomings for me were that I felt that not a lot took place, a lot of the dialogue and monologuing was redundant and the motives of some of the characters didn't feel believable. I'm reminded of how I felt while reading "Unearthly" by Cynthia Hand. I didn't feel completely invested in any way. Just a feeling of "hmm, wonder how that will turn out?" but I know it won't tear me up if I don't find out. I'll most likely be back for round two. Do I smell a love triangle?
Kitty Doe has just turned 17 and taken her placement test. Although she is bright, she never learned to read and wasn’t able to finish her test. Even with the test incomplete, she was able to earn a III, but that means she will be sent to Denver to assume her assigned career. That is not acceptable and she decides to hide temporarily to await her boyfriend’s 17th birthday and while she is in hiding she receives an offer. She can leave the life given to her and become a VII, but if she does she won’t be able to see anyone from her past. Kitty wakes up two weeks later and discovers she has been masked. She has been surgically altered to look like Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece. This new family wants her to stop the rebellion that Lila was secretly working with.
Does Kitty have what it takes to tackle this new identity? Who can she trust? What should she do? Pawn is not just another dystopian novel. Although the science is not presently advanced enough to mask individuals as they are in this book, the societal issues are present and it is easy for the reader to see how a world such as this could come about. Carter creates a world in which a test at the age of 17 determines who will be successful and what they should be doing. I know when I was 17 I wouldn’t have wanted my entire future dictated to me and Kitty is like any other teenager in her feelings. The Blackcoat Rebellion series is destined to be a hit with young adult readers and adults who are still young at heart.
Does Kitty have what it takes to tackle this new identity? Who can she trust? What should she do? Pawn is not just another dystopian novel. Although the science is not presently advanced enough to mask individuals as they are in this book, the societal issues are present and it is easy for the reader to see how a world such as this could come about. Carter creates a world in which a test at the age of 17 determines who will be successful and what they should be doing. I know when I was 17 I wouldn’t have wanted my entire future dictated to me and Kitty is like any other teenager in her feelings. The Blackcoat Rebellion series is destined to be a hit with young adult readers and adults who are still young at heart.
Originally posted on my blog: www.book-scents.com
In Pawn, we are introduced to a dystopian world where people take a test upon turning 17 that will determine their rank for the rest of their lives. The number you get assigned becomes tattooed to the back of your neck and you are designated with a job and a standard of living that correlates with that number. I or II? Well... you'll probably live in poverty for the rest of your life, doing the most menial tasks. III? Better but still sewer duty. IVs could have a moderately okay life, Vs and VIs are much more privileged and VIIs are reserved for members of the Prime Minister's family.
Kitty, our main character, is marked a III and she resigns herself to her fate until she's taken and masked -- all her features changed to have her look exactly like the prime minister's niece, Lila. Apparently his recently dead niece. Kitty is now Lila's replacement and in exchange for her cooperation, is a VII. A life of riches and privilege? Dream come true! Right? Wrong. The Prime Minister wants her to do his bidding. Lila's mother wants her to fuel a rebellion Lila had been a part of. Kitty just wants to live and keep her boyfriend Benji alive too.
I thought this dystopian world was very interesting and could set itself apart from other dystopians. There is a lot of political intrigue that kept throwing twists at you which was my favorite part. You are always guessing as to peoples intentions and motives and I was always anxious to see what would happen next.
I feel like I really enjoyed it while I was reading but it didn't leave much of an impact on me. I think the culprit lies in the characters. I didn't love any of them. Kitty is strong, smart, impulsive and I LIKED her enough but that's it. Benji, her boyfriend, really fell flat for me. Yes, he's a super nice guy but kind of one dimensional to be honest. I couldn't get a good grasp of his personality. Knox, Lila's fiance, I actually liked way better. While you couldn't always know if you could trust him, he was a much more interesting and driven character to me and I almost hoped for a love triangle (sorry Benji!) The rest of the Hart family is a piece of work. They're family but nothing says family like backstabbing for political gain, right? Those interactions were fascinating and I did like seeing that.
I know that there are a lot of people that enjoyed this immensely so I don't want to be all Debbie Downer here because I DID like it. It just didn't blow me away for some reason. I wish that there had been more action in the book. However, the dystopian world is set up wonderfully and the politics and crazy twists will keep you reading! Check it out and see for yourself!
In Pawn, we are introduced to a dystopian world where people take a test upon turning 17 that will determine their rank for the rest of their lives. The number you get assigned becomes tattooed to the back of your neck and you are designated with a job and a standard of living that correlates with that number. I or II? Well... you'll probably live in poverty for the rest of your life, doing the most menial tasks. III? Better but still sewer duty. IVs could have a moderately okay life, Vs and VIs are much more privileged and VIIs are reserved for members of the Prime Minister's family.
Kitty, our main character, is marked a III and she resigns herself to her fate until she's taken and masked -- all her features changed to have her look exactly like the prime minister's niece, Lila. Apparently his recently dead niece. Kitty is now Lila's replacement and in exchange for her cooperation, is a VII. A life of riches and privilege? Dream come true! Right? Wrong. The Prime Minister wants her to do his bidding. Lila's mother wants her to fuel a rebellion Lila had been a part of. Kitty just wants to live and keep her boyfriend Benji alive too.
I thought this dystopian world was very interesting and could set itself apart from other dystopians. There is a lot of political intrigue that kept throwing twists at you which was my favorite part. You are always guessing as to peoples intentions and motives and I was always anxious to see what would happen next.
I feel like I really enjoyed it while I was reading but it didn't leave much of an impact on me. I think the culprit lies in the characters. I didn't love any of them. Kitty is strong, smart, impulsive and I LIKED her enough but that's it. Benji, her boyfriend, really fell flat for me. Yes, he's a super nice guy but kind of one dimensional to be honest. I couldn't get a good grasp of his personality. Knox, Lila's fiance, I actually liked way better. While you couldn't always know if you could trust him, he was a much more interesting and driven character to me and I almost hoped for a love triangle (sorry Benji!) The rest of the Hart family is a piece of work. They're family but nothing says family like backstabbing for political gain, right? Those interactions were fascinating and I did like seeing that.
I know that there are a lot of people that enjoyed this immensely so I don't want to be all Debbie Downer here because I DID like it. It just didn't blow me away for some reason. I wish that there had been more action in the book. However, the dystopian world is set up wonderfully and the politics and crazy twists will keep you reading! Check it out and see for yourself!
Aimee Carter is a good writer, with entertaining dialogue, and love stories that make me keep reading, however, she seems determined to make her main characters eternally useless. Kitty although strong willed and moral is continually lost and defiant in ways that hurt more than help the rebellion she's supposed to be working for. It's annoying as I want to cheer for her but I often feel like someone should just lock her in a room and stop her from messing so much up. This becomes worse and worse as the series goes on. Additionally, the continuous twists of he/she's dead oh wait no they aren't and are they good or bad get old. A big twist or two is good for the plot line but it reached a point that by the third book I didn't even get upset when someone died because they will almost certainly be coming back from the dead and that kind of ruins the whole point of it.
Pawn is the first book in a very promising new series by Aimee Carter. I adored Aimee’s ‘Goddess Test’ series, so I couldn’t wait to get started on this new series to see what new adventure she would take us on next. This book has it all; action, suspense, mystery and even a touch of romance. It definitely did not disappoint!
The characters in this story were all very interesting, and each in their own way. The main character in the story, Kitty, was proven to be the most honest and heroic of the lot. She was definitely not a character to be messed with, and she proves that within the first few chapters of the book. And throughout the book, we watch her grow more and more into such a strong young lady who can not only take care of herself, but who may just be able to change the world.
While there were some characters that I really grew to love in the book, there were also quite a few seriously disturbing secondary characters as well, some that would go to extremely dramatic lengths to get what they wanted. These are the characters that you will love to hate, but you also are extremely intrigued by them as well.
One thing that I really love about this book is that there is no love triangle. (So far.) I am really not a big fan of the love triangle, unless it is insanely well written, which rarely ever happens. While Kitty has more than her pick of guys in this book, she is loyal to just one, and I love that about her. And while there is a small bit romance in this book, it definitely doesn’t overpower the storyline. It’s there, but it’s really to a minimum. I enjoyed that the romance wasn’t the main focus.
I really enjoyed the originality of this book. The world building was super creative, and very unique. Imagine having to live your whole life based on a rating test that you take when you are seventeen years old. Not exactly the best age for that to happen! The book definitely kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. Thankfully, the book didn’t end on a massive cliffhanger -- I am so totally over cliffhanger endings at the moment—but the ending left me with just enough information to wonder what is going to happen in the next book. I, for one, am dying to know!
Overall—If you are a big fan of Aimee Carter’s, and/or a fan of dystopian novels as well, you should definitely check out this book. I thought that it was a really awesome read, and I can’t wait to read the next book!
Happy Reading!
Also posted at TheReaderBee.com.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reminded me about my love of reading. Was a great story that had me hooked with a bunch of unexpected twists and turns. Could relate to the main character, Kitty, with how indecisive and anxious she is about everything that keeps happening.
DO NOT READ - COMPLETE SPOILERS AHEAD! I'm making notes to refresh my memory when the next book comes out.
Kitty Doe tests into Adulthood as a III...primarily because she never learned to read. Now that she is an adult, he has to leave the group home she grew up in and go to Denver to be a sewer technician...OR...she can become a prostitute and save money until her love, Bengy, takes his test in a month and they can make a life since he will test high.
Kitty goes to the club and auctions off her virginity only to be purchased by the Prime Minister, Daxton Hart. He doesn't want to sleep with her, he wants her to be masked to look identical to his dead niece. She's offered the opportunity to become a VII and have the life of "royalty". Kitty is then trained by Lila's Mom, Celia, and Fiance, Knox, to take over for her. Unbeknownst to Kitty, Celia and Knox, are the actual leaders of the Blackcoat Rebellion.
Kitty reluctantly takes up their cause and tries to kill Daxton, under Celia's instruction and only manages to put him in a coma. Celia tries a coup by kidnapping Greyson, Daxton's son, in an attempt to put Kitty/Lila in as Prime Minister. The real Lila (who didn't die) came out of hiding to get Greyson back. During the hostage exchange Daxton's mother, and the person behind EVERYTHING, tries to kill Celia and Kitty but fails.
Celia and Kitty sneak back into the mansion to get Bengy, Greyson, the real Lila, and Knox out...in the process Angela, Daxton and Celia's Mom, is murdered by Kitty...and Lila was injured by Angela. Ultimately, Celia and Lila leave to lead the Blackcoats and Daxton wakes up from his coma. At Angela's funeral, Daxton makes it clear to Kitty he remembers what she did...and she makes it clear to Daxton that she knows he too is a masked imposter.
Kitty Doe tests into Adulthood as a III...primarily because she never learned to read. Now that she is an adult, he has to leave the group home she grew up in and go to Denver to be a sewer technician...OR...she can become a prostitute and save money until her love, Bengy, takes his test in a month and they can make a life since he will test high.
Kitty goes to the club and auctions off her virginity only to be purchased by the Prime Minister, Daxton Hart. He doesn't want to sleep with her, he wants her to be masked to look identical to his dead niece. She's offered the opportunity to become a VII and have the life of "royalty". Kitty is then trained by Lila's Mom, Celia, and Fiance, Knox, to take over for her. Unbeknownst to Kitty, Celia and Knox, are the actual leaders of the Blackcoat Rebellion.
Kitty reluctantly takes up their cause and tries to kill Daxton, under Celia's instruction and only manages to put him in a coma. Celia tries a coup by kidnapping Greyson, Daxton's son, in an attempt to put Kitty/Lila in as Prime Minister. The real Lila (who didn't die) came out of hiding to get Greyson back. During the hostage exchange Daxton's mother, and the person behind EVERYTHING, tries to kill Celia and Kitty but fails.
Celia and Kitty sneak back into the mansion to get Bengy, Greyson, the real Lila, and Knox out...in the process Angela, Daxton and Celia's Mom, is murdered by Kitty...and Lila was injured by Angela. Ultimately, Celia and Lila leave to lead the Blackcoats and Daxton wakes up from his coma. At Angela's funeral, Daxton makes it clear to Kitty he remembers what she did...and she makes it clear to Daxton that she knows he too is a masked imposter.
Pawn is based in the future, where America is run by one family. On the surface the ideals of America is great, everyone is born equal, on their sixteenth birthday everyone takes a test which will define who they are and be given a job, a place to live and status depending on how they score on the test. you are evaluated and a number is tattooed on the back of your neck between 1 and seven. people who are given ones are usually unable to contribute to society and sent “elsewhere” and exiled. five being the average and sevens are only given to the ruling family.
Kitty doe, was born as an extra, which meant that she was the second child born to a family that could not afford to pay the fines, so she was sent to be raised in a group home. Things are looking good Kitty has been studying hard to take her test, but then the worst happens and she is marked as a III, her boyfriend Benji is extremely smart and Kitty doesn’t’ like the idea of being separated to work in the sewer systems somewhere else so she makes the fateful decision to work in the clubs as a prostitute until benji takes his exams and can work something out for the both of them to live happily ever after. Of course this is a dystopian so that doesn’t happen on Kitty’s first night at the club, she is brought by the prime minister of America for a obscene amount of money and Kitty has to make an on the spot decision, to die or go with him.
Kitty wakes up in a mansion looking and sounding like someone else. She has been masked. A rare operation that makes you look like someone else. Lila the prime ministers niece has been tragically killed and they need to find a replacement.
Kitty is thrown into the middle of a war between two sides of the ruling family, one side wants to keep peace and rule with an iron fist, how they have been for centuries. The other half of the family wants revolution and to overthrow their own family for the good of the people. Kitty just wants her and Benji to survive long enough to escape, but when it comes down to it which way will she choose?
I enjoyed Pawn, I didn’t find it to be a heart stopping exciting book, but it was enjoyable, with lots of backstabbing and murderous family members, betrayal, love and above all hope. There was so much action happening in the book as well as so many characters that I had some trouble focusing on what was happening. I did love the characters of Grayson and Kitty. I found Benji to be a bit spineless, I like a bad boy who takes risks to protect his woman, but Benji just seemed to keep getting kitty in trouble.
I am looking forward to reading the next edition in the black coat rebellion, and I would recommend this book, but I just didn’t really find anything that really stood out in the novel.
Kitty doe, was born as an extra, which meant that she was the second child born to a family that could not afford to pay the fines, so she was sent to be raised in a group home. Things are looking good Kitty has been studying hard to take her test, but then the worst happens and she is marked as a III, her boyfriend Benji is extremely smart and Kitty doesn’t’ like the idea of being separated to work in the sewer systems somewhere else so she makes the fateful decision to work in the clubs as a prostitute until benji takes his exams and can work something out for the both of them to live happily ever after. Of course this is a dystopian so that doesn’t happen on Kitty’s first night at the club, she is brought by the prime minister of America for a obscene amount of money and Kitty has to make an on the spot decision, to die or go with him.
Kitty wakes up in a mansion looking and sounding like someone else. She has been masked. A rare operation that makes you look like someone else. Lila the prime ministers niece has been tragically killed and they need to find a replacement.
Kitty is thrown into the middle of a war between two sides of the ruling family, one side wants to keep peace and rule with an iron fist, how they have been for centuries. The other half of the family wants revolution and to overthrow their own family for the good of the people. Kitty just wants her and Benji to survive long enough to escape, but when it comes down to it which way will she choose?
I enjoyed Pawn, I didn’t find it to be a heart stopping exciting book, but it was enjoyable, with lots of backstabbing and murderous family members, betrayal, love and above all hope. There was so much action happening in the book as well as so many characters that I had some trouble focusing on what was happening. I did love the characters of Grayson and Kitty. I found Benji to be a bit spineless, I like a bad boy who takes risks to protect his woman, but Benji just seemed to keep getting kitty in trouble.
I am looking forward to reading the next edition in the black coat rebellion, and I would recommend this book, but I just didn’t really find anything that really stood out in the novel.
I've owned this book forever but never taken the time to read it until now. I feel like this is another one of those books that I probably would have adored if I had read it a few years ago. Reading it today, I still found a book that I really enjoyed. Pawn takes place in a future dystopian United States where people are sorted into groups according to their performance on some sort of standardized test. Those who score highest are guaranteed a fairly easy life with a good ability to make choices for themselves in their lives. But those who do poorly on the test find themselves thrown into a caste system that denies them any ease or comfort in life. Kitty, the first person narrator of this story, is extremely intelligent, but she can't read (probably due to dyslexia, I'm guessing). For that reason she gets a low score on her test, dooming her to a life of struggles and no say in where that future takes place. Her luck changes when she is taken by a member of the powerful Hart family who runs this future America and never wants for anything ... except a conscience. Through a process called Masking Kitty becomes Lila Hart, a favored daughter who recently died. Kitty is thrown into a world of backstabbing hateful family members who can't be trusted much at all. She has to figure out how she fits into this bizarro world of the upper crust.
Like I say, I think that I would have really loved this a few years ago. I thought that Kitty made a good enough lead character for this story ... although I am getting some vibes that make me think that she has some potential to drive me crazy in future books of this series. I have a hard time liking characters who can't trust or show kindness to people who I feel like are nothing but good to them. Kitty hasn't quite crossed that threshold yet, but she's headed in that direction in her relationship with Knox. Knox was probably my favorite character of this book. He seems the most intriguing, with lots of layers to uncover. This really wasn't much of a romance book, but I couldn't help myself ... I shipped Knox and Kitty. I'm not sure that I'm meant to do that since Benjy is all that Kitty can think about, but who knows?
I've already gotten book two in the series from our online library, so I'll keep immersing myself in this world. I give this one four stars. I really liked it.
Like I say, I think that I would have really loved this a few years ago. I thought that Kitty made a good enough lead character for this story ... although I am getting some vibes that make me think that she has some potential to drive me crazy in future books of this series. I have a hard time liking characters who can't trust or show kindness to people who I feel like are nothing but good to them. Kitty hasn't quite crossed that threshold yet, but she's headed in that direction in her relationship with Knox. Knox was probably my favorite character of this book. He seems the most intriguing, with lots of layers to uncover. This really wasn't much of a romance book, but I couldn't help myself ... I shipped Knox and Kitty. I'm not sure that I'm meant to do that since Benjy is all that Kitty can think about, but who knows?
I've already gotten book two in the series from our online library, so I'll keep immersing myself in this world. I give this one four stars. I really liked it.
