Coming Attractions is inspired by The Perpetual Page Turner's Save The Date. Coming Attractions showcases a book that is not released for a while that I've read, and gives you a sneak peek (like a pre-review, if you will) as to what I thought about the book, since I can't post the review until closer to the release date.
Pawn
Aimée Carter
Series: The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1
Release Date: November 26th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 4 stars
Word Rating: Awesomeness!
Full review to come: in October
Reviewed by: Blythe
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.
First and foremost, I was really surprised by Pawn. I haven't read Carter's Goddess Test series, so I had no prior expectations relating to anything other than how awesome I thought this sounded, and Pawn, in my opinion, ended up warranting the awesomeness I thought it would be prior to reading. However, there were a few little things that didn't quite work for me which kept Pawn from being a five star read.
What didn't work for me:
IT BECAME SOMEWHAT CONVOLUTED: As much as I had fun reading this, I really feel it's undeniable that Pawn grew more and more convoluted as it progressed. Pawn has multiple plot twists, and they're all well-written, well-placed, and most are surprising, but some are so incredibly far-fetched and convoluted (particularly one), that about three quarters into the novel I felt much more detached from what was going on than I had in the beginning. While it should be noted that the particular plot point in question was one that shocked me, and I found it interesting, and it spiced up the novel so much more, not much from that moment on felt in touch with reality.
(SOME OF) KITTY'S DECISIONS: I like Kitty as the MC, I really do. She's strong and sassy, and has a great voice. But she frustrated me a few times throughout the novel due to how trusting she is towards people she barely knows. Without divulging into spoilers too much, the stakes in Pawn are pretty damn high. One mistake from Kitty could cost her her life. And, with that having been said, I feel she formed alliances with such a diverse cast of characters and told secrets to people I know I wouldn't have if I were placed in the situation. While by the end of the novel I did find myself admiring Kitty for her tenacity and strength and more importantly her loyalty, I just couldn't connect with her 100% because I know for a fact if I were in her position I would not have made half of the decisions she made, or trusted half of the people she did.
What did work for me:
LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE: Aside from those two issues mentioned above, Pawn worked for me on literally every single level. The world-building is good and really original, and the world was fun and crazy and it actually made sense. I also loved that the stakes were so high in Pawn, and the antagonists are crazy, so that made for a lot of really fun reading. Most of the plot twists towards the end of the novel were ones I was completely blindsided by, and all of them were clever and will make for a very interesting sequel. The love interest is really sweet, the secondary characters are fun and diverse, and the relationships are well-drawn out and engaging.
I think a lot of readers are really going to like this one--even those who are sick of dystopians. (Luckily I am not quite sick of these yet!)
This book does sound really good, I'll have to check it out when it's released! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteIt is really good! I hope you like it whenever you get around to it when it's released!
DeleteI have this waiting for me...I want to read it so badly but I have so many other books I need to read first. Happy to see a pre-review. I am SO EXCITED you are reading AVALON. I need to see your thoughts on this. I am desperate for that book and I need to know how it is. If you could add in Elusion and Control that would be wonderful :-)
ReplyDeleteMy Friends Are Fiction
OH, let me know what you think! It is so so so so good. And yes, I'll be getting to Avalon super soon! And after Avalon I'll be getting to Elusion, actually! :D I don't have an ARC of Control yet, BUT we have Lydia Kang stopping by on the blog for an interview in a few weeks, so there may just be a giveaway for an ARC there... :)
DeleteHMMM. Still sorta on the fence about this one, because her GODDESS series was...okay, but not mind-blowing. Her writing is circular for me a lot, buuuuut. This one sounds really different and the MC sounds fab. So I'll see what I think closer to publication, or if I get a galley of it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the first book in the Goddess series as I found it rather dull but I'm looking forward to checking out this new series-it sounds much more interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I am still on the fence. But. This is a point in its favor.
ReplyDelete^-- What she said. I commented on Giselle's review of this title that I'd read an excerpt and wasn't too interested in the novel, but you and her?? Eee. I did like the voice in her Goddess Test series for the most part, and I can see how the plot would be exciting - she did bring some fresh aspects to Greek mythology - but still so undecided. Can't wait to see your review!
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