Book Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

Are you more than the number on the back of your neck?

I think a large proportion of the books I have read this year have had the very familiar dystopian society that as of yet I am not tiring of. This one is another new world that is under a corrupt regime which groups it's people into numbers. Kitty Doe is the lead character and again she is another strong female lead. She is given an unexpected choice. She can remain a III due to her disappointing test results or she can join the ranks of the VII's and escape a life of certain misery. However, this choice comes with a shocking transformation that no one even considers to warn Kitty about. Chosen purely because of her distinct eye colour Kitty wakes up surgically Masked into the Prime Ministers recently deceased (not that anyone knows) niece Lila Hart. She must adapt and prove herself otherwise like Lila her life will come to an abrupt end. However, there is much more to the Hart family then meets the eye and Kitty has a serious decision to make as to whether she will play their game or if she will use her new face to lead a rebellion. 

It took me a while to grasp Kitty's motivations for her choice to become a VII as she had no idea what she was really agreeing to do and as expected it wasn't a choice without catches. Once the story builds she becomes more her own person and what she wants from her life becomes much clearer and as a reader something you can really catch on to.  Considering Kitty spends a great portion of her time pretending to be someone else Carter manages to ensure the Kitty's personality is present throughout the story. The other characters found in the Hart household helped to round out the story and I particularly liked the character of Augusta who has a really twisted understanding of keeping it in the family. The other characters are not developed in depth but they work well together. As with most young adult fiction I seem to pick up these day this book is the start of another series and makes me think the other members of the Hart family will become more well rounded as the story develops. 

A fair bit of time is used up in this book for Kitty to learn to be like Lila and although it is intriguing to read it does mean it takes a long time to get to some nitty gritty action. There is an overload of unexpected twists in this story which made it a little bit of a roller coaster ride to follow but once you got the gist it is a very clever plot-line and keeps you guessing continually as the authors writing is in no way predictable. I personally like the originality of the Masking process and found this aspect of the story an impressive writing feat. 

If you are getting a bit sick of the dystopian series that we are seeing so frequently then this is probably not for you. However, if you are a huge fan of dystopian worlds then I would dive right into this new series. 

A unique concept - worth reading for dystopian fans

I was provided with a copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.