Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Publication Date: November 26, 2013

I was hoping to love this as much as The Goddess Test, but I think I should’ve went into reading without comparing the two books. I did like Pawn, but I didn’t love the characters as much as I loved Henry and Kate from the Goddess series.

The setup for the plot was interesting. Society has been separated into caste systems based on the results of a test given when a person turns seventeen. When Kitty takes her test, she scores a III which guarantees a future working in the sewers. However, the ruling family wants her to take over the life of their departed niece Lila and become a part of the rich and powerful VIIs.

Kitty was all over the place for most of the novel and it made me question whether she had a manic disorder. One minute she’s sobbing hysterically, the next minute she’s stoically accepting her fate. I did like Carter’s choice to feature a dyslexic heroine and I empathized with Kitty’s learning disability. Her boyfriend Benjy was a little boring and he didn’t sound very physically appealing. If I were going to have to pick a team, it would be Team Knox all the way.

The plot isn’t for the faint of heart, a twist about where people go when they end up “elsewhere” was particularly horrifying. I did like the brewing rebellion and the political intrigue plots. Since this is the first in the series, I’d expect the story to come together more in future books.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review!