Pawn by Aimee Carter

Goodreads Blurb

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.

After reading the synopsis for Pawn, I'll admit--I was intrigued, but a bit wary. I've had my fill of dystopians this year, and seeing another one that sounded a bit...typical? Yeah, I was definitely wary.
But Aimee Carter surprised me in giving me a completely original novel with chilling secrets and the question Which side is the right one haunting our character every page.

Being taken deeply in the government's embrace, Kitty manages to dig up all kinds of secrets and reveals twists that just shocked me one after another. I loved the story from the beginning, but with each surprise, I just fell more and more in love with the story even as Kitty fell more and more into a family filled with grudges and secrets.
I'm always a fan of political stories where strategy and betrayals aren't uncommon and it's possibly why I love this one so much over the Goddess Test series! While I didn't understand all of them, the amount of brainstorming that must've gone into this book is amazing and the number of tricks in each character's sleeve was...astounding.

Speaking of characters, I loved them all. THEM ALL. Antagonist or protagonist, Carter manages to give us a wide range of personalities and tricks that we all fall in love (or fall in hate) with. They were all so strong and weak in their own way, but all of them were so real and I could understand their reasoning for everything, which I don't think has happened that often before.
Kitty is where things were interesting. While I didn't necessarily love her, she was so perfect--book wise. She wasn't a matyr, but she wasn't selfish. She was brave, but she wasn't stupid. She didn't think she could save the world, but she didn't give up on it either. I'm not quite sure what to think of her except that she was so real. If I met her, I may not have become her best friend--but as a character she was absolutely amazing and unbelievably well developed!

Another worry of mine: Love triangles. When we first meet Knox, the original Lila's fiance, along with Kitty's boyfriend, I was on the edge, waiting for a love triangle to pop out. And...it didn't! The romance isn't focused on much in this, but is sweet nevertheless. Kitty's motivation throughout the book was always protecting those she loved--but trying to stay in control of her own life (which is actually pretty different from the sacrificial heroines we see sometimes--who I still love of course!)
I will admit, if it's possible at all, I'm Team Knox.

Definitely my favorite of all her books, Aimee Carter has amazed me with her originality in a genre where I thought originality was gone and her ability to write stunning characters and a chilling take on a secret family feud that went beyond a few spiteful words.
Recommended for sure, especially if you're dying for something new in all these look a like dystopians!

Pages: 346

Genre: Dystopian

Series: Blackcoat Rebellion #1

Publisher: Harelquin Teen

Release Date: Nov 26, 2013

Rating: 4 Stars