Pawn by Aimee Carter

Pawn by Aimee Carter

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.

My Review

I must say that it take me much time to sit and write this review. I found myself thinking over and over about it, every time discovering another forgotten side to this seemingly simple story. I really not sure that I am going to cover all the layers that I found But I'll my best.
Pawn had me hooked from the very first sentence, and that first paragraph made it easy to decide that it would be my decided read.  What I liked was that I was never really bored. It was to flip page after page, and it was written in a fast pace that doesn't make the story feel too rushed and there were several twists along the way.
Right in the start we were thrust into a future version of America that is very caste based.  The author draw a very believable picture of economic crash, food shortage, and overpopulation issues that led to this creation of  society.

            Meritocracy definition:

A government or society in which citizens who display superior achievement are rewarded with positions of leadership. In a meritocracy, all citizens have the opportunity to be recognized and advanced in proportion to their abilities and accomplishments. The ideal of meritocracy has become controversial because of its association with the use of tests of intellectual ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, to regulate admissions to elite colleges and universities. Many contend that an individual's performance on these tests reflects his or her social class and family environment more than ability.

In Pawn - One examination,  taken at 17, is what it takes to determine the status of a person. Tattoo's of the numbers V, VI, VII on the neck lead to a privileged and glamorous life while a IV, II or III will have condemn you  to the crappiest jobs and harshest life, and it almost guarantees you will die much younger than those that score higher. You will have to work harder just to eat. If you'll  I you will sent Elsewhere because you will categorized as dumb enough not to able to work or function.

Kitty Doe, who suffer probably from severe dyslexia (could not read even though her life depend on it >> the words looked scrambled to her - We don’t often see our YA heroines dealing with any learning difficulties. I found her ability to memorize entire books and long speeches in record time adorable). She thought she is smart enough to get at list IV, she thought that she is going to get an extra, but she didn't time and she did only 1/3 of the exam. To receives a III, was shock for her, as III isn't respectful enough - She's assigned to work as a sewage cleaner in Denver. At 1st she steals an orange in the market place, hoping the Shields will kill her for this offense.

But .... The Shield who caught her take a notice of her eye color, which is the exact shade of Lila Hart's, the Prime Minister's niece. He tells her to stay exactly where she is. But she didn't - Kitty, along with her boyfriend Benjy (It is obvious that Benjy really loves Kitty and would do anything for her. He always protected and admired her), run back to their group home, where they relay everything to their caretaker Nina (a IV who took care of extras - Kitty considered an extra - you can have only one child, a second child from a lower caste family who is sent to be raised in a home similar to an orphanage).

Kitty decided to commit assignment fraud, and stay in DC as  a prostitute, until Benjy gets his rank and then marry him, so she could keep staying in DC.  This plan , had been suggested to her by a" friend", Tab and she is the one who bring her to the club. When they learned in the club, that she is still virgin they made an auction and try to sell her to the highest bid.

During the auction, the Prime Minister Daxton Hart (VII) bids the highest and buys Kitty. He offers to turn her into a VII as long as she does something for him. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter . Kitty believe that when she is saying ‘Yes’ -  she had the ultimate choice of  her future >> She think she know exactly what she was getting into. .... And ahe say yes, and .... promptly knocked out.

When Kitty wakes up, she finds that she is now masked as Lila Hart's, the Prime Minister's niece - e.g. surgically transformed into Lila Hart, who died under mysterious circumstances. The entire idea of being Masked is interesting and has so many implications to work with. Kitty goes from looking like Kitty to an exact replica of Lila Hart, from her height to a tattoo to her eye color. It is crazy, but it is also very cool.
  
Kitty faced a catch - On one hand she must stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and the one Kitty believes in. And on the other hand, Celia and Knox ask her to take up Lila's cause and rebel against Daxton and Augusta. They promise to protect Benjy from Daxton's schemes.

When all you want is your freedom, your freedom to choose when the choices seem incredibly few, is what one Kitty Doe want. 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.  I liked Kitty and found her to be a very strong heroine. The people she loves are most important to her and she never wavers on that, even when it comes to her own life.

Kitty is trained by Celia (VI), Lila's mother, and Knox(VI), her fiance, to become Lila in every way that counts. She's even expected to marry Knox at the end of the year.  To ensure her corporation, Daxton takes her to Elsewhere. Kitty finds out that, Elsewhere is the place all elderly people and I's are  hunted like animals and shot down. To her thunderstruck eyes, Daxton shoots Nina, who was brought to Elsewhere because she refused to give the Shields Kitty's location earlier.  It was so horrifically cold and inhumane and it still makes me feel icky just thinking about it. But I know as a third generation to the Holocaust that this scenario is also possible.

As Kitty settles into Lila’s life, she discover many things about the ruling family and the Meritocracy  system. These revelations only fuel her desire to make her own choices.  Kitty actually know and understand what the people have to endure as one at bottom of the "food chain". Becoming Lila has its risks but Kitty also understands the potential opportunities for the changes she can contribute. The ruling family was wonderfully complex, none of them are one-note though and whether you love or hate them by the end of it you did understand their motivations. 

Three bombs are dropped on government buildings, in  DC. It was believed to be the work of the Blackcoat Rebellion, a group that is actively opposing the governments policies. They all gathered in the impenetrable in-house safe room, where Kitty meets Grayson, Daxton's only son, which left after his eldest son and his wife died in car accident. Grayson is the only family member who doesn't know that Lila is dead.

Benjy receives a VI in his testing, and assigned as Knox's assistant to his protection, and also to use as leverage against her, if needed.

Celia, who missed her daughter and hates her cruel family wants scheme a crazy plan to kill Daxton. Celia will inject herself a drug that will render her unconscious to distract Daxton's guards and  meanwhile, Kitty is to inject Daxton a chemical that will stop his heart immediately.

Kitty stabbed  Daxton with a syringe, but she lose her resolve and only half of the drug is injected. When Daxton lose his consciousness and she found that, he has a V's ridge below the VII on his neckWhich mean...... . another twist....
Kitty runs away before she's caught. Celia is very ill, but expected to recover, but Daxton is in coma.When Celia recovers, she is furious that Kitty didn't kill Daxton. and  decide to kill Grayson instead, to retaliate against Daxton for her own daughter.

When Kitty gives her first public speech as Lila it is a huge success....the reaction of the people warm her and only strengthens her motivation toward contributing to a change.

Here Knox tells her that Celia and Grayson are missing.....now Augusta had taken a full control....and here come more and more surprises....


Well I can't tell you everything... you''ll have to read it all by yourselves.....

AND YES I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK !!!!