Pawn by Aimee Carter

Pawn 
(The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1)
by Aimee Carter
Released |November 26th 2013 by Harlequin Teen|
Edition |eARC|
Source |Netgalley|
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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.

Going into Pawn, I believe I had a bit of a high expectation because of how much I enjoyed the author's other series. Pawn was let down for me. I just couldn't connect with the story or the characters. The story was interesting, yes, I will definitely give it that and it was probably the reason why I continued to read it, but I just couldn't connect with it. The part I found the most intriguing was when Kitty was Masked. I found it kind of fascinating and was curious to see where the story would go from there. The raking system was also very interesting to read about. Being ranked from a I to VII was pretty interesting. I wish we could have learned about the other parts of the country instead of just the area that Kitty was from. It would have been nice to see. And by the end of the book, I sort of liked Knox. I thought his character was cute and was hoping for a bit more there, but that really didn't happen. 

But my first issue with this book was that Kitty already had a boyfriend, Benjy. I couldn't get on board with the relationship from the very beginning because by the end of the book I still felt as though I didn't know who Benjy was. Yes, they were both raised in an group home and he tried to teach her how to read, but that's about all I know about him. Also, I didn't like Kitty. I thought she was annoying and very frustrating. I couldn't connect with her on any level or the relationship on any level as well. And that part in the beginning with the prostitution? That kind of really through me off track for a second.

Overall, I just couldn't get into the story. I was hoping for more, but ended up being disappointed. I don't know if I will continue on with the series. I might, but I just don't know. I hope the sequel will be better for me. I received a copy from Netgalley. All thoughts are my honest opinion.