Monday 16 February 2015

Pawn by Aimée Carter

Pawn by Aimee Carter
Published: Harlequin Teen, November 26th, 2013
Pages: 343
Source: Hardcover, purchased
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4/5

How I Felt: After just over a year of having this book on my shelf, I'm so glad I finally picked it up! It was such an easy and quick, yet interesting dystopian. I really enjoyed reading this book, definitely worth my time!

Our protagonist, Kitty Doe was so spunky and awesome, I loved reading about her. She reminded me a lot of America Singer and Katniss Everdeen. Kitty was so passionate about the country and its people, which of course is a necessary characteristic for the heroic figure in a dystopian setting.  Kitty is placed in a group home because she is what people call 'extras', the child of parents with more than one child. Through the group home she meets her long life friend, and boyfriend, Benjy (Benjamin Doe). (Everyone in the group home has the same last name, they're not related...at least I hope not at this point.)

The people of this new version of the United States have a lot of strict rules placed upon them because nothing is just. In this world when you turn 17 you take a test to determine where you'll be ranked in society, a II, III IV, V VI or VII which is reserved for the Prime Minister and his family. The higher your ranking, the more special treatment you receive. And if you don't pass the test you get sent Elsewhere because you're deemed 'useless' by society. You can only imagine how much chaos this system causes. I loved the way this world was set up, it had the typical corrupted government, with people in poverty fighting for their lives, and then we have this protagonist that's stubborn, and brave so it was great to see all those elements come together!

In this book there was some sort of war in the United States and so when the country recovered they had a Prime Minister instead of a President and the title was inherited so there's no real sense of democracy.

I'll admit this wasn't the best dystopian book I've ever read but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and read it pretty quickly. I definitely can't wait to pick up the sequel, Captive! I hope we learn more about the government and the way that it's set up.

There were a few plot twists that were literally on the last page of the novel so I really want to learn more about those. I thought the romance aspect was a little shaky and uncertain and kept going back and forth between the prospect of a love triangle and this didn't sit well with me. Also, the fact that the main character has dyslexia didn't occur to me until after I finished the book and I can't believe it took me that long to figure that out because it was hinted at quite a lot.

Other than that I really liked this world and story; it reminded me a lot of a mixture between Uglies and The Selection. I highly recommend this if you're in a reading slump because it got me out of one! Also if you're a fan of either Uglies or The Selection or both you'll definitely have a fun time reading this! I need to get my hands on #2!!

Favourite Quotes:
  • “Have you ever played chess, Kitty?”
    I eyed her. What did a board game have to do with this? “Not really.”
    “You and I should play sometime. I think you would like it,” she said. “It’s a game of strategy, mostly. The strong pieces are in the back row, while the weak pieces—the pawns—are all in the front, ready to take the brunt of the attack. Because of their limited movement and vulnerability, most people underestimate them and only use them to protect the more powerful pieces. But when I play, I protect my pawns.”
    “Why?” I said, not entirely sure where this conversation was going. “If they’re weak, then what’s the point?”
    “They may be weak when the game begins, but their potential is remarkable. Most of the time, they’ll be taken by the other side and held captive until the end of the game. But if you’re careful—if you keep your eyes open and pay attention to what your opponent is doing, if you protect your pawns and they reach the other side of the board, do you know what happens then?”
    I shook my head, and she smiled.
    “Your pawn becomes a queen.” She touched my cheek, her fingers cold as ice. “Because they kept moving forward and triumphed against impossible odds, they become the most powerful piece in the game. Never forget that, all right? Never forget the potential one solitary pawn has to change the entire game.”
Thanks for reading!
~Birdie

***Quotes taken from Goodreads.com and Pawn by Aimee Carter***
*Info on book taken from Goodreads.com*

Friday 13 February 2015

Top 5 Favourite Contemporaries!

I've decided to start doing posts about some of my favourite books, but because I've read so many I've decided to split them up according to genre so they can all have their shining moment. I wanted to start off with comtemporary because most of the books I read from this genre have romance in them, so I thought this would be perfect to do before Valentine's Day. This is also kind of like a recommendations post too because I do highly recommend all of these books! And by the way these books are in no particular order. So here they are!

1. Along for the Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 399
Rating: 5/5
This was my first Sarah Dessen book and I really loved it! It is still my favourite Dessen book of all time, and I've read quite a few more by her already. I loved the characters, the plot and the setting; it all just worked for me! If you want to start reading Sarah Dessen I highly recommend this one! (Also, the characters in this book appear in her other novels!)
 
2. My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Pages: 394
Rating: 5/5
I absolutely loved this book! I loved how we got to see the two main love interests together for the majority of the book, and not just at the end like other contemporaries. I also liked that there was a big focus on the importance of family in this book, I feel like that isn't mentioned much in most young adult books. If you're looking for something cute, sweet and meaningful I suggest you pick this up A.S.A.P!

3. Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Pages: 369
Rating: 4.5/5
This was such an inspiring book, a really great coming of age story! The main character Allyson had so many awful things thrown at her, yet she pulled through in the end. Gayle Forman's writing is glorious as usual, definitely a really relatable read, one that deals with more serious topics, and not just a cutesy love story. Highly recommend, and would be a perfect read for February!
 
4. To All the Boys I've Loved Before

 Author: Jenny Han
Pages: 355
Rating: 5/5
This book was nothing shy of amazing! It was funny, adorable and fast-paced! Lara-Jean was such an amazing protagonist and I loved reading from her perspective. Peter and her were adorable and I can't wait to see more of them in the sequel! This was another book I loved that had a strong focus on the family aspect. Definitely a must read, especially for Valentine's Day!







 
 
5. Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Pages: 433
Rating: 5/5
When I first read this book I fell completely in love with the characters and the story. I remember when this first came out I pre-ordered it because I really liked the premise (it was also 50% off!) and when I finished it I was in a state of shock because it was just SO GOOD, if you are one of the few people who haven't read this already get on it because you won't regret it one bit! Another perfect Valentine's read! But it might leave you in a slight slump because...Levi... *swoons*
 
So those were just some of my favourite contemporary books, I hope this helped you find a new gem that you can enjoy time and time again. Thanks for reading!
~Birdie
 
***Info on books taken from Goodreads.com
*Pictures and quotes taken from google.ca and bing.ca

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