Friday 28 November 2014

Captive by Aimee Carter

The truth can set her free

For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, in a hostile meritocracy on the verge of revolution, Kitty sees her frustration grow as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoat rebels she is secretly supporting keep her in the dark more than ever.

But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she's accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.

As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she'll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes in—but is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?


The sequel to Pawn, which was an amazing start to the trilogy, introduced the characters and the main story which continues to unfold in Captive. Kitty, as Lila, is trying to do her part in the rebellion but is not trusted by Knox, her fake fiancĂ©. And if he isn't going to tell her the truth, then she wants out; she just wants her happily ever after with Benjy. 

I read Pawn last year so details were foggy but Carter did an amazing job of summarising the best bits of the previous book. The good guys are trying to do what they can with the information gathered in the previous book, mainly the fact that Daxton is also an imposter. But without proof, it isn't much use to the rebellion, so that's what Kitty tries to do. Unfortunately, she is caught and is sent to Elsewhere, the prison and hunting ground for Extra's and criminals. We had seen some of it and heard its reputation in the first book but seeing it fully for the first time was brutal, it was truly an awful environment. 

There was a lot, like an insane amount, of lies and deception. I understand that for quite a few characters it was part of their cover as members of the rebellion, but it was very difficult to keep up with who to trust. Along with several new characters, we also saw a different side to Knox, a more harsh side that made me hate him a little bit. As for Kitty, I could understand her frustration but she also changed her mind about helping the rebellion; she wanted to be involved but she didn't want to get hurt, herself or anyone else. She kept flicking back and forth, which was not only annoying but also endangering to the cause. 

Despite some issues with the secrets and the mind-changing, this was an incredible story, quite possibly even better than Pawn! It was action packed, fast-paced and full of conspiracy and deception. I never knew what was going to happen when I turned the page, who was going to live to see another day, who was going to make it to the rebellion and what was going to happen to Elsewhere. I loved it, I read it in two days, and I cannot wait for the finale, especially after that shocker ending!

Published 1st December 2014 by Harlequin UK. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

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