CAPTIVE by Aimée Carter

Rating: B- 
Release Date: 11/25/14
Synopsis: 
For the past two months, Kitty Doe's life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister's niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancé cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats 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?

My thoughts on the book:
I have always been an Aimée Carter fan. I loved her Goddess Test series, and I absolutely adored the first book in this trilogy. The story in Captive did not disappoint, but Kitty was one of the most annoying protagonists I've read lately. I spent the majority of the book wanting to beat her over the head with a shoe. And I don't feel like she grew as much as she should have. Hopefully that'll be rectified in the final installment. The plot itself was fast-paced and had me hooked instantly. Carter's world-building was top notch, and I felt like I was in the new America she created. The romance was obnoxious and lukewarm at best, though. While this book didn't exactly fall flat for me, I'm a big character person, and disliking two of the main characters really made it hard for me to enjoy this novel as much as I could have had they not been so unlikable. 

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty, why are you such a selfish and ignorant brat? It blew my mind that anyone in this book thought she was brave or inspirational because she was anything but. Maybe if you couldn't read her inner thoughts, she didn't seem like such a little bitch, but my lord she was terrible. All she cared about was herself, her own comfort, and Benjy. The entire country is suffering as badly, if not worse than you once did? Oh well, let's go screw Benjy. That's all that matters. Also, let's ruin all of the plans for the revolution and tell random strangers about what's going on. That sounds super smart. Agh! The revolution would have been better off if Kitty had gotten killed, and so would the book. She was a useless idiot for the entire novel. Benjy was weak and pathetic as ever, and I really wanted him to go away. Even if he wasn't around, he was still there, because apparently Kitty has an obsession problem. Knox was the only redeeming character in the novel. I absolutely adored him, and I really hope to see more of him in the next installment. I also hope Kitty grows the hell up and stops being such a whiny, self-centered brat. She came very close to ruining a really well-written novel. 

The plot was amazing, and I really loved all of the secondary characters who were willing to give up their lives for a chance at freedom. The thing I love about dystopian novels is the revolution, and this novel had plenty of that. Also, Carter completely messed with me a few times while I was reading this. Something would happen, and I'd be like, "no... that can't be what actually happened. Surely the author is messing with me right now because wow. wtf." I really love when writers do that, and it kept me reading, even when I wanted to strangle Kitty for being such a stubborn idiot. The events in this novel were heart-wrenching and beautiful and everything a revolution should be. The world-building was spectacular. I felt like I was in every place that Kitty was, and everything was believable and made sense. I was able to willingly suspend my disbelief and completely immerse myself in the world that Carter created. I love when that happens. The twist at the very end shocked me, and I can't wait to see what happens next. This book ended on a tiny bit of a cliffhanger, though a lot of things were resolved as well, so I wasn't annoyed at the ending. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and trilogy to anyone who enjoys a good dystopian plot. If you're looking for likable characters, it may not be for you (though I'm trying to reserve judgment until the final book comes out. Characters do change, and I didn't absolutely hate Kitty in the first novel). If you read and enjoyed Pawn, like I did, then this book is a must-read. 

Order Captive today!