Book Review: Captive

Captive (The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)

By: Aimee Carter

Narrated By: Lameece Issaq

Published By: Audible Studios

Publication Date: December 1, 2014

Audio Length: 8 hours and 4 minutes

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Buy the print edition at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Kindly Provided by Audible

Audience: Young Adult - Dystopian

Review of Book #1: Pawn

On the Story & Writing:

I'm not the resident Dystopian Lark, but I read an advanced copy of book one and loved it. I have been anxious to see where Kitty's story would head next. The ending of the first novel left me with a sense of trepidation and numerous unanswered questions. Captive picks up basically where Pawn left off. The novel begins as Kitty prepares to attend a birthday party for Lila. Her identity is still being kept a secret from the masses.

A few chapters in and everything will change for Kitty. Her life will be swept away on a current of deceit, blood, and sacrifice. She finds herself in the last place she wants to be - Elsewhere. Kitty isn't sure how she will survive in the godforsaken place, but she knows that she must if she is going to have any chance of enacting revenge against those who have wronged her. 

This novel is difficult to discuss without spoiling the plot, but I will say that there were some major revelations that I didn't see coming in this one. I got a lot of the answers I craved after reading the first one. This one also ends on a twist, but I didn't feel panicked. This ending felt more resolved than the one from book one.

I highly enjoyed getting to spend time in Elsewhere and learning what made the society there click. There was far more to this setting than I originally believed. The Dollhouse and the Cage made me cringe. These elements make me happy to not live in Kitty's world. I couldn't imagine having to deal with such horrific things on a daily basis.

As with the first book, I am also drawn to those who participate in the resistance movement. I enjoy watching the rebellion unfold and trying to figure out what makes those who join the rebellion tick. Each one of them has different reasons for wanting to oust Daxton from power.

While I enjoyed this one, I didn't love it as much as the first one. My main complaint this time around is Kitty. She went from being a girl I rooted for who was brave and headstrong to a girl who allowed her stubborn streak to override her common sense. I spent more time shaking my head at Kitty's stupid decisions than I did cheering her on this time around. Every horrible thing that happens to her could have easily been prevented. I found her to be whiney and selfish for the majority of this novel. In fact, she started to remind me a bit of Bella Swan - prone to life threatening idiocy, lacking the ability to see the big picture, and going against all the sound advice she was given to forge her own path because she knows more than the others around her. Like with Bella, I found this to be annoying.

On the Audio:

I enjoyed the narration and found that the narrator was able to give a sense of urgency to the plot. I would have liked for some of the voices to be more varied. Many of the characters sound similar so it could get confusing time to time when there was a large section of dialog. I also wonder if my frustration with Kitty was due to the narrator's interpretation of her. Perhaps she only sounded whiney in my mind because someone else was giving her a voice and it wasn't one that was happening solely within my mind. Overall, I enjoyed the audio version and would recommend it.

One Last Gripe: Kitty was far too trusting in Elsewhere. One would think after everything she'd been through she would be more wary of trusting others.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The twists and turns of the plot

First Sentence: Somewhere nearby, Benjy was waiting for me.

Favorite Character: Knox

Least Favorite Character: Mercer

Summary:

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?