Review--Queen by Aimee Carter

PAWN...CAPTIVE...QUEEN?

Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton's niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person's rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear...and ultimately, between life and death.

To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton's secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she's loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty's survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after all.

I dove into Aimee Carter's Queen, yet again not remembering the previous events well. This is the problem of a reader who reads too much! LOL. Though, luckily, Aimee does a good job of giving us enough of a recap to see where we are at the beginning of the story. And once again, we find Kitty working with the Blackcoats in order to bring Daxton Hart down once and for all.

We know now that the man claiming to be Daxton Hart isn't the real Daxton, but Victor Mercer as Kitty learned he was Masked as Daxton years ago. Now the goal is to prove it to the country that he's a fraud.

Kitty and Knox and the rest of the Blackcoats continue to struggle to get the upper-hand in this deadly game that they play with Daxton. Every time it seems one or the other gets ahead, the other comes around and pushes them back. We see this and feel the incredible frustration that Kitty and the rest suffer.

It's not long before Kitty is caught by Daxton, while she knew what she was getting into, she's not sorry for her choices. For now she can see Grayson and the real Lila. And for awhile things are calm, and then that's when the storm comes.

It's hard to properly describe the events without describing the events. You know? LOL. But basically this plot is thick with tension. There are so many unknown factors in this game and at the crux of it all, you really just want Daxton to die a slow and painful death. Vindictive much? Well, maybe, but if you're already invested in this trilogy then you know it's warranted. Daxton is just one horrible person.

One of the things that I liked was the nice subtle romance. True, we have a bit of a love triangle going on, as we could pretty much see coming. But the nice thing, again, is that it too is subtle. And soon enough the triangle is no longer an issue, yet there are no "lovey dovey" moments to be bogged down with. While I do enjoy the occasional romantic interlude, it was a refreshing change to not have that going on here.

I was a bit upset by the lack of Knox in this book. Around the halfway point, he takes an exit. I won't get into the details of that, but you can clearly see his lack of presence. And then there's the worry for his well-being, since he is wanted for "treason" or whatever such farce Daxton claims. But when he is around, one can't help but notice the chemistry between him and Kitty. And while I thought Benjy was a sweet guy and all, I was all for Knox in the romance sense.

The ending to this one couldn't be more perfect! I'll admit, I was getting a bit upset with how some things turned out or were pushed under the rug. And it nearly changed my rating for this one. But in the  last paragraph or two, we are saved, the ending struck home! And I'll stop there before I say something I don't mean to!

Overall, I have quite enjoyed this series! It's a far cry different from my usual reads, as there was no paranormal or fantasy elements, magic, or anything "odd" about this book. But it still has plenty of intrigue and suspense and action to keep me turning those pages as fast as my eyes can read! It's rare that I divert this much from my favorite genres, but when Aimee Carter is already one of my favorite authors and the plot sounded more than intriguing enough, I knew it wasn't that much of a risk in reading this. Sure enough, I was right!

If you're looking for a read filled with intrigue, backstabbing plots, and more plots to overthrow a tyrannical government, and a heroine who rises to the challengers thrown at her again and again, you couldn't choose a better series than The Blackcoat Rebellion!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars