Review: Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den by Aimee Carter

Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den
(Simon Thorn #1)
by Aimee Carter
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Publication Date: February 2nd 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781619637047
Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy
Source: For Review

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A thrilling debut in the tradition of Rick Riordan and Brandon Mull about a boy who discovers a secret race of animal shape shifters.

Twelve-year-old Simon Thorn’s life has never been easy or normal, but things like being bullied at school and living in a cramped Manhattan apartment with his Uncle Darrell are nothing compared to his biggest secret: He can talk to animals.

But when his mom is suddenly kidnapped by a herd of rats, Simon finds out that he, his mom, and his uncle are all Animalgams—people born with the ability to change into an animal at will.

In search of his mom, Simon discovers the Animalgam Academy based at the Central Park Zoo. There he learns about the fractured five kingdoms that make up this secret world . . . and realizes he may be the only one who can save it.

This action-packed page-turner is perfect for fans of the Spirit Animals and The School of Good and Evil series. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I am a huge fan of Aimee Carter's, and when I discovered Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den was coming out this year, I knew I would have to check it out. I was a big fan of her Goddess Test & Blackcoat Rebellion series, and I was curious to see what she could do with a middle grade novel. This book was a really fun read!

Simon Thorn was an interesting main character. I envied him for his almost fearlessness at times, wanting to save everyone, even when it drove me a little crazy that he was sometimes rushing into danger, putting himself and everyone around him at risk as well. Typical teenage boy! It was hard not to sympathize with him for all that he had been through in his short life, especially when the people he loved the most kept such huge secrets from him all his life. But he was an interesting character, and I'm looking forward to watching him grow more throughout the series.

The storyline for the book was creative and very fast paced. There was really never a dull moment in this book. Something was always happening with Simon, or he was always getting into something, and I was speeding through the pages to find out what was going to happen next. I liked that the book sent out a message about bullying, and I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to Simon because of this. I also loved that he could talk to animals. There's not enough books in the world with talk/shape-shifting animals!

Overall; Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den was a fun, action packed read that touched my heart in a lot of places. I'm really looking forward to continuing the series as it goes along, and I definitely plan to share the books with my son, who I think will really enjoy them as well.

Waiting on Wednesday #211 - Queen by Aimee Carter

Queen
(The Blackcoat Rebellion #3)
by Aimee Carter
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Publication Date: November 24th 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 9780373211616



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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. (Goodreads)

Squeeeeeeeeeee!!
The third and final book in The Blackcoat Rebellion series will soon be ours!!
I can't wait to get my hands on Queen, as I really loved Pawn and Captive,
and I'm dying to see where the story goes!!
Is it November yet, because I really need this book in my life!!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Review: Captive by Aimee Carter

Captive
(The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)
by Aimée Carter
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Publication Date: November 24th 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780373211289
Genre: Young Adult | Dystopia | Sci-Fi
Source: Netgalley

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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? (Goodreads)

Captive is the second book in The Blackcoat Rebellion series by the super talented Aimée Carter. I was really excited to get back into this story, as I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Pawn.

I really loved Kitty in the first book, but found her to be a bit frustrating in Captive. Yes, I love that she is such a strong character, but there were more than I few times that I wanted to tell her to pipe down before she got herself in some serious trouble, or worse. I like my characters strong, but I also like it when they know when to stop and think as well, and it felt like Kitty was constantly putting herself in danger throughout the book.

Knox is a character that has intrigued me since I first met him in Pawn. I can’t quite seem to figure him out, and he’s always managing to throw me twists right when I least expect it. I’m really looking forward to meeting him again in the third book.

As in the first book, the romance really didn’t overpower the story for me in Captive. The relationship between Kitty and Benjy felt comfortable and awkward at the same time. Meaning that they’ve known each other for so long that their relationship feels comfortable, but when they try to be more, it’s just really awkward. Ah, first love.

The storyline for the book followed the same plot for the first book, but the settings for each book were so completely different. I had grown used to the world that Kitty had been first thrust into when I read Pawn, that the world she was thrown into in Captive was so insanely different. Elsewhere is the most terrible place to ever have to be, and the descriptions of the place and all the things that Kitty/Lila went through where just horrible. It was hard to read at times. However, I did enjoy the twists that were thrown throughout the story, one massive twist that I kind of saw coming since the first book. I can’t wait to see how the story plays out in the end.

Overall; While I didn’t love Captive as much as Pawn, I still really enjoyed the story. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the next book in the series, Queen, which will be out in 2015!

Waiting on Wednesday #150 - Captive by Aimee Carter

Captive
(The Blackcoat Rebellion #2)
by Aimée Carter
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: November 25th 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
ISBN: 9780373211289



Available for Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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? (Goodreads)

Soooo excited to finally see a cover for this book!
After finishing Pawn last year, I've been dying to get my hands on
this book to see what is going to happen next..
November is not going to get here soon enough!

What are you Waiting on this week??

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**    

Review: Pawn by Aimee Carter

Pawn
(The Blackcoat Rebellion #1)
by Aimée Carter
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Publication Date: November 26th 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 296
ISBN: 9780373210558
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian
Source: Netgalley

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

Previously titled Masked. (Goodreads)

Pawn is the first book in a very promising new series by Aimee Carter. I adored Aimee’s ‘Goddess Test’ series, so I couldn’t wait to get started on this new series to see what new adventure she would take us on next. This book has it all; action, suspense, mystery and even a touch of romance. It definitely did not disappoint!

The characters in this story were all very interesting, and each in their own way. The main character in the story, Kitty, was proven to be the most honest and heroic of the lot. She was definitely not a character to be messed with, and she proves that within the first few chapters of the book.  And throughout the book, we watch her grow more and more into such a strong young lady who can not only take care of herself, but who may just be able to change the world.

While there were some characters that I really grew to love in the book, there were also quite a few seriously disturbing secondary characters as well, some that would go to extremely dramatic lengths to get what they wanted. These are the characters that you will love to hate, but you also are extremely intrigued by them as well.

One thing that I really love about this book is that there is no love triangle. (So far.)  I am really not a big fan of the love triangle, unless it is insanely well written, which rarely ever happens. While Kitty has more than her pick of guys in this book, she is loyal to just one, and I love that about her.   And while there is a small bit romance in this book, it definitely doesn’t overpower the storyline. It’s there, but it’s really to a minimum. I enjoyed that the romance wasn’t the main focus.

I really enjoyed the originality of this book. The world building was super creative, and very unique. Imagine having to live your whole life based on a rating test that you take when you are seventeen years old. Not exactly the best age for that to happen! The book definitely kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. Thankfully, the book didn’t end on a massive cliffhanger -- I am so totally over cliffhanger endings at the moment—but the ending left me with just enough information to wonder what is going to happen in the next book. I, for one, am dying to know!

Overall—If you are a big fan of Aimee Carter’s, and/or a fan of dystopian novels as well, you should definitely check out this book. I thought that it was a really awesome read, and I can’t wait to read the next book!

Happy Reading!