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?
***
Captive is the sequel of Pawn, in which Kitty Doe is forced to be masked (yes, she somewhat agreed to it, but that didn't make it any less, well, forced) and portrayed as Lila Hart. To describe it in one sentence, I'd say Captive is more action packed and tense, but also more annoying.
I guess I'd start with Kitty Doe. I like Kitty a lot in Pawn, if you've read my review of it. I still like her a lot and to be honest, there are a lot of character development in Kitty. By the end of the book she has become quite a decision maker, with calculating thoughts and stuff. But I guess that kind of development comes after tons and tons of annoyance, because Kitty is very reckless and even a little thoughtless at the start of Captive. Which, sometimes, makes me want to punch her in the face or shake her. I get that she doesn't like to be left out, but I'd also say that she's too much of a liability to the rebellion at that moment, and for some reason she doesn't get that. It's frustrating as hell.
Another character that is also frustrating is Knox. I'd say being really hard to read is actually a character strength and it actually adds more fun. But like with Kitty, sometimes I really doubt his critical thinking abilities. Seriously, however fragile the rebellion really is, it won't hurt to keep Kitty updated when she wears the face of the head of Blackcoat rebellion? There are also times that he misses out the bigger picture, which I'm not going into details here. The cold shell he wears is pretty much invincible to penetration and that makes me want to kick him at times. However, I have a feeling that this cold shell hides something interesting. We'll just have to see, huh?
Despite all the annoyance, the book has vastly improved. Besides character development, a mixture of new and old characters are really fun. You can't really expect anything from them, as they might "snitch" you anytime if you take a wrong step. For their own good. It actually reflects the current society, where people will do anything, including betraying your friends, just to get what you want. Oh, and in case you don't know, it's slightly more difficult for me to come up with something that connects the story of Pawn to the society. In some ways it's an improvement. It's pretty hard to put the book down. The book is full of surprises, both good and bad. And what's a book without plot twists? Certainly not a good one. The suspense is definitely more intense in Captive. I'm already excited for the finale. It's the perfect catalyst.
I guess the only thing that I actually don't like (yes I talked a lot about annoyance, but that doesn't mean it's not cool in some ways) is the rare appearances of Benjy. Contrary to what a lot of readers think, I actually really like Benjy. Besides all the sweetness, he's one big certainty. I think the fact that nothing is certain in this series is why Benjy is kind of left out in the trilogy. But that doesn't mean I'm not pissed about it. He's a great character and he's mature enough, which can't be said to most of the characters (including a lot of important characters). Oh yes, he's sweet and supportive (and protective), despite obvious danger. And he knows how to handle himself well in an emergency situation. I seriously hope that I will see more of him in Queen.
I really like Captive, just like with its previous counterpart. Despite obvious flaws, this book is still slightly underrated, and I can't wait for the last installment.
Rating: 8/10
