Review: Rook

Rook
by Sharon Cameron
YA Thriller
Amazon  /  Goodreads

Plot Summary:

History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

Review:

As an homage to The Scarlet Pimpernel, this book is amazing.  As an action-packed race to save the innocent this book is amazing.  Yes, this book is just amazing!  I loved every moment of it - every character relationship felt sparkling with wit and energy - there was such a wonderful dynamic to the characters that I felt really carried the story along quickly.  The villain too - LeBlanc, with his single-minded lunacy, was over-the-top evil and captivating in his spitefulness.   If I had to highlight one aspect of this book it would be the characters.  They worked together so well.

Sophia and René.  Oh how I loved these two.  Sophia for her prickly fierceness, and René for his sometimes seemingly capricious and sometimes intensely charismatic personality.  I thought the author must have had great fun writing these two, as reading them verbally spar and attempt to outmaneuver each other was so much fun for me to read about.  There are many times when you doubt René's intentions in this story, but I felt like I loved him so much as a character that it was hard to make me feel wary or suspicious of him.  Some of the other characters were appealing to me as well - Tom, Sophia's brother, was so sweet and protective and smart.  And René's Uncles were all entertaining in their way.  Orla too - the practical and capable Bellamy servant was so wonderful -  I really can't adequately express how vivid and bewitching all these characters were for me!

The story takes place in the far far future - a great tragedy has befallen our time, and the gadgets and technology we had is a mystery to the characters in this world.  There is a distrust of technology and an interest in things Ancient or Before as they call it.  It's such an intriguing setting for this story, and allows the author to put a old-fashioned spin to the story while also being able to use some modern technology.  I felt like the story mostly felt like a period piece though, which appealed to me.  It's historical while also being futuristic/dystopian.

The pace of the story was interesting for me.  I felt that it moved faster and faster as we got to the great rescue in the end.  The scenes shifted very fast too, between characters which was sometimes jarring, yet still kept the pace and the suspense going very well.  As I was reading, I kept on the lookout to the little nods to The Scarlet Pimpernel (which is a favorite book of mine) and it was great to come across them, but this is a story that stands on it's own, and creates a captivating adventure for the main characters.  There is romance, suspense, tragedy and comedy - it's a perfect story for an escape into a new and exciting world!