Rook by Sharon Cameron | Review

Description from Goodreads:

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 saviour 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 tantalising game of cat and mouse.

Well, knock me down and call me Susan, that was one hell of a good book. 

I first heard of Rook through the Perustopia Book Club, I wasn't initially all that sure about the book of the month, but I saw a lot hype, took the plunge and bought the book. Boy am I glad that I did!

Sharon Cameron's world building is something else, in a dystopian novel it's important for the world to be believable. Although the world in which Rook is set may have been slightly confusing at first, I soon got the hang of the former Paris, the Sunken City and the Commonwealth. I loved the world that Cameron created, I could almost close my eyes and picture myself scaling a wall, or sneaking out of an Upper City apartment.

In my eyes Rook is pretty damn unique, there may be a similar book out there that I have get to read, but for me Sharon Cameron's twist on dystopian is something I have not seen before. You may be wondering what I am talking about, the complete and utter lack of technology, stemming from the belief that it was technology that killed everyone and caused the change in the world. Therefore in Rook technology is banned, as the ruler want to avoid the dependence that killed the previous generations. So although Rook is set in a dystopian future, it is in fact in keeping with more medieval times.

Not only is the world that Sharon Cameron created brilliant, so are the characters. From the confident and self-assured Sophia, to the absolutely stark raving mad LeBlanc. It's through reading the different POVs that the characters really develop, I loved reading LeBlanc's POV, he was just the right amount of crazy while being able to justify absolutely all of his actions. I really wasn't that keen on Spear, he got it into his head that he and Sophia were meant to be, and his POV actually came across a little creepy. 

René Hasard is a spectacle at the engagement party, decked out in a gold jacket and black hair powder. At first he seems ostentatious and shallow, wanting only to flirt and remain at all time the centre of attention. However, as the story progresses we see the multiple sides to René Hasard's character. As more of René and the Hasard family got unravelled the more I fell, and the more I shipped! That's right, serious shipping went down in Rook, the amount of times I sighed dreamily and clutched the book to my chest I can't even begin to recount. I think it's pretty safe to say that I felt everything with this book, and I loved every moment of reading it!

Rook gave me a hefty book hangover, I'm SO glad that I decided to buy it, and I wish I could start it all over again!

Have you read Rook? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

'Rook' by Sharon Cameron

5 Stars