{Review} Captive by A.J. Grainger

Posted by Donna
Release Date: January 29th, 2015
Finished Date: December 12th, 2014

Publishers: Simon and Schuster UK
Genre: YA, Thriller, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: ARC

Pages: 240

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

I open my eyes. The cell is flooded with sunlight; the window is a slice of pale blue. Dust particles dance in the sparkling light, pirouetting in a golden line from the window to the opposite wall of the cell, where they seem to converge into shapes. It is like looking into a kaleidoscope. 

Dad isn't here. No one is, but me.
Robyn Knollys-Green is an A-list celebrity, famous for being the daughter of one of the world's most powerful men. But not even the paparazzi can find her now.

Robyn begins to realise that she is trapped in a complicated web of global corruption and deceit - and that the strange, melancholy boy who has been tasked with guarding her might not be an enemy after all . . .

A thrilling, well-crafted, ever-relevant story from a talented new voice in YA fiction.

The Review: As soon as I heard about Captive by A.J. Grainger I was instantly intrigued. The plot of the story sounded interesting and I couldn’t recall reading anything that sounded like it, however, while Captive had some positive things about it, it failed to hold my attention.

As the Prime Minister’s daughter, Robyn Knollys-Green is always in the public eye. Nothing goes unnoticed, especially after a failed attempt on her father’s life put her in the spotlight even more. But when Robyn is kidnapped and hostage by the animal rights activists it’s there that Robyn realises she’s on her own – her father will only come on his terms not her kidnappers. As time moves on Robyn starts to get close to the boy who guards her but by doing so, she uncovers secrets that involve her father that she can’t believe he’d have any part in and it soon becomes a struggle to figure out the truth. Can Robyn make it home alive in one piece and discover the truth?

I really liked the idea of Captive and for such a short story I think the author did an okay job. I was immediately pulled into Robyn’s life and got to know what she was like as a character. I liked her, I didn’t love her. I felt at times I couldn’t connect to her as much as I would have liked – more so towards the start of the story – but towards the end, I couldn’t understand her reasoning’s for doing the things she did. She’s just likable – nothing really stood out about her as a character.
Then there’s Falcon – who I was more intrigued by. I liked Falcon. I felt he was a deeper character than Robyn just because of the things he’s been through at such a young age. He’s a strong character, one that doesn’t always make the best choices but he definitely makes up for it through-out the story.

Robyn and Falcon’s relationship was definitely the best part of the story that did hold my attention and the main reason I kept on reading. They’re connection felt real and quite frankly honest. They don’t meet in the best circumstances and they recognise that their friendship isn’t a normal one, but I liked that. I liked that it was something different and it wasn’t all hearts and candy. It felt more real this way.

The whole story isn’t just focused on Robyn and Falcon’s friendship, it’s about the animal rights activists and Robyn’s father. This I didn’t enjoy as much as I would have hoped. I found it a bit boring and it’s here that I started to lose interest, even though it’s a pivotal part of the story.

In all, while Captive had some pros and cons about it, the only way you’ll know for yourself is if you read it. So go read it.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to review this book, in exchange for an honest review.