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spiderdan2's review against another edition
4.0
Solid writing, though honestly at some points the author puts in so many twists it is unsure if she herself believes what she is writing. Nonetheless, this is a great book for fans of THG, The Maze Runner, Divergent, etc. Clay is a strong character, though some characters are undeveloped, I think the author did that on purpose to exaggerate the mystery surrounding it's characters. I will miss Harvey.
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
3.0
This book had a lot of potential. The difficult part was that it felt disjointed. The concept was good, and even the descriptions of this western type world were good. I don't know what it was that kept this from being as good as Retribution Rails but something was missing. 3 out of 5 stars.
angparc's review against another edition
2.0
Taken de Erin Bowman.
Típica distopía, bastante predecible, no sé si leeré los otros.
Típica distopía, bastante predecible, no sé si leeré los otros.
writeralicia's review against another edition
4.0
Review also posted on my blog: http://www.fantasyfloozies.com/2013/01/book-review-taken-by-erin-bowman.html
First of all, thanks to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for sending us an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
This was a refreshing read for me, but it's not something I would recommend to my co-blogger, Kenya. One of the many (many) differences between our reading preferences is that I'm not a romance junkie. Sure, I like good alpha male as much as the next girl, and I'm sure as heck not going to turn away from a good sex scene . . . but I don't need a strong romantic plot or subplot to fall in love with a book.
If romance is your thing, this book may not be for you. The romance takes a back seat to the rest of the story, which was just fine by me.
Taken has some similarities to Mockingjay, except it was better executed. (Sorry, Suzanne Collins fans; Mockingjay was a huge disappointment for me!) At the beginning, boys disappear from Claysoot in a flash of light on their eighteenth birthdays. Pretty cool! And when the circumstance behind the Heists is revealed, it makes sense. The author created a believable dystopia with a rational basis. Win!
The dystopian world begins to come apart at the seams, and there's a rebellion in the making. Only unlike in Mockingjay, where the protagonist is little more than figurehead, we get to see the main character fully involved in making a change. There were hard choices that had to be made between loved ones and freedom.
Now let's talk about the romance: I was truly torn between the two love interests. On the one hand, sweet Emma is Gray's first love. She represents innocence. But Bree has more in common with Gray toward the end of the book. She represents fight and change. I liked both of them. I also liked how Gray kept his focus on the rebellion instead of fawning all over the girls. This just made sense to me; I bought it.
So why not five stars?
I just didn't love it. It was good.
It had all the right parts. But I can't recall ever being on the edge of my seat, or feeling like my heart was being ripped out, or itching to flip ahead and see what happens. In short, this is a good, solid book with all the right ingredients. And the Heist concept is just awesome. But it didn't blow me away.
First of all, thanks to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for sending us an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
This was a refreshing read for me, but it's not something I would recommend to my co-blogger, Kenya. One of the many (many) differences between our reading preferences is that I'm not a romance junkie. Sure, I like good alpha male as much as the next girl, and I'm sure as heck not going to turn away from a good sex scene . . . but I don't need a strong romantic plot or subplot to fall in love with a book.
If romance is your thing, this book may not be for you. The romance takes a back seat to the rest of the story, which was just fine by me.
Taken has some similarities to Mockingjay, except it was better executed. (Sorry, Suzanne Collins fans; Mockingjay was a huge disappointment for me!) At the beginning, boys disappear from Claysoot in a flash of light on their eighteenth birthdays. Pretty cool! And when the circumstance behind the Heists is revealed, it makes sense. The author created a believable dystopia with a rational basis. Win!
The dystopian world begins to come apart at the seams, and there's a rebellion in the making. Only unlike in Mockingjay, where the protagonist is little more than figurehead, we get to see the main character fully involved in making a change. There were hard choices that had to be made between loved ones and freedom.
Now let's talk about the romance: I was truly torn between the two love interests. On the one hand, sweet Emma is Gray's first love. She represents innocence. But Bree has more in common with Gray toward the end of the book. She represents fight and change. I liked both of them. I also liked how Gray kept his focus on the rebellion instead of fawning all over the girls. This just made sense to me; I bought it.
So why not five stars?
I just didn't love it. It was good.
It had all the right parts. But I can't recall ever being on the edge of my seat, or feeling like my heart was being ripped out, or itching to flip ahead and see what happens. In short, this is a good, solid book with all the right ingredients. And the Heist concept is just awesome. But it didn't blow me away.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
3.0
So. I have some serious thoughts about this one.
The thing is, it's a good idea for a book. It really is. Where do guys go after the Heist? Why only men? What's the world like beyond Claysoot? Very intriguing and complicated. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it definitely made me think.
One problem I had was that the teens acted like adults. They may have to grow up more quickly there, but it bothered me a bit. If they're acting like adults, should this book be in the adult section or the teen section?
What bothered me a lot was that the teens had sex with multiple partners throughout their lives in order to procreate, otherwise they would obviously die out - and disease was never mentioned. Ever. Nothing about protection or disease was mentioned once they were out of Claysoot, either. The differences between Claysoot and the outside world were addressed in so many other areas - why not this one?
In Claysoot, sex was such a casual thing for many citizens. People who weren't interested in one specific person were assigned "slatings" with others, and... can you imagine being assigned someone to sleep with?
In this world, do STDs no longer exist? How do you know for sure who the father is? Can you always count on doing the math? Does it even matter who the father is to them? What about gay people? How were they treated? Do they not exist in this society, like STDs? Sex was so casually mentioned and none of the details were addressed. I think in this case that details are important, especially for a teen audience.
That's how I will remember this book, and I don't think that's how the author wanted the book to be remembered. The plot was so complex and interesting, and the setup for book two sounds great. It's well-written and obviously good for discussion.
If you like dystopian books and sociology, you'll find this one interesting.
Let me know what you think about sexuality in this book. Do you agree with me? Am I crazy and just imagining it? Read it and let's discuss!
The thing is, it's a good idea for a book. It really is. Where do guys go after the Heist? Why only men? What's the world like beyond Claysoot? Very intriguing and complicated. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but it definitely made me think.
One problem I had was that the teens acted like adults. They may have to grow up more quickly there, but it bothered me a bit. If they're acting like adults, should this book be in the adult section or the teen section?
What bothered me a lot was that the teens had sex with multiple partners throughout their lives in order to procreate, otherwise they would obviously die out - and disease was never mentioned. Ever. Nothing about protection or disease was mentioned once they were out of Claysoot, either. The differences between Claysoot and the outside world were addressed in so many other areas - why not this one?
In Claysoot, sex was such a casual thing for many citizens. People who weren't interested in one specific person were assigned "slatings" with others, and... can you imagine being assigned someone to sleep with?
In this world, do STDs no longer exist? How do you know for sure who the father is? Can you always count on doing the math? Does it even matter who the father is to them? What about gay people? How were they treated? Do they not exist in this society, like STDs? Sex was so casually mentioned and none of the details were addressed. I think in this case that details are important, especially for a teen audience.
That's how I will remember this book, and I don't think that's how the author wanted the book to be remembered. The plot was so complex and interesting, and the setup for book two sounds great. It's well-written and obviously good for discussion.
If you like dystopian books and sociology, you'll find this one interesting.
Let me know what you think about sexuality in this book. Do you agree with me? Am I crazy and just imagining it? Read it and let's discuss!
sk24's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
**A big thank you to HarperCollins for sending me this ARC!**
(Due to the fact that it is an Advanced copy that I am reviewing,
my review will not reflect the quality of the writing)
Taken is a YA Dystopia where all boys are "Heisted" on their eighteenth birthdays. Nobody know the reasons for the disappearances of the boys or how it happens. But, the community of Claysoot has come to expect and accept the strange happenings. In this story, the reader is taken through the journey of a boy named Gray as he tries to find answers, because he is one of the few people in Claysoot who just cannot accept the Heist. He needs to know why it keeps happening, especially after his brother is Heisted. I thought the premise for this story was definitely interesting. The world building wasn't executed very well in the beginning. I felt like I didn't get a sense of what their little community was like until they were beyond the wall and started seeing unfamiliar things, like cars and flooring. But, it got better as the story continued.
Gray is the main character and narrator of Taken. He is a bit of a cowboy, acting on impulse and not caring about consequences until after. I didn't feel that I was able to connect with him very strongly. He was an okay character though. Likeable and strong. But, not the most memorable or endearing character, in my opinion. Gray's two love interests, Emma and Bree, are both decent characters. They are very different. Emma is sweet and I want to say innocent, but she proves that she has rebellious qualities inside. Bree is tough, emotionally and physically. But, once we get to know her better, we see a softer side.
Overall, I was not completely taken by this book, but I definitely didn't dislike it. I liked it enough. I will read the sequel once it is released. This is one of those books that I'm not sure if I would recommend. I'm not going to scream to the world to read it, that's for sure; but, if you think it sounds interesting then I think it's worth a shot. See how you like it.
**A big thank you to HarperCollins for sending me this ARC!**
(Due to the fact that it is an Advanced copy that I am reviewing,
my review will not reflect the quality of the writing)
Taken is a YA Dystopia where all boys are "Heisted" on their eighteenth birthdays. Nobody know the reasons for the disappearances of the boys or how it happens. But, the community of Claysoot has come to expect and accept the strange happenings. In this story, the reader is taken through the journey of a boy named Gray as he tries to find answers, because he is one of the few people in Claysoot who just cannot accept the Heist. He needs to know why it keeps happening, especially after his brother is Heisted. I thought the premise for this story was definitely interesting. The world building wasn't executed very well in the beginning. I felt like I didn't get a sense of what their little community was like until they were beyond the wall and started seeing unfamiliar things, like cars and flooring. But, it got better as the story continued.
Gray is the main character and narrator of Taken. He is a bit of a cowboy, acting on impulse and not caring about consequences until after. I didn't feel that I was able to connect with him very strongly. He was an okay character though. Likeable and strong. But, not the most memorable or endearing character, in my opinion. Gray's two love interests, Emma and Bree, are both decent characters. They are very different. Emma is sweet and I want to say innocent, but she proves that she has rebellious qualities inside. Bree is tough, emotionally and physically. But, once we get to know her better, we see a softer side.
Overall, I was not completely taken by this book, but I definitely didn't dislike it. I liked it enough. I will read the sequel once it is released. This is one of those books that I'm not sure if I would recommend. I'm not going to scream to the world to read it, that's for sure; but, if you think it sounds interesting then I think it's worth a shot. See how you like it.
carolinevaught's review
4.0
When I first started this book, I thought it seemed an awful lot like The Maze Runner by James Dashner, but the more I read on, I realized they weren't really the same, but there were certainly some similarities. For starters, kids were placed in a locked off area with little hope to escape, but after Gray and Emma got out, it pretty much stops being the same. All in all, this book wasn't as good as I hoped, but I still liked it and I'll for sure read the next one.
alexandriapaige's review
2.0
I would have really enjoyed this book when I was in middle school and high school. Unfortunately for me now it was just kind of meh. I'm sure there are people who will enjoy this book, but it's just not my cup of tea now.
scythefranz's review against another edition
4.0
"Second chance is not the same as forgiveness."
Oftentimes, I don't read the blurb. I usually add books to my list because of the cover and the genre. By genre, I mean dystopia or sci-fi most of the time. And Taken is one of those books. I really love the cover of this book like seriously.
When I started reading the book, I have no idea what it was all about but after a few chapters, I understand what the book wants to deliver to me. Though I sense a well-used plot of something about "walls", "experiments", "rebels", I don't care because I enjoyed reading this one and I devoured it in a matter of hours.
I find the writing simply to grasp and understand, though I also sense something off about it which occasionally bothered me. However, I can't pinpoint it out. The flow of the story in the beginning, was quite rushed for me and the detailing appeared to be lacking in minimum sense. Nevertheless, the author built the world in a good way, unraveling the mysteries carefully, answering the questions in intricate way and supplying twists unexpectedly.
The only problem is that the origin of the battle between the AmEast and AmWest wasn't furnished well or I just didn't pay attention? (The blame is on me, I think. Hah!). The characterization was also good though I really thought that the point of view, at first, belongs to a girl but I sit corrected, it was a boy. It was also quite off for me that the main character easily accepts that he was a product of an experiment or something like that.
Anyway, a good read.