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susirecio's review against another edition
I was just not in the mood. It was cool, similar vibes to The Maze Runner
mhansen729's review against another edition
4.0
Gray/Bree. Emma is annoying. Dystopian society with isolated sectors, rebellion in process.
smpearce's review against another edition
3.0
It was an enjoyable enough read, but not the most gripping. It started off really well, but I think as the book went on it got less interesting and page-turning. I really liked the plot idea and the beginning parts (up until a little after they escaped Claysoot). I thought the emotion and tension was just much better in the start. Once they’d escaped Claysoot, it was still pretty good for awhile, and I thought the scene where he first finds Emma with the other guy was done pretty well. I wasn’t a fan at all of the love triangle, and it made the MC less likeable. As for the MC, I don’t think I could say much about him. He wasn’t memorable, didn’t have too much of a personality. I think I would have enjoyed it so much more if the characters had felt more fully developed and 3D. The book, as interesting the plot was, shared a lot of similarities with the Maze Runner, and I think needed better characters to give it a less “deja vu” feeling. I did pick up the next book, but I couldn’t get into it. I was disappointed, because the other book I’ve read by Erin Bowman, Plain Kate, was completely fantastic, and I was hoping for another tear-jerker. Overall, it was a pleasant enough way to spend time, but not very “if I put this down I’ll die”.
jenjent's review against another edition
4.0
Felt very much like a mix of Uglies and Gathering Blue, but very engaging. Thought Gray was a little harder than he needed to be, but who am I to question? I will likely read the second book, Frozen.
gabrielavmarques's review against another edition
2.0
Lacking originality and entertainment.
If you've read The Maze Runner by James Dashner this whole story will seem awfully familiar.
Having heard a lot of good things about this book I was excited to give it a try but was very disappointed in it. It was derivative, flat and just plain dull.
If you are looking for a fun, thrilling dystopian skip this one.
If you've read The Maze Runner by James Dashner this whole story will seem awfully familiar.
Having heard a lot of good things about this book I was excited to give it a try but was very disappointed in it. It was derivative, flat and just plain dull.
If you are looking for a fun, thrilling dystopian skip this one.
losetimereading's review against another edition
2.0
Taken is about a boy, Gray who is from Claysoot. A town surrounded by an ominous wall that no one has ever made it over and back alive. When a boy turns 18, he is heisted… disappears out of the town, never to be seen again. Gray’s brother, Blaine is heisted and after he is gone Gray discovers a hidden family secret that send him searching for answers with his girlfriend, Emma. Over the wall they go… and Gray realizes that life over the wall is not what he thinks.
Gray was a good main character. He was determined and had a pretty good head on his shoulders for a teenager although this can probably be accounted to fact that males grow up very quickly in Claysoot due to the fact they are heisted at such an early age. He had a little bit of rebellion in him which was refreshing as he wasn’t this picture perfect main character who was going to save the world around him. As much as I liked Gray I had absolutely no emotional connection with him. Or any of the other characters. Not Gray, Blaine, Emma, Owen, Bree… none of them. It was very disappointing to me that I could not connect with any of the characters.
The world building was interesting and one thing that somewhat saved the book a bit for me. I liked the fact that Claysoot is basically a test village, among others and I liked hearing about Taem and how it works.
The pacing was SOO slow for me… I felt like I was reading forever. Also at certain parts I felt like their were gaps in the story, especially with the rebels. If there was a bit more action during that time I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more.
The other thing that I really enjoyed, apart from the world building was the male point of view. I really enjoy male POV’s, and I absolutely LOVED the fact there was a love triangle that involved a guy and two girls. It’s such a rare thing to see a love triangle like that and I found it much more interesting and different then the normal run of the mill female vs. two males love triangle.
Unfortunately, Taken didn’t thrill me. I’m still upset that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to and I’m not sure if I will continue the series. There have been a ton of great reviews on this however so if you are thinking about picking it up I would read some other reviews as this may be something you will end up loving. I chalk up me not loving it to the characters, because I couldn’t connect with not even ONE of them it was really hard to pull myself into the story.
Gray was a good main character. He was determined and had a pretty good head on his shoulders for a teenager although this can probably be accounted to fact that males grow up very quickly in Claysoot due to the fact they are heisted at such an early age. He had a little bit of rebellion in him which was refreshing as he wasn’t this picture perfect main character who was going to save the world around him. As much as I liked Gray I had absolutely no emotional connection with him. Or any of the other characters. Not Gray, Blaine, Emma, Owen, Bree… none of them. It was very disappointing to me that I could not connect with any of the characters.
The world building was interesting and one thing that somewhat saved the book a bit for me. I liked the fact that Claysoot is basically a test village, among others and I liked hearing about Taem and how it works.
The pacing was SOO slow for me… I felt like I was reading forever. Also at certain parts I felt like their were gaps in the story, especially with the rebels. If there was a bit more action during that time I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more.
The other thing that I really enjoyed, apart from the world building was the male point of view. I really enjoy male POV’s, and I absolutely LOVED the fact there was a love triangle that involved a guy and two girls. It’s such a rare thing to see a love triangle like that and I found it much more interesting and different then the normal run of the mill female vs. two males love triangle.
Unfortunately, Taken didn’t thrill me. I’m still upset that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to and I’m not sure if I will continue the series. There have been a ton of great reviews on this however so if you are thinking about picking it up I would read some other reviews as this may be something you will end up loving. I chalk up me not loving it to the characters, because I couldn’t connect with not even ONE of them it was really hard to pull myself into the story.
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it 3.5 stars
In Claysoot all the men disappear on their 18th birthday, one minute they are there then the next poof...gone. No one knows where they go or why. Gray's brother is no exception. He turns 18 and disappears and Gray starts learning stuff about himself that send him over the wall. The very wall that no one has come back alive from attempting.
Alright, TAKEN was interesting. Because the men disappear when they are 18 they don't really have relationships but they are matched every few months with girls and they have to try to get them pregnant. That was a bit crazy but they explain it better than I can. After Blane is taken by the heist Gray is matched with Emma. They have known each other since they were born and never really got along but become close pretty quickly. Together they find out some shocking secrets and when Gray goes over the wall Emma decides to follow him right over. I don't want to go to much more into the book as it would give away to many spoilers but things definitely aren't what they seem at pretty much every turn of the page. TAKEN kept me on my toes. There are a lot of characters to get to know but they are all interesting and well-developed. The world is kinda crazy. Just like any good dystopian the bad guy is extra bad. There are a few different love connections in TAKEN but they are shaky and in no way set in stone. I can't even begin to tell you how many secrets are in this book. I was flabbergasted more than once.
TAKEN was a good start to the Taken trilogy. The characters still have a long road ahead of them and hopefully it will be just as action packed and fast paced as book one. I definitely would like some more answers to the many secrets that are still out there.
In Claysoot all the men disappear on their 18th birthday, one minute they are there then the next poof...gone. No one knows where they go or why. Gray's brother is no exception. He turns 18 and disappears and Gray starts learning stuff about himself that send him over the wall. The very wall that no one has come back alive from attempting.
Alright, TAKEN was interesting. Because the men disappear when they are 18 they don't really have relationships but they are matched every few months with girls and they have to try to get them pregnant. That was a bit crazy but they explain it better than I can. After Blane is taken by the heist Gray is matched with Emma. They have known each other since they were born and never really got along but become close pretty quickly. Together they find out some shocking secrets and when Gray goes over the wall Emma decides to follow him right over. I don't want to go to much more into the book as it would give away to many spoilers but things definitely aren't what they seem at pretty much every turn of the page. TAKEN kept me on my toes. There are a lot of characters to get to know but they are all interesting and well-developed. The world is kinda crazy. Just like any good dystopian the bad guy is extra bad. There are a few different love connections in TAKEN but they are shaky and in no way set in stone. I can't even begin to tell you how many secrets are in this book. I was flabbergasted more than once.
TAKEN was a good start to the Taken trilogy. The characters still have a long road ahead of them and hopefully it will be just as action packed and fast paced as book one. I definitely would like some more answers to the many secrets that are still out there.
govmarley's review against another edition
2.0
Every boy in the village disappears on his 18th birthday, leaving the women to sustain and run society. No one understands why, but accepts it. Their world is surrounded by a large wall, and if you climb it to escape, your charred body is returned for burial. Sounds interesting, right?
It started off with so much promise, but failed to deliver. Evil masterminds, righteous underdogs, and star-crossed lovers. All of the ingredients I usually love. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I will just say the characters didn't resonate with me, and the big mystery fell flat. I can't put my finger on what was missing for me, but I don't think I will read the other books in the Taken series. That's how little I care about what happens next. Sorry book, I wanted to love you, but I didn't. I'm sure it's not you; it's me. No hard feelings.
It started off with so much promise, but failed to deliver. Evil masterminds, righteous underdogs, and star-crossed lovers. All of the ingredients I usually love. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I will just say the characters didn't resonate with me, and the big mystery fell flat. I can't put my finger on what was missing for me, but I don't think I will read the other books in the Taken series. That's how little I care about what happens next. Sorry book, I wanted to love you, but I didn't. I'm sure it's not you; it's me. No hard feelings.
readingundertheradar's review against another edition
4.0
The book is split up into parts, and that's done really well. It wouldn't make sense if there weren't distinct divides at different points in the story. And naturally, it would make sense for the parts to pick up as you went further into the book, but that's where my disappointment fell. There was so much world-building done in part one, the part that introduced the characters and the town and the Heist and basically what everything was, that it made me much more concerned with this world than what happened in parts two and on. And there was so much detail about the society itself and how it worked, and how they stayed populated and had a government and how food worked, but it didn't bog me down with too much information all at once. By the end of part one, I was super intrigued and settled into this world, and then everything changed.
Jumping from part to part was good, but it confused and disoriented me at the same time. I got tired at learning about each new thing that was happening, and I got tired of all the information dumps and expository chunks that were needed to keep the reader in the know about what was going on.
The whole premise itself is really interesting, that the idea of a society that has no idea where its citizens are going to. It also reminded me a lot of Divergent, which makes much more sense if you've read both, but I won't go into any more detail for fear of spoiling it.
The big issue that surrounds this book is, yep, the main character. So, after getting about midway through the book, I started to hear some backlash against Gray, saying he was an irritating main character, people didn't like him, he was selfish and immature, etc. Here's my problem with that — do all MCs have to be likable? NO. They are human! I loved that Gray struggled with behaving like an "adult" because really, he is 17, and trying to be a teenager in the middle of a society where he might be gone the next day and doesn't know what's going to happen to him. That's difficult! I would not want to be in that situation.
So yes, I did like Gray, and even if I didn't, that wouldn't make the book any less likable, I had other issues with it besides him.
Go leave comments at http://www.happybookloversblog.com/2013/12/taken.html to tell me what you think about likable MCs!
Jumping from part to part was good, but it confused and disoriented me at the same time. I got tired at learning about each new thing that was happening, and I got tired of all the information dumps and expository chunks that were needed to keep the reader in the know about what was going on.
The whole premise itself is really interesting, that the idea of a society that has no idea where its citizens are going to. It also reminded me a lot of Divergent, which makes much more sense if you've read both, but I won't go into any more detail for fear of spoiling it.
The big issue that surrounds this book is, yep, the main character. So, after getting about midway through the book, I started to hear some backlash against Gray, saying he was an irritating main character, people didn't like him, he was selfish and immature, etc. Here's my problem with that — do all MCs have to be likable? NO. They are human! I loved that Gray struggled with behaving like an "adult" because really, he is 17, and trying to be a teenager in the middle of a society where he might be gone the next day and doesn't know what's going to happen to him. That's difficult! I would not want to be in that situation.
So yes, I did like Gray, and even if I didn't, that wouldn't make the book any less likable, I had other issues with it besides him.
Go leave comments at http://www.happybookloversblog.com/2013/12/taken.html to tell me what you think about likable MCs!