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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This was a very interesting take on immortality. The cover and title imply of something sinister, so my first impression/expectation upon seeing this book was vampires. Since they’re virtually the only creatures I know that can live several lifetimes, my uncreative mind immediately jumped to this assumption. Of course I was severely mistaken.
The Taker was an atmospheric novel about a girl who’d fallen on hard times at a time (1800s) when pregnancy out of wedlock was mortal sin. But that’s not how this book started. This book started in present time when she was picked up by cops wandering the streets bloodied, and with claims that she’d just killed someone.
She was brought to the hospital where she meets Dr. Luke Findlay, a man who had just gone through a series of bad luck himself. He was inexplicably drawn to the young woman. She was charming, enigmatic and had the gift of persuasion. There was very little she could ask that Luke wouldn’t give her, including, escaping the cops that took her. It was during the escape that she tells her story to Luke: how she became who she is and the stories of people that created her. It was a history hundreds and hundreds of years in the making; a lonely existence of debauchery, excess and unrequited love. And more importantly, the alchemy that provided her a life without end.
Alma Katsu is a brilliant story teller. This introduction had me in its grips from page one. It was rich in gothic-inspired history shrouded in a cloud of dark mystery. It was a vivid imagery of how brutal and punishing love could be, and how quickly we all become victim to weakness and vanity.
So why the middle of the grade rating? One word: characters. I’ve never been a fan of characters (mostly heroines) who were so blinded by love that their actions make them weaklings. And Lanore McIlvrae is perhaps the poster girl for heroines with this affliction. There wasn’t much she wouldn’t give to “her eternal love” regardless of how fruitless her efforts were. Lanore was the classic example of a woman who’s incredibly brave and weak at the same time. She was a mixture of both, but I have to admit that her unrequited love made her every bit the weakling the I couldn’t admire.
Despite the rough start, I still think this could be the beginning of a fantastic series. And the ending, though, finished by all rights, left an ominous cloud that had me fearing and wanting the next book in the same breath.
The Taker was an atmospheric novel about a girl who’d fallen on hard times at a time (1800s) when pregnancy out of wedlock was mortal sin. But that’s not how this book started. This book started in present time when she was picked up by cops wandering the streets bloodied, and with claims that she’d just killed someone.
She was brought to the hospital where she meets Dr. Luke Findlay, a man who had just gone through a series of bad luck himself. He was inexplicably drawn to the young woman. She was charming, enigmatic and had the gift of persuasion. There was very little she could ask that Luke wouldn’t give her, including, escaping the cops that took her. It was during the escape that she tells her story to Luke: how she became who she is and the stories of people that created her. It was a history hundreds and hundreds of years in the making; a lonely existence of debauchery, excess and unrequited love. And more importantly, the alchemy that provided her a life without end.
Alma Katsu is a brilliant story teller. This introduction had me in its grips from page one. It was rich in gothic-inspired history shrouded in a cloud of dark mystery. It was a vivid imagery of how brutal and punishing love could be, and how quickly we all become victim to weakness and vanity.
So why the middle of the grade rating? One word: characters. I’ve never been a fan of characters (mostly heroines) who were so blinded by love that their actions make them weaklings. And Lanore McIlvrae is perhaps the poster girl for heroines with this affliction. There wasn’t much she wouldn’t give to “her eternal love” regardless of how fruitless her efforts were. Lanore was the classic example of a woman who’s incredibly brave and weak at the same time. She was a mixture of both, but I have to admit that her unrequited love made her every bit the weakling the I couldn’t admire.
Despite the rough start, I still think this could be the beginning of a fantastic series. And the ending, though, finished by all rights, left an ominous cloud that had me fearing and wanting the next book in the same breath.
Filled with characters who are driven by their violent and sexual desires, fans of the HBO series True Blood may find this disturbing, dark story to be their cup of tea but it just wasn't for me.
The Good:
I loved the cover and I couldn't wait to dig in because of the promising reviews I had read. I thought that the opening chapter was very intriguing and I loved the concept behind Lannie's "condition."
The Not So Good:
Luke's character really didn't serve much of a purpose and the third person narrative was off-putting. His motivations seem very weak and it was obvious that his unrealistic actions were just to move the plot forward.
Another thing I didn't accept was Jonathan's allure; I found him boring and shallow. Despite his beauty, I just can't see how Lanny (and so many others) could be so smitten with such an unfaithful, cowardly boy - no matter his physical attributes.
The Bad:
I found most of the characters in The Taker very unlikeable and repulsive which made it nearly impossible for me to care about them. (The only character that I felt sorry for in this twisted cast of characters was Urza and her character was a minor one.) I reached a point where I just wished that they would all die so they would stop torturing themselves and others (myself included).
The Ugly:
The novel is riddled with many sexual situations and the sex is not of the romantic variety either. At best, the sex is about lust and desperation and at it's worse it is non-consentual and sadistic. No matter how sex-crazed a girl is, how could she possibly be attracted to the man who had her gang raped while he watched?!!? That was just beyond disgusting. There were also scenes of torture and death which were gruesome and uncomfortable to read as well. To be honest, I only finished this book because I received it free as a First-Reads and I was determined to see it all the way through in the chance that it would improve before the end.
The Good:
I loved the cover and I couldn't wait to dig in because of the promising reviews I had read. I thought that the opening chapter was very intriguing and I loved the concept behind Lannie's "condition."
The Not So Good:
Luke's character really didn't serve much of a purpose and the third person narrative was off-putting. His motivations seem very weak and it was obvious that his unrealistic actions were just to move the plot forward.
Another thing I didn't accept was Jonathan's allure; I found him boring and shallow. Despite his beauty, I just can't see how Lanny (and so many others) could be so smitten with such an unfaithful, cowardly boy - no matter his physical attributes.
The Bad:
I found most of the characters in The Taker very unlikeable and repulsive which made it nearly impossible for me to care about them. (The only character that I felt sorry for in this twisted cast of characters was Urza and her character was a minor one.) I reached a point where I just wished that they would all die so they would stop torturing themselves and others (myself included).
The Ugly:
The novel is riddled with many sexual situations and the sex is not of the romantic variety either. At best, the sex is about lust and desperation and at it's worse it is non-consentual and sadistic. No matter how sex-crazed a girl is, how could she possibly be attracted to the man who had her gang raped while he watched?!!? That was just beyond disgusting. There were also scenes of torture and death which were gruesome and uncomfortable to read as well. To be honest, I only finished this book because I received it free as a First-Reads and I was determined to see it all the way through in the chance that it would improve before the end.
This book is a lot of fun. It's the perfect break for your brain if you've had too many long days at the office or too few days lounging by the pool this summer. It's got enough romance and adventure to completely distract you from life for a few hours, and maybe it's just me, but sometimes that's as refreshing as ice-cold lemonade on a hot day.
The book opens with Luke, an ER doctor, on duty in a rural Maine hospital. Things aren't going great for him lately; he's reeling from the deaths of his parents and the dissolution of his marriage. His wife has moved away, taking their two daughters with her. With only an empty, echoing house to go home to, Luke is admittedly ripe for distraction.
Enter Lanore, a barely legal stunner with a head full of blonde curls and a police escort. She was found wandering along a highway in the dark, covered in someone else's blood. She told the cops that she'd killed a man somewhere back in the woods.
Once Lanny and Luke are left alone, she opens up to him with a bizarre story—one in which she is actually hundreds of years old, made immortal when she was in her late teens. She says the man she killed in the forest was the love of her life, and she needs Luke to help her get away. Luke is a doctor, a man of science, and he's skeptical of Lanny's claims despite her compelling beauty. When she cuts herself with a scalpel and he watches her flesh knit back together before his eyes, though, not only is Luke convinced she's telling the truth, but he's willing to follow her anywhere.
On the lam and headed to Canada, Lanny continues telling Luke the details of her life and how she came to be something more than human. The romance that inevitably builds between the two of them is sweet, but it's background for the bulk of the story, which is Lanny's past. She grew up in the early 1800s in a tiny settlement in Maine, hopelessly in love with the most gorgeous guy in town. Jonathan allows her a certain closeness, but never seems to take Lanny seriously as a romantic prospect. But Lanny's unquenchable desire to make him her own will take over both their lives forever.
The Taker is sultry summer fun.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
The book opens with Luke, an ER doctor, on duty in a rural Maine hospital. Things aren't going great for him lately; he's reeling from the deaths of his parents and the dissolution of his marriage. His wife has moved away, taking their two daughters with her. With only an empty, echoing house to go home to, Luke is admittedly ripe for distraction.
Enter Lanore, a barely legal stunner with a head full of blonde curls and a police escort. She was found wandering along a highway in the dark, covered in someone else's blood. She told the cops that she'd killed a man somewhere back in the woods.
Once Lanny and Luke are left alone, she opens up to him with a bizarre story—one in which she is actually hundreds of years old, made immortal when she was in her late teens. She says the man she killed in the forest was the love of her life, and she needs Luke to help her get away. Luke is a doctor, a man of science, and he's skeptical of Lanny's claims despite her compelling beauty. When she cuts herself with a scalpel and he watches her flesh knit back together before his eyes, though, not only is Luke convinced she's telling the truth, but he's willing to follow her anywhere.
On the lam and headed to Canada, Lanny continues telling Luke the details of her life and how she came to be something more than human. The romance that inevitably builds between the two of them is sweet, but it's background for the bulk of the story, which is Lanny's past. She grew up in the early 1800s in a tiny settlement in Maine, hopelessly in love with the most gorgeous guy in town. Jonathan allows her a certain closeness, but never seems to take Lanny seriously as a romantic prospect. But Lanny's unquenchable desire to make him her own will take over both their lives forever.
The Taker is sultry summer fun.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Not sure if I will bother getting the next book. This book started off good then boring then good for a bit again.
Questo libro mi ha spaventato, inquietato e disgustato. Traendo le somme non è malaccio ma un po' troppo psicopatico per me.
http://katnissbraid.blogspot.it/2012/04/immortal-1-recensione.html
http://katnissbraid.blogspot.it/2012/04/immortal-1-recensione.html
Review to come - I liked it...just need to think about it.
This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.
I never thought I’d compare a book to Interview with a Vampire, but that day has come. Alma Katsu’s The Taker is a tale of regret, unrequited love, darkness and that glimmer of hope that keeps us moving on. And while there is nary a vampire to be found, Lanny’s tale stung me in much the way Louis’ did in Interview.
When I said this is a story of regret, I meant it. Lanny is more-or-less immortal, and she’s recounting her life to one broken man willing to help her on a very bad night. And as she weaves her tale, mostly set in the early 1800s, the reader can see some of the mistakes coming. Lanny is in love, from before puberty, with Jonathan St. Andrew. He’s overwhelmingly handsome and charming, and his family owns the entire town. The girls love Jonathan, and he takes full advantage of that — and shares every detail with his best friend Lanny. While she pines. He’s rich, she’s poor.
A mistake causes her family to send her away, and this is where the tale takes a very dark turn. Lanny’s life is twisted. Abusive immortals, desire for love and learning a whole lot about sex for a girl raised in a Puritan village are all in store for her. No matter how long she stays away, or who covets her love, Lanny only thinks of Jonathan. Of how she wishes she could be with him.
Elements of magic, alchemy and immortality are at play in The Taker, but at its core it’s the story of a girl who learned too late that you can’t make someone love you back. Lanny’s tale is entrancing. At times this book reads much more like a historical than a paranormal, but I sank into this book. Prepare to be attached to every character, and have conflicting emotions about them all — especially Lanny, Adair and Jonathan. Love them. Hate them. Pity them.
The Taker was surprisingly dark and twisted, and yet beautiful and hopeful. It’s a journey, and you should take it.
Sexual content: Many references to sex, rape
I never thought I’d compare a book to Interview with a Vampire, but that day has come. Alma Katsu’s The Taker is a tale of regret, unrequited love, darkness and that glimmer of hope that keeps us moving on. And while there is nary a vampire to be found, Lanny’s tale stung me in much the way Louis’ did in Interview.
When I said this is a story of regret, I meant it. Lanny is more-or-less immortal, and she’s recounting her life to one broken man willing to help her on a very bad night. And as she weaves her tale, mostly set in the early 1800s, the reader can see some of the mistakes coming. Lanny is in love, from before puberty, with Jonathan St. Andrew. He’s overwhelmingly handsome and charming, and his family owns the entire town. The girls love Jonathan, and he takes full advantage of that — and shares every detail with his best friend Lanny. While she pines. He’s rich, she’s poor.
A mistake causes her family to send her away, and this is where the tale takes a very dark turn. Lanny’s life is twisted. Abusive immortals, desire for love and learning a whole lot about sex for a girl raised in a Puritan village are all in store for her. No matter how long she stays away, or who covets her love, Lanny only thinks of Jonathan. Of how she wishes she could be with him.
Elements of magic, alchemy and immortality are at play in The Taker, but at its core it’s the story of a girl who learned too late that you can’t make someone love you back. Lanny’s tale is entrancing. At times this book reads much more like a historical than a paranormal, but I sank into this book. Prepare to be attached to every character, and have conflicting emotions about them all — especially Lanny, Adair and Jonathan. Love them. Hate them. Pity them.
The Taker was surprisingly dark and twisted, and yet beautiful and hopeful. It’s a journey, and you should take it.
Sexual content: Many references to sex, rape
The character building is essentially YA fantasy tropes in office attire. The only things mentioned to explain the deep burning, one sided passionate love for each other are that everyone is supernaturally hot. Maybe I'll pick it up again when I feel guilty about buying something only to DNF it
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes