A review by suzannedix
Taken by Erin Bowman

4.0

Gray is a 17 year old boy who has grown up in dusty, dry Claysoot. His village is poor but they all make do since there is absolutely no way they can venture past the Wall. The one thing they can not abide by however is the Heist. The Heist happens on each village boy's eighteenth birthday. The boys literally just disappear into thin air. Blaine, Gray's brother, is the most recent victim of the Heist and Gray is devastated by his loss. The Heist has been going on in Claysoot for generations but it is only until Gray discovers a powerful secret, that he is actually Blaine's twin and should have therefore been Heisted as well, that he dares to seek answers to how and why all the men are taken. With the help of his girlfriend, Emma, she and Gray escape over the Wall and find themselves immediately embroiled in a civil war between the Rebels and Union Central, the city beyond the Wall. This is an utterly strange new world compared to isolated Claysoot and Gray and Emma have to learn quickly how to adapt and who they can trust. Many mysteries of the Heist and the Wall are revealed though just as many new questions arise in this interesting story.

Readers will enjoy this dystopian story though it does not read so very different from the many already out there. The concept of the Heist is unique though the love triangle between Gray, Emma and Bree is so typical that it makes for a lackluster plot. Recommended if students are still clamoring for science fiction/dystopians.

Fans of The Maze Runner, Legend and Divergent may want to give this one a try.

Recommended grades 8 and up. No language but there is a small amount of sexual content albeit vaguely described.