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A review by electraheart
Taken by Erin Bowman
4.0
Taken easily could have succeeded as a standalone. If the final piece of action had been altered slightly and had an additional 50 pages attached, it would have fared perfectly fine. Instead, we're going to get another young adult dystopian trilogy with novellas that go between books. And if/when this book is made into a movie, you know they're going to split the third chapter into two parts. I'm seriously under the assumption that debuting authors are trying to milk their talent and fame as much as possible, because this is has become so common, and I can't stand it.
I promise, there was a point to that mini rant. Taken is 350 pages of almost nonstop action. The whole book takes place over the course of roughly three months, and it's a series of constant ups and downs. I admittedly had a hard time putting this book down because it sucks you in with the roller coaster of a plot. I was honestly expecting to take half, if not three quarters, of the book for Gray to realize something was wrong and make it over the wall (and I'm not going to hide that behind a spoiler because, really...it's kind of obvious from the synopsis that he's going to do it, and the tagline on the freaking cover implies it happens). Instead, it takes a rough 50 pages and we've already been thrown a twist or seven. And I loved every second of that. I loved not having drawn out secrets that you're supposed to think about for chapter after chapter. This plot is right in your face 100% of the time, and that's how it reels you in.
The premise of this story is unique in itself. This is one of the few young adult books I've read in the last two years where I didn't sit and think, "Wait, I've read this before." Sure, it gave some eerie vibes from The Village, but considering that was the start of M. Night Shyamalan's directing career, it definitely takes a turn for the better. The best part is that, unlike a lot of today's authors who come up with a concept and bury any sort of back up or history behind a ridiculous love triangle and a rebellious female lead shoved down your throat, every single aspect of this story was explained. There were times I caught myself asking, "But what about this?" Only to have it (eventually) answered. I certainly can't complain about that.
One of the biggest downfalls of this book was the weak attempt at a love triangle. I am not here for that. As soon as Bree was introduced, I could feel how forced their relationship was. With a war and rebellion under Gray's belt, the last thing he needed was for unnecessary drama which I know is going to play out in the next book.
Despite how much I enjoyed this book, I don't see myself finishing the series. I'm tired of reading the same trilogy again. I'm tired of every book being turned into a trilogy. I don't want this book to be ruined for me because of its successors.
I promise, there was a point to that mini rant. Taken is 350 pages of almost nonstop action. The whole book takes place over the course of roughly three months, and it's a series of constant ups and downs. I admittedly had a hard time putting this book down because it sucks you in with the roller coaster of a plot. I was honestly expecting to take half, if not three quarters, of the book for Gray to realize something was wrong and make it over the wall (and I'm not going to hide that behind a spoiler because, really...it's kind of obvious from the synopsis that he's going to do it, and the tagline on the freaking cover implies it happens). Instead, it takes a rough 50 pages and we've already been thrown a twist or seven. And I loved every second of that. I loved not having drawn out secrets that you're supposed to think about for chapter after chapter. This plot is right in your face 100% of the time, and that's how it reels you in.
The premise of this story is unique in itself. This is one of the few young adult books I've read in the last two years where I didn't sit and think, "Wait, I've read this before." Sure, it gave some eerie vibes from The Village, but considering that was the start of M. Night Shyamalan's directing career, it definitely takes a turn for the better. The best part is that, unlike a lot of today's authors who come up with a concept and bury any sort of back up or history behind a ridiculous love triangle and a rebellious female lead shoved down your throat, every single aspect of this story was explained. There were times I caught myself asking, "But what about this?" Only to have it (eventually) answered. I certainly can't complain about that.
One of the biggest downfalls of this book was the weak attempt at a love triangle. I am not here for that. As soon as Bree was introduced, I could feel how forced their relationship was. With a war and rebellion under Gray's belt, the last thing he needed was for unnecessary drama which I know is going to play out in the next book.
Despite how much I enjoyed this book, I don't see myself finishing the series. I'm tired of reading the same trilogy again. I'm tired of every book being turned into a trilogy. I don't want this book to be ruined for me because of its successors.