Taken by Erin BowmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
First of all... Dystopian told in a male point of view...
And let me tell you, Erin Bowman does not disappoint.
In Claysoot, men are in the minority, in fact, there aren't any past the age of eighteen. At midnight on a boys eighteenth birthday, the Heist happens. "The ground shakes, the wind howls and a blinding light descends... and he's gone." The older residents don't remember much about how Claysoot came about only that they woke up and found themselves in the walled in city and shortly after is when the young men started disappearing.
Gray Weathersby has just watched his older brother be taken and now has just 12 months until his eighteenth birthday to figure out how to avoid being Taken himself. He can either stay in Claysoot and wait it out, or he can climb the wall and try to find out what truly happens outside their small town.
I'm not sure I can explain how much I loved this...
The twists and turns that Bowman had in this story had me wishing someone was reading along with me so I could turn to them and say "did that just really happen?"
First, the story is so far from predictable. You think you've read every dystopian plot out there... you're wrong. This one is so different and so well developed and so intriguing. I was dying to get my hands on this one, and I was blown away.
The mystery surrounding Claysoot and the Heists is so original and unpredictable and just execellently developed. Everything made sense and fell into place as the story progressed at a perfect pace. I didn't feel anything was rushed, least of all the world building. Bowman has created an original and interesting world for these characters.
But this story has so many layers... it's not just about Claysoot, it's also what is beyond their walls and how Gray makes his way. Twist after twist keep this story moving along and each one was more brilliant than the next.
Like you might have noticed above, I'm a sucker for a good male pov, and I won't lie, I worried a bit that this would fall flat. IT DID NOT. I thought Gray was completely believably written as a male teenager. And even though he was selfish and impulsive and didn't quite think things through, he was totally likable. While I'm not a fan of love triangles (Who is really?) this one was done really well, and I know who I'm rooting for that's for sure. AND once again we have a novel that manages to incorporate a little bit of romance for us who adore it, without it taking over the whole plot of the story.
I normally try to incorporate some quotes in my reviews, but I can't even really do that here... while I highlighted a ton of things in my copy, I don't want to spoil anything for readers and so you'll just have to take my word on the genius of the dialogue and writing! I can't even tell you much about the secondary characters without ruining things!
So... what I'm saying is that on April 16th you need to buy this book... no matter what, get to the store and get it!
If you're looking for incredible world building, fantastic writing, non-stop action and brilliant plot at a perfect pace, than this book is for you. I am excited to see where Bowman takes Gray and the rest of her characters in the next book in this series.
Thank you to HarperTeen for providing a copy for an honest review.
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Dude! Where do you find time to read so much??? This sounds fantastic, BTW.
This makes me so happpppppppppyyyyyyyy!!! My most anticipated debut of 2013, no lie. An unpredictable plot can be so rare. Gah, it's killing me to hold off a little longer to read this!
~Sara @ Forever 17 Books
I've been looking forward to this book ever since I heard of it. Glad to hear it does not disappoint! I'm just really excited for a Dystopia from a male perspective. Also, I'm slightly in love with the cover. Every time I see it I just have to stare for a few minutes.
You have convinced me to pick up this book right when it comes out. When I first heard about it I was not that excited because I expected it to be like most dystopian novels out there, and I have read a lot of them. I'm glad that the plot is unpredictable and in a males point of view because I haven't read many like this lately. I also have to say that I love your gifs they always make me smile.
The first thing to note with Taken is that it is told through a male narrative. Most of the young adult books I read are generally told from either a girl’s perspective or a dual narrative so it was refreshing to have a boy’s voice for once. Gray Weathersby lives in a town called Claysoot, a place where there are no men, only boys. On each boy’s eighteenth birthday, they disappear. They are Heisted. No one knows what happens to the boys or where they go. At the beginning of Taken, Gray’s older brother is just turning eighteen, with Grey’s birthday not that long behind his. Gray was a fantastic protagonist and one I liked immediately, even though he is head-strong and doesn’t really think about the consequences of his actions. However, there is a lot more to Gray than is let on to begin with and I really enjoyed getting to know his character.
The central plot of this book is the Heist and what happens to all of the boys once they disappear. The idea for me was very original and different and it was also really interesting. Due to the nature of the plot, there is a lot of mystery involved in Taken and it takes a while to get to know what’s really going on. Even then, Erin Bowman throws in some many twists and turns that you’re never really sure what is the truth and what isn’t. Although the beginning of the book begins to explain about Claysoot and the Heist, Taken isn’t completely set there. Gray is extremely brave when he attempts to climb the wall in order to see what is on the other side but I don’t really think he was ever prepared for what he would find.
Although Gray is the protagonist of Taken, there are so many other wonderful characters introduced along the way. Love interest Emma takes up a large amount of the beginning of the book, due to the way in which Claysoot is run. I liked getting to know about the town where Gray grew up and the kinds of things that they did there. However, the outside world was far more interesting but Bowman manages to mix the two places together. While there are more important things going on, Claysoot is a part of them and it was exciting waiting to find out how the town fit in to everything. However, Emma presence is quite short lived and I don’t think the character was used as much as she maybe could have been. Along with Emma, there are so many other characters on the outside world who I utterly loved but I don’t want to mention anything about them so I don’t give anything away.
All in all, Erin Bowman has created a world full of mystery and suspense but also one with an intricate background. Taken’s plot was by far one of the most original and intense that I have read for a long time. Gray’s strong and sure narrative makes Taken a fantastic read and now I am desperate for the second book to find out what will happen next.
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