Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Review: Taken

TAKEN
Taken #1
Erin Bowman
Young Adult/Dystopian
352 pages
HarperTeen
Available now
Received from publisher via Edelweiss

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?


MY THOUGHTS
There are times when a strikingly beautiful cover can be both a blessing and a curse; a gorgeous design encouraging readers to pick it up, yet at the same time instantly creating high expectations as we can’t help but hope the story lives up to its packaging. While Taken has a deeply intriguing premise–one that will likely have our interest increasing as we learn more about Gray’s world rather than lessening as the series continues–our lack of connection with the characters themselves keeps us from glorying in the grit and guts we know must exist beneath this book’s pretty face.

Gray draws us into his world immediately with a haunting opening line, and we easily come to care for him more and more as soon as he starts to question the emotionally stunted and brutal way of life in his small town. We fully support his curiosities and his decision to find the soft spots the elder women in the village are protecting and give them a much-needed poke, but we are never quite provided the opening we so desperately want to be able to crawl into his heart and mind and make ourselves at home. Our time with him is captivating and his various exploits practically have the pages turning themselves we flip them so quickly, but that extra spark that would elevate him from an enjoyable character to a memorable one remains elusive.

Part of the troublesome connection with Gray stems in part from his romantic relationship with Emma. The love he’s had for her since he was a child (a setup we can’t help but like and much prefer to any sort of instant connection) exists only in word form, never quite transcending the black and white ink to become truly heartfelt sentiments we feel ricocheting back and forth between his fiction and our reality. About halfway through a new romantic player enters the picture, and while thankfully a triangle doesn't fully form, there is one event in particular that ensures that formation doesn’t take place and effectively kinks the straight path we thought existed between Gray and Emma. Based on the lack of resolution for their romance in this first installment, it’s probable a triangle will be forthcoming in future books, but those who fear or loathe them should take comfort in the absence of one in Taken.

Overall, Taken introduces us to a very complex and deeply fascinating world, new facets of it revealed and new questions raised every chapter to keep us interested throughout. The reasoning behind the Heist itself when it’s finally brought to light, however, feels a bit thin and grossly impractical given the end result those in charge are looking for, but it’s easy to overlook that factor in favor of trying to decipher which characters are black, which are white, and which exist in shades of gray. Hopefully book two will explore a few more emotional subtleties to help deepen our investment in Gray and his journey, but it’s a journey I’m interested in continuing.

Rating: 3.5/5
 

More information on Erin and Taken can be found here:


49 comments:

  1. I guess we had the same thoughts on this one... The romance was rather complicated and definitely not satisfying. It was more confusing than anything else...

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    1. Yes, I'm not a huge fan of Emma at the moment. She has some work to do to win me over, but the world was interesting I thought:)

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  2. I've heard so many mixed reviews on this one, but I'm glad it's great! I'm curious about both the world and the opening line. Amazing review!

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    1. The opening line was a winner:) I wish I could have connected a bit more to the characters, but there were some intriguing aspects to the story.

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  3. Man, this book hasn't been doing too well in reviews. And it's such a shame, because with a premise like that - and, I agree, a gorgeous cover - it could have had a lot going for it. It kind of sounds from your review like it starts out stronger and then peters off a bit. I don't know, you do have a fair amount of good to say about it, but I'm not sure if it would be enough to have me picking this one up, unfortunately. Pretty sure the romance would drive me crazy!! Thanks for this helpful review though, Jenny!

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    1. I know. I was beginning to think I was the only person that was going to rate it above a 3! While it was a bit disappointing for me on a couple fronts, I did enjoy reading it. It just didn't blow me away. I liked it enough to want to know what happens in the next book:)

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  4. Creepy, I like it...so how are babies made? Do they all hurry before they vanish?

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    1. Yes. They are assigned partners they have to sleep with for procreation purposes. Relationships are discouraged. Gray's brother Blaine is 18 and father to a 3 year old.

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  5. I didn't have trouble with this one at all. As you stated, it's a page turner (or finger flicker). I didn't mention anything past the book synopsis, I just couldn't. I want everyone to experience that horrible time for themselves. I felt a connection to Gray, right from the start. I kind of saw the two girls as his past and his current life. That may not be true.

    BTW- We're review buddies today.

    Heather

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    1. I'm glad you liked it Heather! I enjoyed the premise and the world, I just couldn't quite get on board with Gray's relationship to Emma. I liked Gray for the most part though:)

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  6. Jasprit didn't much care for this one either, Jenny. I find it hard to enjoy a book where I can't connect with the main character. Just the mention of a love-triangle has me running for the woods. Such a shame with this very pretty cover. Wonderful review, as always! :)

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    1. I know. Love triangles are a like an rampant infection in YA, we can't escape them. In this first book, it wasn't really an issue, but I can tell it's going to be one moving forward. Gray is more forgiving than I am, if it were me, there'd be no triangle at all. There would be only one choice:)

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  7. I'm getting more and more nervous to pick this book up as more reviews have started to trickle in. Like you, I think many people have had issues with the main character Gray. I guess this book just didn't turn out like everyone expected. Alas, your review has given me so hope for this book, perhaps I'll be picking it up! Thanks for great review, Jenny :)

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    1. This book has taken kind of a beating in the blogger world hasn't it? I didn't hate it or think it was awful, there were some really good things about it in my opinion, I just never really came to love Gray or Emma. I like to love my characters (or hate them):)

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  8. I totally agree with your about the cover. I mean when I saw this cover I wanted it so badly. I do have a book but still haven't read it. I hope I'll soon cause it seems like an interesting read. Besides every time when some new concept is presented I'm in :)

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    1. The cover is striking, I can't stop staring at it:) This book is getting some widely varied reviews, so it will be fun to keep seeing what people think!

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  9. Giselle and Jenni slammed their hateful reviews in my face and it was pretty ugly lol. I was so hopeful when it comes to this book and you're completely right, that cover is such a pretty one and allures you into reading it immediately + the synopsis? Wow! It's too bad that the book doesn't live up to it. As you said, it's hard to connect with Grey and all of the reviews I have stumbled upon state the same thing. Oh and that love-triangle thing is pretty much concidered awkward and awful. I can't really tell, but from the snippets from Giselle's and Jenni's reviews that I read last week - they were pretty bad. I don't think this is a book for me. I'm surprised actually that you enjoyed it way more than the 5-6 people I know have read it, but hey! It's good that it didn't infuriate you or made you want to pull your hair out in the process of reading it :)

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    1. I thought it was well written and there were some really interesting concepts and world-building, so that's why it got the rating it did. The characters left a bit to be desired though, but I'll be curious to see if that changes in the next book.

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  10. I wasn't completely sold. I liked it but didn't love it... The romance was kind f weird for me... I am kinda upset about the characters

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  11. I'm glad you liked this one better than I did. I really didn't like this book because it made me very mad. Especially, the romance. I did understand why Emma was all over Gray when she stated that she didn't like him at all a few days before. And the thing that she does was not very appealing. The romance definitely was a disaster.
    I thought this book had a lot of potential that wasn't explored.
    Lovely honest review, Jenny!

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    1. I agree on Emma, she wasn't a favorite of mine either. I liked that it wasn't instant love on Gray's part, but I didn't understand Emma's change of heart either. Then she does what she does toward the end and she sealed my opinion of her forever I'm afraid. I hold a grudge ;-)

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  12. The cover for this is SO pretty so it's such a disappointment that the insides don't quite live up to it. I had a lot of the same opinions as you about this book.

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    1. Yes, I was so excited for this one based on the cover and blurb and it just didn't meet my expectations. I still want to read book 2 though.

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  13. I'm so intrigued by the cover (yes, the pretty draws me in) and the blurb but I'm kind of afraid, based on several reviews I've read! I want to LOVE the main characters and want ALL THE FEELS when it comes to the romance, not have it dimmed by the possibility of a third wheel. Maybe a library get, just so I can see...

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    1. Yeah, this one didn't inspire ALL THE FEELS at all, but I liked the world. And I did enjoy Gray, I just didn't love him.

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  14. I tried to read this when it first came out and I dnf'd it...:( not sure ill ever pick it up again but i still really love the cover and loved your review!!

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    1. I know. I want to just blow this cover up and hang it on my wall. So pretty:)

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  15. Hmm..with your 3.5 rating and Maja's 2.5 rating, I don't know what to think of this book. Both of you ladies, point out big red flags such as disconnected characters and insta-love that makes me weary of this one. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny!

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    1. You're welcome Rummanah! I think I liked this one more than most people. I can be forgiving of some flaws if the world is interesting and there are intriguing ideas, so that's why my rating is higher than most seem to be.

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  16. I felt like this was very much a first book by a debut author. A lot of mistakes we made, but there's still a lot of promise. Erin Bowman has a raw talent you just can't fake and I'm hoping it gets better with each book.

    I felt a lot like you did - let down by the amazing cover the story inside hinted at. There was too much telling and not enough showing. Gray's voice often showedd that a female was the writer (he was too emotional and the wording isn't what a teenage guy would say).

    But again, towards the end I felt like the story hit a turning point. It wasn't enough to counteract the downward spiral of the first 2/3 of the novel, but enough to pull the story out of a complete crash and burn. I'll read book 2 in hopes Bowman keeps elevating her writing level.

    Great review, Jenny!

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    1. I agree, I did see a lot of promise with this one, enough that I want to continue and see where things go. Looking forward to comparing notes on book 2 with you!

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  17. I was hoping you would review this one :)

    I read another review recently in which she felt the romance and characters were lacking. The premise of the story sounds so intriguing, but having you confirm my fears about the depth of the characters has me taking this off my TBR.

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    1. Yeah, the romance was a problem for me in this one. I just wasn't invested enough in any of the characters to really get caught up in the romance and it lacked a believability for me.

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  18. Tell the truth, Jenny: is this 'let's give Maja an inferiority complex' day? I hate that we posted out reviews of the same book today, it just makes it glaringly obvious how beautiful your writing is, and how mine... isn't.
    I have to agree with you about both Gray and Emma, though it's entirely possible that I disliked Emma just a little bit more. Overall, this was a huge disappointment for me. And I had such high hopes. *sigh*

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    1. Pffffft! Have you read your reviews? PLEASE! I feel like I should just copy and paste yours to my blog sometimes and simply write THIS. :)

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  19. I am reading such mixed reviews of this one and I don't know what to think. I was supposed to have it reviewed for this past Monday but things fell through and I had to adjust the schedule. Anyway I will get it read. It seems that people either really like Gray or they don't and that is the issue. Ugh. It upsets me to hear that this is moving into love triangle territory. THis is another one of those highly buzzed books that just isn't meeting with expectation!

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    1. I liked Gray okay, I just never really fell in love with him. He wasn't someone I spent much time thinking about outside reading this book, and I really look for characters who get under my skin and stay there:)

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  20. Ugh... triangle... a.g.a.i.n. :P

    I do think I can put this one off. I love the sound of the world building but not about the lack of connection. It's possible books that can build a wonderful world eventually end up with a connection... so I'll wait to see how it goes with the next book first.

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    1. I would call this book triangle light. It's not a thing, but I'm making it a thing from now on:) No real triangle in this one, but it's clearly going to be an issue in the next book.

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  21. I love that you manage to put a positive spin on all your reviews, Jenny. I know the majority of readers really disliked this and I'm glad it has some redeeming qualities although I know for sure I'll be avoiding this one. Lovely review, though, dear!(:

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    1. I try Keertana! There's always something that works for me in any book, so I try to highlight that before listing all the things that were problematic:)

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  22. It seems like a lot of people have a hard time with the characters in this one. You definitely made it more positive sounding than many others. I have a copy of this but I have debated whether it's worth picking up. I have to say I'm pretty curious about how I'll feel though, so I'll do so eventually I'm sure.

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  23. I have this one on my wishlist, Jenny, but I'm in no hurry to read it, especially now that you mentioned that you couldn't really connect with Gray. I do like the sound of the world even if you thought the reason for the Heist wasn't exactly well thought out. Great review as always!

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  24. Great review Jenny. I have seen so many mixed reviews on this book. You really help clarify things.

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  25. It's never great when the big reveal/mystery is weak at the end. How frustrating to wind up with a mediocre explanation for the world you've invested in! Well, maybe if I see this one at the library I'll pick it up. Is this a debut?

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  26. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Taken enough to continue with the series, though I'm disappointed to hear that the Heist doesn't seem as thought out as I would like. I went back and forth over whether to continue reading after reading so many negative reviews, but now I've picked it up again, and am enjoying it so far. Fingers crossed I'll be pleased enough with it to continue on with the series. Wonderful thoughtful review, Jenny!

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  27. I'm sad. I already read two others review who did not enjoy Taken as much I as I thought. But that happens.

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  28. I love a good world in books, but that lack of character connection is huge. I have this problem with both Neil Gaiman's books I've read (I just finished one this week, which is why I use it as an example)--I've loved the world and the story itself, but I can never connect with the characters like I *want* to.

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