Review: Taken by Erin Bowman

Taken

Author: Erin Bowman             
Series: Taken, Book One
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: Hardcover, 360 pages
Release Date: April 16, 2013
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries

Synopsis 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 Review:

Taken immediately sucked me into its crazy, messed up world. In Claysoot, all the boys disappear on their eighteenth birthday. Strangely, nobody seems to question it. Everyone has simply accepted that this is part of life. But our main character Gray simply can’t. This book is action-packed and full of plot twists that will leave you begging for more.

I loved Gray’s character. He is impulsive and sometimes irresponsible, but he follows his heart and does what he feels is right. After he loses his brother Blaine to the Heist, he doesn’t know what to do, until he finds a mysterious note from his mother that makes him think that perhaps there is more to Claysoot than meets the eye. Throughout the book, Gray proves himself again and again. He is brave and demands the truth. He values human life and as his emotions shake him, they shook me as well. Erin Bowman has really allowed the reader to connect with Gray on an intimate level, to feel what he feels and see what he sees.

Something that I found extremely fascinating is the love triangle that’s going on. In the majority of young adult novels, love triangles consist of one girl and two boys, but in Taken, Gray is torn between Emma and Bree.

Emma is a sweet girl he has known his whole life. She lived with him in Claysoot and escaped with him. I think that Emma played a role in getting Gray to start questioning life in Claysoot and she helps him seek answers in the beginning of the book. Emma is thoughtful, kind, and gentle. I didn’t dislike her character, but I didn’t love her either. She was okay for me. There didn’t seem to be much of a fire in her and I love strong female characters that can kick some serious booty.

Enter Bree. Now this girl, I loved. Bree is tough as nails and rarely shows vulnerability. She is sarcastic, funny, and blunt. When she first meets Gray, she nearly kills him, but then their relationship starts to grow and evolve as they spend more time together training. If we are going to pick teams here, I’m definitely on Team Bree. She doesn’t take crap from anybody and is a force to be reckoned with. I loved her fiery personality and her no-nonsense attitude. She tells it like it is and doesn’t play mind games.

Overall, this book fascinated me. The concept was original and intriguing and the plot twists were numerous and shocking. Taken was filled with action and romance (two of my favorite things). I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading trying to figure out what was coming next. There is tragedy and heartbreak accompanied by love and celebration. My emotions were all over the place with this one and I loved every second of it. I will be waiting in agony until the second book, Frozen, comes out in 2014. I highly recommend this to all you dystopian lovers out there! Happy reading all! 

Click here to purchase this book!