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April 07, 2013

Review: Taken by Erin Bowman


Title: Taken (Taken, #1)
Author: Erin Bowman
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Publication date: April 16, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Sci-Fi/Dystopia)
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Pages: 352
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?
As soon as I read Taken, I immediately fell in love with the synopsis of this book. In Claysoot, there will be no male that is older than 18 years old. Every midnight of every boy's 18th birthday, they get heisted. "Heisted" is the term they use when suddenly the ground shakes and that certain boy vanishes. It's such a mystery, and I was just so excited to find out more about the story behind it. Gray, the main protagonist, is a 17 year old boy living in Claysoot. Gray's brother Blaine is 18 years old, and is soon to be Heisted. The world building in this book was very fascinating to read about. In Claysoot, everyone has to fight and hunt for what they need. Every boy also get's assigned to a girl, who they hang out with for a bit, and then might get assigned to another. Claysoot is also surrounded by a Wall, and who ever tries climbing out always comes back dead. 
When Blaine get's heisted, Gray is left with a mystery to be solved. Reading a paper that his mother wrote to Blaine about him, Gray is itching for answers. We also meet Emma, who is their childhood friend. When Gray and Emma both start questioning the world they've always known, they end up with answers that lead them to even more questions. As the story unfolds, we really get to know Gray more as a character, and I gotta say it was very fun reading a book from a boy's POV. Trying not to spoil anything, I'm just going to say that we also get to meet more characters, and a certain character that I loved as well! I have to say that the romance wasn't heavy in this one, but I honestly dont' find that a major problem for me. They were to busy kicking-butt to have time for anything else! 
Overall, Taken is a fast read that will leave you crazy for answers. The characters were fun to get to know, and Erin Bowman's writing was great as well! Like most dystopian books, I cannot WAIT to find out what happens in the next book! Readers of The Hunger Games and Slated would probably enjoy this one a lot!

24 comments:

  1. Great review, I also liked this book and I loved that is a book told from a male´s POV.

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  2. I just saw the trailer of this book. The plot sounds thrilling. I love dystopian and mysteries.

    Thanks for another great review

    -Dannielle

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  3. This is a great review, Farah! I'm actually quite glad you had such high praise for it, because I've been really itching to get my hands on it. It's good to know that, in the crazy dystopian hype, there's still some stories that are original and enjoyable!

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  4. I also have an eARC of this but I haven't gotten around to reading it. Heard nothing but good things and of course, the plot sounds all kinds of wondrous, especially for a dystopia buff like me. Gotta read it soon! Thanks for yet another wonderful review, Farah!

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  5. I've seen this book a lot lately, now I'm more curious after your review!

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  6. I also loved the synopsis for this book but I've seen a few bad reviews so far so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it. I've had it a while now and haven't read it yet, but I must soon. Great review Farah :)

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  7. I have been so excited to read this one! I have seen mixed reviews on this one but, I am such a huge dystopian fan that I will definitely have to check it out for myself. Thanks for your thoughts!

    Kristin @ Young Adult Book Haven

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  8. I am looking forward to this so much. The whole premise is fascinating. Awesome review. Can't wait.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  9. I also have this one and I should read it soon. I have heard only great things about it. I'm so happy that you enjoyed and the book sounds so good. Great review :)

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  10. The premise sounds interesting. There aren't a lot of books told from the POV of a male protagonist, so I'm especially looking forward to this part. Thanks for the great review!

    Kris @Imaginary Reads

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  11. You got me with the last sentence. I LOVED Slated! :D Also, Taken is one of my most anticipated debuts of 2013 so I can't wait to read it. I've heard great things about it. I'm glad that you loved it! Thanks for the honest review :)

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  12. I happy to see you enjoyed this one, Farah. The premise sounds wonderful and I have a copy as well. The cover is lovely! Wonderful review. :)

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  13. Usually I'm not a cover whore, but I fell in love with this cover. (How can you not?) However, I have to agree with you; that synopsis is something to be admired. Also, I'm looking forward to it because I haven't read a male perspective in a while. (So many female PoVs, but where are all the dudes?) Love your review, and can't wait to read this!

    Grace | Lust For Stories

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  14. Great review. I'm really looking forward to this book (the cover is gorgeous ). But in the end if I'm left "crazy for answers" I tend to be ... not so happy. But! I'm still going to read this book. It sounds so interesting.

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  15. I'm so excited for this!!! I thought it sounded really good, so I'm glad that you liked it. I'm also happy that you liked all the characters, since that's super important. Great review!

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  16. I loved the premise of this book too Farah, but unfortunately the book just fell flat in a couple of places for me! But I'm glad you found it to be an exciting read! Also yay you;re reading The Eternity Cure! <3 I hope you're enjoying it! :)

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  17. Oh man, I wish this one worked as well for me as it had for you. The execution was just much too cliche for me and I ended up getting really annoyed at pretty much everything. I can definitely see why people would like it though and I think you did a great job with this review. Thanks for sharing!

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  18. This one sounds so exciting! I can't wait to read it, Farah. And LOL, dystopians are fantastic! Thanks for stopping by my blog- I followed back. (:

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  19. This book sounds promising. And I'm really curious about that the "Hiest"

    Thanks for the review! :)

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  20. I knew I'd have to read this book when it came out-- the awesome reviews are only adding to that hunch. Great review!

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  21. I was not expecting to like this book so much, but I did! It was definitely a fast read with lots of twists.

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  22. Glad you enjoyed this one! Great review :)

    You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics

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  23. I thought the premise for this one sounded amazing, but I ended up being rather disappointed with how it was executed. Glad you found it enjoyable, though!

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  24. I'm so glad that you liked this one, Farah! I've been hearing mixed things, but it's so good to read an enthusiastic review for a change. I really like the sound of the Heist, which reminds me a bit of Michael Grant's Gone series. And I like that it's from a guy's point of view. I don't read too many of those :) Lovely review!

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