TAKEN by Erin Bowman

Taken
Erin Bowman

Rating: C-
Release Date: 04/16/13
Synopsis: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 on the book:
I had high hopes for Taken, and the first part was captivating. However, as the book continued, the intrigue settled down and completely fizzled out by the ending. The characters weren't all that likable, and the pacing was a bit off. The writing was okay, but nothing to get too excited over. Unfortunately this novel fell a bit flat for me. 

Gray was a bitter and angry character. At first, I could sympathize. If I was going to disappear when I was eighteen, and if I was dealing with my brother about to get Heisted, then I'd be angry, too. I don't agree with his actions, but I could at least understand them. I expected him to change, grow less self-absorbed, and become a good and decent character - or at least be on that path - by the end of the book. Nope. He's just a selfish jerk, but then again, everyone in this freaking novel is. Not one character was likable. The further I got into the book the more I realized that these people were simply awful and didn't deserve anyone's sympathy. After that epiphany, I just didn't care what happened to any of them. 

The plot was completely captivating at first. I could not figure out what was going on or why. However, most of the secrets were given away in the first part, and all of the suspense went with them. By part three, I was totally bored and had to force myself to finish the book. Also, the pacing is off. The beginning flies by, the middle slows down, and then the ending moves so slowly that I thought we were going backwards at times. Not a good way to write a book. Additionally, the language use was awkward and some words were misused. For instance, when Gray was implying a double-standard, Emma told him he was being "two-faced." Totally not the same thing at all. Two-faced is when someone is nice to your face and talks crap about you behind your back. A double-standard means that something is all right for one person but not another. Most people know this. I hope the editor caught it and that mistake isn't in the final edition. 

Overall, I'd say give this one a try at the library. The concept is unique at first, though it quickly becomes a typical Dystopian. Many people love it, but unfortunately I am not one of them. 

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