Monday, February 17, 2014

Review: Taken by Felicia Starr

Taken
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Publisher: Self-published
ISBN:  1493625675
ISBN13: 9781493625673
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Author
You must betray your heart and walk amongst the darkness in order to find the truest light. Opening her eyes to an imposing prison of complete darkness, Kasha is accused of possessing powers and abilities she had no previous knowledge of until the moment she comes face to face with herself while meditating. Haunted by memories strung together by lies and deceit, she soon discovers that maybe her beloved grandmother kept a few secrets she hadn't been aware of. Secrets that could be her salvation... or her undoing. As she struggles to control her newfound powers, only time will tell if they will be enough to help her decipher who has imprisoned her or what they want from her. She must search for the answers and the freedom she so desperately desires. Could a handsome guy who vows to help her get away prove to be the man of her dreams... or perhaps her worst nightmare? Not knowing who to trust, she must find a way to escape before she pays the ultimate price and finds herself taken by the darkness.


I won't lie, a good portion of this book can be somewhat depressing. Kasha is kidnapped, has no idea where she is or how she got there, no idea what they truly want and has no clue about the powers they insist she must have. She is kept in complete darkness, she is threatened, abused and has no idea who is lying and telling her the truth. The book jumps into her abduction immediately so the reader slowly learns what the world is like and the characters involved.

It's weird how much you can connect with a character when they are at their worst. It would be horrible to be kidnapped, kept in the dark, scared, and on top of that learn you have powers while trying to hide them from your captures. There were many points in the book that I was asking myself how much longer could she really be kept prisoner but she was a prisoner up until the very end.

This is not a warm and fuzzy book but I enjoyed the relationship between her and one of the secondary characters that she connects with, not so much another. I also kept reading so it did well with keeping my attention. There seemed to be a few slow parts and like I said in the beginning it gets a little depressing that she is held for so long. Not a lot of action happens but the emotions that are emitted throughout the book does a good job of keeping the suspense up. After reading TAKEN I find myself interested in reading about what happens next for the characters.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.