Early Review: Taken by Erin Bowman

Taken

Author:Erin Bowman

Release Date: April 16, 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen

Taken Book #1

ISBN:   0062117262

ISBN13: 9780062117267

Genre: YA Dystopian
Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

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?

In Claysoot all the men disappear on their 18th birthday, one minute they are there then the next poof...gone. No one knows where they go or why. Gray's brother is no exception. He turns 18 and disappears and Gray starts learning stuff about himself that send him over the wall. The very wall that no one has come back alive from attempting. 

Alright, TAKEN was interesting. Because the men disappear when they are 18 they don't really have relationships but they are matched every few months with girls and they have to try to get them pregnant. That was a bit crazy but they explain it better than I can. After Blane is taken by the heist Gray is matched with Emma. They have known each other since they were born and never really got along but become close pretty quickly. Together they find out some shocking secrets and when Gray goes over the wall Emma decides to follow him right over. I don't want to go to much more into the book as it would give away to many spoilers but things definitely aren't what they seem at pretty much every turn of the page. TAKEN kept me on my toes. There are a lot of characters to get to know but they are all interesting and well-developed. The world is kinda crazy. Just like any good dystopian the bad guy is extra bad. There are a few different love connections in TAKEN but they are shaky and in no way set in stone. I can't even begin to tell you how many secrets are in this book. I was flabbergasted more than once.

TAKEN was a good start to the Taken trilogy. The characters still have a long road ahead of them and hopefully it will be just as action packed and fast paced as book one. I definitely would like some more answers to the many secrets that are still out there.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars