Taken (Taken #1)

I really wanted to love this one. It started with a lot of promise but like a lot of dystopians the explanation for why everyone was trapped in the village really fell short for me. Don't know if I'll continue with this series. The characters were just okay and the romantic elements were kinda bland.

This book pulled me out of a reading funk I didn't even know I was in. Lately the books I've read have either bored me or just been unimpressive overall, so I was surprised when I found myself nearly halfway through after one day of reading.

I really enjoyed the pacing. It moved at a steady, and for the most part, quick pace. There weren't huge action scenes with boring lulls thrown in-between, but there was definitely action. It was a nice, subtle movement that seemed natural. Even the huge mystery was done well. Just when you think you're getting bored and annoyed with being left in the dark you're given enough answers to satisfy the craving for answers. I even remember thinking when Gray finally gets answers "wow, he didn't have to drag it out in bits and pieces, what a refreshing change."

While I didn't really mind the love triangle, I also would have been fine without it. I did, however, enjoy the fact that it wasn't your usual triangle. First of all, it's one guy and two girls. That's almost unheard of in and of itself, but I also like Gray's attitude about it. He didn't do the typical love triangle thing and lead one/both of them on, but instead was truly torn. He's faithful to girl #1, but is also close with girl #2.

I was satisfied with the world-building and back-story. It was enough to make me really feel like a knew the world, while still leaving plenty to be discovered and answered in the next book. My only issue is with the technology. Part of the problem is Gray's limited understanding, but I also felt like most of the technology could exist in our own time. And I'm a big fan of futurey stuff. I mean, if this is a futuristic world, I don't want it to seem exactly like our own except when convenient.

The Nutshell: Taken was a refreshing change of pace from my recent reads. It had a steady pace that let me forget myself in the story. The love triangle isn't the usual girl confused about two guys, and is, instead a guy slightly confused about two girls. It's nice to see a different scenario than normal. The world-building made a good base for the rest of the series without feeling like a complete set-up.

Direct Hit

I liked Gray, he is impulsive, but caring. Though I didn't agree with every decision or action, I still enjoyed him as a narrator. It was different being in a boy's head that thought like him. There was also a lot of emotion right at the beginning because his older brother was to be heisted, meaning he would disappear in less than 24 hours when the book started.
This def was a strange world and it took me a while to get accustomed in it. Not only the 18 year old boys vanish, which I can buy because I figure he is going to figure out more of the why and how for that, but even if not, okay it is a paranormal book and allowances are made. Why are there vampires? How does a human transform into a werewolf? Right, so... but anyways, in this world set-up there are "slatings" where each month the boy is with another girl, and although these can be extended, it is general practice for the boys to sleep with a different girl every month. Okay, I get that they want for the populations to continue, but why not just have one boy with one girl? Anyways, it was just different, not bad per se, but I am used to a love triangle at most, not what our society would basically consider promiscuity.
There was a lot that caught my attention, his emotions, his voice, the mystery of what is different about him, knowing that he would probably go over the wall because of the lead up in the synopsis, and Emma. She works with her mom as a healer, and I really liked her spirit. I liked getting to know her better, and the moments she shared with Gray.
As the book goes on, new characters, and situations are encountered, each more surprising than the last. I didn't know who to really trust, or who might get hurt next. I liked the twists that the book took though, and I am eager to read more in this series, and find out what happens next, and what decisions Gray will make.

Bottom Line: Nice beginning to a trilogy that was packed with action and surprises.