Friday, May 9, 2014

Book Review: The Taking by Kimberly Derting

The Taking (The Taking #1)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: HarperTeen, 368 pages
Publication Date: April 29, 2014

From Goodreads:
When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?


Review:
I was hooked from the very beginning of this book. Kyra wakes up behind a Dumpster and finds out that five years have passed. But she still looks exactly the same. I was riveted and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as more and more strange things started happening to Kyra. She wants to find out what happened to her, but at the same time she has to adjust to how different everything is. Her boyfriend is about to graduate from college and has moved on, her parents are divorced, and the only person she feels comfortable with is her boyfriend's little brother, who was twelve the last time she saw him, but now he's seventeen and quite swoony. Tyler is amazing, by the way, and even though it's all kinds of insta-love, I still loved their their relationship. The I love yous happened way too fast (I think it was about a week), but given how intense and crazy the situation was, I could overlook it (although for Kyra, it was just yesterday that she was madly in love with Austin so yeah, she got over him very quickly).  My biggest complaints are lack of character development and a lot of unanswered questions, but the book was intense, action-packed, entertaining, fascinating, and I can't wait to read the next one.

Posted by: Pam

9 comments:

  1. I feel the exact same way about this one! I was completed engrossed in the story the entire time. It was so fast-paced and exciting and really just such a unique plot line. I did think the relationship moved way too quickly, but like you said, it felt okay given their circumstances. And I'm definitely craving more answers and that cliffhanger nearly killed me. But I thought it was a pretty solid start to the series.

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    1. Yes, another cliffhanger! But I agree, I really liked it and I just couldn't put it down. I didn't mind Kyra and Tyler connecting so quickly, but then for them to be exchanging I love yous…that was just way too fast. Why can't they just have feelings for each other? Be attracted to each other? That was over the top, but oh well. Typical, really. But I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. ~Pam

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  2. I'm excited to read this one. I thought I had it on my Kindle, but it wouldn't open when I sat down to read it. I just got a copy from the library, though. I'm glad you enjoyed it for the most part despite some lacking development and what sounds like some insta-love. Great review!

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    1. The plot is just riveting, I absolutely loved the story. Just overlook the insta-love, etc.! ~Pam

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  3. I've heard a lot of good about this one and it's on my tbr list :)

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  4. This one sounds intriguing, I've had it for a while but skipped it because I had heard really bad things. I am now debating whether to give it a go, but the whole insta-love thing is one of those things I completely hate in books. I might give it a try anyway, just to see how I end up feeling about it. Great review :)

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    1. Well, if you're prepared for it, maybe it won't be as bad. You get to the end of the book and you realize about a week has passed. But it is one crazy intense week so given the situation, I got over the insta-love. ~Pam

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  5. I have had this book for quite some time, but I've hesitated, because I ended up hating the Pledge. I didn't know if it was a fluke or not, but this one sounds MUCH more promising! ESP the whole waking up and five years have passed. That just captures my attention right away!

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