Skip to main content

Taken by Erin Bowman

By
Book name and author
Taken, by Erin Bowman

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
Gray is a young man, but is already one of the oldest of his community. When men hit 18 years old, they are taken from the walled town, never to be seen again. If they climb over the wall, their charred bodies are thrown back over the wall. Gray discovers secret after secret, each one driving him to greater and greater risks.

Why I chose this book
Simply, the cover looks cool. Secondary to that, the library recommended it from my reading history.

My personal opinion (the review)
Excellent story, kept my attention well. The sacrifices made were not hard to accept, because they felt like "the only way" to resolve the conflicts. It wasn't totally predictable, but there were no major surprises. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year.

Warnings 
Language: mild
Violence: some, but not graphic
Adult situations: making out, nothing graphic; strong romantic feelings are felt by two main characters; one woman is unfaithful; young men are encouraged to become fathers before they are taken
Death: some, none are graphic; only a couple secondary characters die

Movie rating equivalent
PG-13

Protagonist description
Gray is obsessed with truth and with chasing his curiosity. I wish the love triangle had not been introduced- it stresses Gray out.

Point of view of story
First person

Book length
Less than a week

Story flow
Quite gripping, no slow parts

Grammar and spelling issues
None

Character connection (no spoilers)
None

For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Integral- you'll need the story in Taken to make sense of Frozen

Series review as a whole
Excellent. The two books flowed together, as if they had been written as one book and then split in two. I'd recommend it to anyone.

If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
This one (Taken)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

By
Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Improbable Libraries Alex Johnson

By
Concept: " A visual journey to the world's most unusual libraries." Author : Alex Johnson, a journalist and consultant . Both parents were librarians.  Monologue score  (1-10) (how entertaining): 8 - Overall I found this book quite interesting. I loved seeing all the ways that people were working to bring books into the community and how many were trying to create a sense of community through books. The pictures did a great job of helping to visualize how these libraries are being used.  Difficulty level: 3- Not very hard. Each of the seven sections (Libraries on the Move, Animal Libraries,Tiny Libraries, Big Libraries, Home Libraries, Mobile Libraries, and Not Libraries) starts with a short introduction and then gives a picture (or three) of the library described.  What I Learned/Review:  I really found this to be an enlightening and uplifting book. Having been a librarian and having a love for books in general it warms my heart to see all the ways that ...
1 comment
Read more

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Vin relies on her fighting skills, and a little extra "luck" to survive in the thief's world. Then comes Kelsier, a master thief and planner, showing her that what she calls luck is really much more. Kelsier and his crew plan to use a variety of special powers to free an entire population of slaves, including themselves, from tyranny. But, as always, there's far more to the story. Category Science Fiction or Fantasy Why I chose this book Rated highly on the library site My personal opinion (the review) Definitely the best story I've read in the past year. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Special abilities, fighting, romance, social justice - this has it all. And not a single bad word or uncomfortable situation. Warnings Language: None Violence: frequent, some mildly graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: Some, and of major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagon...
Post a Comment
Read more