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Taken by Erin Bowman

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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)

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