Taken (Taken, #1)

by Erin Bowman

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?

• ISBN10: 0062117262
• ISBN13: 9780062117267
• Publish Date: 16 April 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 24 October 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[paperbackjedi]

Gray has watched many of his friends fall victim to The Heist and now he’s lost his brother to it. Propelled by a secret mysterious note from his mother, he sets off to discover what lies outside the Wall of Claysoot and if there’s life beyond what everyone is lead to believe.

I actually won this book through a Twitter giveaway from the author herself and just recently got around to reading it. To begin, I started and finished this book in one sitting. The narrative is compelling and and fast-paced. While Bowman always leaves the reader with questions with questions, she unveils the story in a way that both satisfies and teases. This book is mostly action, but it doesn’t ignore character development and exploration. Especially for Gray as the story is told in first person. Gray is a refreshing male protagonist, not pigeon holed into “bad boy” or “good guy” and instead reads like he might be someone you know. He felt familiar to me- realistic and consistent. I do wish we’d gotten to see a little more into the minds of Blaine (Gray’s brother) and Emma (Gray’s sort of girlfriend), but the rest of the cast (while secondary) is fleshed out enough that you get a sense of the characters, their struggles, and a deeper understanding of the plot.

The plot itself is straightforward enough, there are few moments where you might question the validity of the explanation, but for the most part, if you can suspend your disbelief and immerse yourself in the words, you won’t really question it too much. And since it’s dystopian science fiction, it’s easier to go along for the ride. I will say that some explanations seemed rushed and as a result, it could be a little overwhelming to the reader. Romance isn’t featured heavily in this book which was awesome because the story itself was the main focus and it really didn’t need any fluff or frills. You’ll find yourself caring more about what’s actually going on than who likes who WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN.

While I’m not in a hurry to read the second installment, this is a really fun and quick read. It’s not heavy on drama or relationships or angst. It’s just good old fashioned science and suspense. Fans of The Maze Runner will most likely enjoy reading this so if you’ve read and liked that novel, you should definitely check Taken out.

[Stephanie]

I was kind of scared to read Taken, I think because I read a bad review about it and it scared me enough to not read it for a couple months. But, I decided to give it a go anyways because the summary sounded awesome, and I really wanted to know what the Heist was. Ultimately, I'm glad I decided to read it because it ended up being one of my favorites for this year.

I've read a few reviews that mention Gray not being a likable character, which I definitely understand. He can be very moody, so moody that he felt obligated to punch a girl. I understand why people would get upset about this. It didn't bother me, but you are now warned if you can't get passed something like that. I felt like Gray had his reasons to be upset. His brother was just Heisted and he is now on his own, and only has a year left until he is also Heisted. So, I went into Taken knowing Gray might be an unlikable character, but as I read, I grew to understand him, and like him.

The summary is kind of misleading, though. The Heist is only the first 1/3 of the book, the rest is about what is beyond the wall, and how bad things have become outside. If I remember correctly, you find out what the Heist is, not even 100 pages in. I don't want to ruin the whole Heist part of the book, but there is so much to Taken, besides the Heist and Claysoot.

One thing that bothered me throughout Taken was Emma. She annoyed me so much, I would have been much happier if she decided to stay in Claysoot and not follow Gray over the wall. I honestly did not care if Gray was able to save her or not. She put him into dangerous situations that wouldn't have happened if she wasn't there.

I really liked Claysoot. I enjoyed learning about Claysoot and how all of it came to be and all the people living there and how they cooped with the Heist. It was all very fascinating to me. I also loved learning about the city outside the wall and the rebellion group and all the things that happened.

Taken definitely reminded me of The Maze Runner by James Dashner (being stuck in a walled in place and not knowing why or how) and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, so if you liked those books, check this one out!

Overall, I loved this book. Taken took me by surprise, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, and I can't wait for the next book!

[Kelly]

http://divainpyjamas.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/taken-by-erin-bowman.html
Taken wasn't at all what I was expecting, and the unexpected is what kept the storyline interesting. It's more or less the typical young adult dystopian, starting as what seems to be survival in a post apocalyptic world, but quickly morphs into a science fiction twist. It has all the elements that readers will expect, harsh regime type government, tyrant leader, a rebellion, war ravaged history and freedom fighters, the plot twists will keep you wanting more.

But sadly it delivered too much more. There were far too many elements to the storyline, with the inclusion of what can only be described as cloning. It didn't seem to serve any purpose in Taken, so I'm assuming that it may be pivotal to the upcoming series releases instead. It left me skimming over those particular dialogues, and unfortunately that's where my interest started to stray. I'll continue with the series, eventually.

[ladygrey]

I liked Taken. I enjoyed Gray and it was an interesting world and a fast fun read.

The thing is, it left me wanting more. It's a lot of action balanced with a lot of feint and parry exposition. I wanted more relationship time with Gray and Blaine. And a lot more with Gray and Emma. And even more Gray and Owen. I think it's a book that might appeal well to boys - not strictly because it has a male protagonist but because its lots of action and light on relationships (which isn't a negative attribute in a book, but not my preferred style). Though I did think the characters handled the relationships in a mostly authentic way. Except Emma. I am exceptionally unhappy with how Emma's story played out.

In some ways, especially toward the end, it reminded me of [a:Maria V. Snyder|445303|Maria V. Snyder|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1224476079p2/445303.jpg] because the risk of a topsy-turvey world is that it breeds distrust in the reader. There were several things I was told that I expected to have yanked out from under me: the vaccine is actually the virus and they've unwittingly infected themselves! Blaine is a forgery! Also any time they said anything out loud in Union Central I expected someone to be listening/watching. I'm really glad they weren't but I spent a lot of the second half expecting that what I had been given in this story was a lie.

I'm very interested to see what happens next.

[kimbacaffeinate]

I featured Taken on a Waiting on Wednesday post when I stumbled across it and was intrigued by the synopsis. I really enjoy dystopian novels and was curious about the world Bowman had created. While not without flaws, as Bowman’s debut novel I was thoroughly entertained and slipped easily into the world she created.

The tale begins in Claysoot, a primitive town enclosed by a wall. Anyone attempting to leave over the wall dies. There are no men in Claysoot because of what they call the “Heist”. At midnight on their eighteenth birthday the ground shakes, the wind howls and a blinding light appears and the boy is gone. Gray Weathersby has recently lost his brother to the heist and is left alone. He finds part of a letter addressed to his brother by their deceased mother and it makes him begin to question everything. The tale that unfolds was clever, reminiscent of the movie The Village and an intriguing start to a new trilogy.

Most of the tale is told from Gray’s perspective and while I did not always connect with him I did admire his willingness to question, research and explore. He is loyal, hot-headed and too often makes decisions based on his feelings. At his core he has admirable traits but I am still looking for growth and further development. Emma is his love interest in Claysoot. She began as a strong character but quickly fizzled for me. I didn't completely feel their connection so when the dreaded love triangle was introduced I was happy for a change. *gasps* Bree is a strong, confident character and at times she overshadows the protagonist. I was immediately drawn to her as she tends to see the whole picture and is rational in her approach. Frank made me uncomfortable from the beginning; he was overly nice and way too talkative. We meet many characters along the way, some memorable and some quickly forgotten.

From the beginning I questioned how boys were heisted, what lived beyond the walls and how Claysoot came to be. Bowman did a wonderful job of creating a believable world and her explanations made the tale feel genuine. I had some issues with the little details, not for the world itself, but in the characters reaction to it. For example, Gray lives in a world where there is no electricity and suddenly he is thrust into a world with cars, lights, and technology and he doesn't question it or fear it? The only thing he questioned was a gun. Bowman does explain how the original residents of Claysoot appeared and had memories of tools, farming etc but none of their families. This would have worked had Gray been an original but he was conceived in Claysoot leaving me flustered. Ironically, despite this I still found the world, factions and back-history fascinating. There were a lot of different threads, and some clever twists but I want to see things tightened up. Overall this was a solid start and I am hoping to see more development in the next book.
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Amber]

And the award for Biggest Disappointment of 2013 So Far goes to....! Along with the rest of the blogosphere, I was dying to read Taken. Who wouldn't be, especially after the cover reveal. I admit, the cover raised my expectations quite a bit. I'm a loser like that. Unfortunately Taken was pretty much your generic dystopian. It offered nothing new, unless you count the male POV as 'new', and because of that it was easy to figure out where the story was going.

Firstly, there are a few minor spoilers here. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Secondly, I must warn you that this review is going to be a bit of a rant. I have a reason for this, I promise. You'll see what that reason is when I go on to talk about the main character, Gray....



Full review at Books of Amber