Taken (Taken, #1)

by Erin Bowman

[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!