Review: Taken by Erin Bowman

In honor of me beginning to read Frozen by Erin Bowman (Taken #2) last night, I thought it would be good for me to review Taken by Erin Bowman. The story that started it all. 

Taken by Erin Bowman

In Claysoot, there are no men. Every boy mysteriously vanishes at midnight on their 18th birthday. Everything changes with Gray finds out that he is a twin and doesn't vanish on his 18th birthday like his brother. Suddenly, there are more questions than answers. Grey then decides to climb the wall to the outside world, something which no one has done successfully. Everything outside however, is not what it seems. 

This book is incredibly complex. If you're not paying attention to every word on every page you will miss something important. Whether it is relevant to topics in the book, or set up for the rest of the novels. This story has continued to stay in my mind since I read it a while ago. I think I read it when it was first published. And to say that I remember the majority of the plot is something that doesn't happen often. Usually the details of a book that I remember are the important ones, not the minuscule ones. That being said, this is an amazing novel. 

Let's talk about The Heist. The night where the birthday boy vanishes. This thought, this concept is so incredibly thought out by the author Erin Bowman. It is a mystery to everyone in Claysoot what happens, and it is a mystery to the readers as well. Slowly parts if the mystery is revealed and the characters and readers both are clued in to what is happening. And here's the weird part. Everything makes sense. Even the reasoning behind the Heist. 

As a character, Gray is not my favorite. He is actually one of the most forgettable parts of the novel which is a shame. He just didn't stand out to me in ways that other heroes do from other adventure novels I have read. Obviously his personal journey through the novel is complex and his reactions to these life altering realizations are exactly what they should be, but Gray never does anything I don't expect him to do. I expect him to be a hero, I expect him to climb the wall, I expect him to have a love interest. It all kind of blends together and creates a forgettable character. 

I definitely think the best part about this novel is the plot. There is a strong comparison to another amazing novel that I could make but I don't want to give away the plot, and it's twists to readers. But let me tell you, the twists are absolutely amazing and I never saw them coming. Well except for the one about Gray being a twin, because lets face it., that's not really a twist. 

In the end this novel was great and I can't wait to get further into the sequel Frozen! 

-Shawnee Smith