Taken, Erin Bowman

Book: Taken
Author: Erin Bowman
Series: Taken (#1)
Genre: Dystopian/ YA Fiction
Rating: 2/5
Moral: 4/5

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?

Taken is a creative idea, with it's own unique voice.

The Plot:
I think the idea of the plot was beautiful. It was like The Village and The Host mixed together. So as I said, absolutely brilliant idea, but cliche and flawed. I pride myself on being a respectful reviewer, but I can not lie. The plot had major holes. Mostly little things, like the sudden appearance of a backpack and girlfriend. The best way I can describe it is choppy.

The Characters:
Gray is unique. His voice is rough and distinct, I almost adored him. The problem was this: Gray had and out of character romance. It wasn't him, and it developed so sudenly. Emma was also a unique character, and the romance was even weirder on her side. Than you have Bree. The third wheel who is shoving her way inside. It was unoriginal, and lacked it's own voice. I did love her characters, just not the romance.

The Setting:
So as I said, The Village/The Host. You start in this isolated village that is protected by a wall. It is rural and old fashioned. very interesting and mysterious. Then you speed to a huge city, it was interesting, but not written well. I didn't have a problem filling in the gaps though. Last we are in this cave/crevice. It was almost exactly like The Host. Other than it's modern training room and larger population. 

The Standout:
As much as I liked the idea of the story, the writing rubbed me wrong. It was choppy, and I felt that Erin made things appear when her characters needed them. It just needed a little of foreshadowing. Also, in the effort of creating a fast paced plot, she gave up quality. I know that everyone seems to be moving fast, but take some time and smell the roses! 

The Moral:
I think it was about asking questions. It was about being curious and not following the status qua. 

It was a beautiful idea, that just needed a little more patience.