Review - Taking Back Forever (The Kindrily #2) by Karen Amanda Hooper

If you've read my review of Grasping at Eternity (which I hope you have), you would know that I absolutely, positively, without any hesitation or reservation stated that you CAN NOT read GAE without reading Taking Back Forever. The reason is that Hooper continues The Kindrily saga without a taking breath to look back at the previous events which I find rather refreshing and encouraging. There's not a lot of repetitiveness which can be aggravating at time if continuously done over and over and over again.

The saga of Maryah and her Kindrily family continues and moves forward at a more interesting pace. Maryah is being pushed by her fellow "family" members to ask questions, and to push to learn about her powers (astral traveling), her past, and of course, to search for Gregory who has been missing for nearly twenty years. The rest of the family includes Edgar, Helen, Anthony, Louise, Dylan, Amber, Nathaniel, Harmony, Faith, Shiloh, Krista, and Carson who may or may not have romantic intentions. 

Taking Back Forever is told through the eyes of Maryah and Harmony. We see genuine character growth in Maryah this time out unlike the reluctant somewhat pensive one in GAE that was rather annoying at times. She really feels that she needs to push herself so that she has something to offer to her family. Her relationship with Nathaniel is absolutely smoking hot but it doesn't cross the line into sex because Nathaniel wants to take things slowly and allow Maryah to remember their past together so that the future can be that much better for both of them. The time they do spend together, however, is absolutely key to Maryah getting her memories back and finding Dedrick's hideout.

Harmony is an interesting character if I may say so. She's kind of moody and can speak to the deceased. She truly believes that Maryah made a mistake in erasing her memories because her ability to astral travel is key to finding Dedrick and Gregory who she pines for each and every single day. By reading things from Harmony's POV, we can see the frustration and futility that has been building up for years now. We can also make our own opinions based on her actions whether or not she's conceited, or driven to find her soul mate.

If you have read GAE, you know that Nathaniel was carrying around a mighty large secret that he couldn't tell anyone about, not even Harmony or Maryah, that could affect them all. In Taking Back Forever, the explosive secret comes out and the search for Gregory intensifies until there is finally a brief confrontation with Dedrick and his Nefariouns. We haven't been fully introduced to Dedrick yet, but from all indications so far, this guy is truly a magnificent bad guy that apparently holds a lot of power and holds Maryah's secret to why she erased her memories.  

Hooper is a very unusual author in that she gives readers a chance to stop before reading the final scene, or continue and be blown away by the cliffhanger ending that will be picked up in Fighting for Infinity. I am a reader who normally hates cliffhangers with a passion and yet, I choose to read it because I was given the opportunity to make that choice myself without being pushed into it. Thank you for that!

I eagerly await the release of Fighting for Infinity and absolutely recommend this book as well as Grasping at Eternity.

Author - Karen Amanda Hooper
Title - Taking Back Forever (The Kindrily #2)
Publisher - Starry Sky Publishing
Released - May 31, 2013
Genre - YA Paranormal
Received directly from Starry Sky Publishing!