*My Thoughts*
"What if the life you are living is not your own?"
Right up front I will say that I am a science fiction geek who enjoys the possibilities that aliens really DO exist and are watching the silly humans on the Third Rock from the Sun make complete asses out of themselves. I loved watching shows like the X-Files, Falling Skies, Roswell, and Invasion just to name a few. I mean, think about it for a moment. The galaxy is HUGE, and EARTH can not be the only inhabited planet with semi-intelligent life on it.
When The Taking was revealed on the Harper Collins catalog last fall, I immediately jumped on it like a puppy with a brand new squeaky toy. The Taking is the first novel in a brand new series by the author of the Pledge and The Body Finder series Kimberly Derting. The Taking is told in the first POV by SIXTEEN year old Kyra Agnew. Kyra, a star softball player who is looking forward to a bright future with her boyfriend Austin, suddenly finds that her world has been turned upside down after waking up FIVE years into the future after a blinding light appears and takes her away.
The Taking is a quick story that takes place over a SEVEN day period, and ends on a rather interesting cliffhanger. The biggest issue I had with this story is the whole relationship dynamics between Tyler and Kyra. To me it just doesn't make sense but I won't be totally surprised to be the minority on this issue. Perhaps it is my generation, or perhaps it is just the fact that I can't get over the backgrounds of the two characters, or the fact that they jumped into romance quicker than you can lick the spoon after making Red Velvet Cupcakes, or the fact that in my mind, Kyra is doing the whole older cougar of the relationship despite the apparent lack of change to her body after being gone for FIVE years.
Kyra is not the nicest heroine by any means but she does have logical reasons for her behavior and her actions, and her inability to truly trust anyone, including her own father who apparently has lost his godforsaken mind with alien conspiracy theories. Understandably, she can't truly be happy knowing that life as she knew it has moved on without her including her ex and ex-best friend who are now together as a couple, her parents who are now divorced and her mother who is raising a new brother who she treats like he is carrying a contagion ready to kill her at a moments notice. Then there are the so called RETURNED who Derting introduces. Hopefully there will be more about them in the next installment.
Readers will probably fall in love with Tyler because he is Kyra's only real crutch in this entire story. Tyler is determined, and truly cares for Kyra and loyal perhaps to a fault over his older brothers DICK move in being with Kyra's best friend Cat so soon after Kyra disappeared. Tyler's puppy dog crush on Kyra is perhaps the reason that ice cracks from around her heart, and she decides that there is nothing wrong with being with Tyler.
The Taking is an interesting first novel that will hopefully only get better from here. There are so many different ways that Derting can go from here, that it will be fun to see how long I hold out before I start asking for the next installment in order to see what happens to Kyra and gang from here.
*Recvd via Edelweiss 11/06/2013* Expected publication: April 29th 2014 by Harper Teen
Author - Kimberly Derting
Title - The Taking (The Taking # 1)
Published by Harper Teen
Releases: April 29, 2014
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Format: E-Book 368 pages
OOoh how I envy you! I requested this from Edelweiss multiple times before just giving up! Love Derting's Body Finder series! And oooomg Roswell! How I miss that series! I watch the DVDs over and over--and ooh did you ever read the Roswell books? There was a series first called Roswell High, that's kind of different from the show. Then there was a suspense series--as they called it--which took a TV show plot and then expanded it by taking it with a new twist! Then there were a few other adventures that just never made it to the show (as I think of it!) and then of course there were 3 or 4 books that take place AFTER the show ended! Totally awesome!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so after fangirling over Roswell, I must say I love your review! Been reading a few of them lately and everyone seems to love the romance. But even just hearing about it, I feel like I relate with you. That it's a little weird that she dating her ex boyfriend's younger brother, who just happens to be her age now. She's a 21 year old in a 16 year old body. Yeah, kind of weird. But I guess in a sense she's still 16, she has no memories (from what I can tell) of the past 5 years. So it's like she's never left. But obviously earth and her friends and family have changed.
I just find it a tad weird that she's going to fall in love with her ex boyfriend's younger brother who when she last saw him was, what 12? Yeah, that's a bit weird. But I'm sure I'll get over it once I read it!
Again, awesome review! So can't wait to read this one!
You know i am not as excited about this one as i once was. Seems its just ok based on what Ive seen around
ReplyDeleteOh yeah pass that cupcake spoon here *nom nom
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