The Taking (ARC Review)

The Taking: The Taking | Kimberly Derting

Published by: HarperTeen, April 29th 2014

Genre: YA, Science fiction (though mostly contemporary/realistic)

Pages: 368

Format: Ebook

Source: HarperTeen, via Edelweiss

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

When I started this book, I expected it to be heavier on the sci fi, but what I actually got was much more subtle in execution and unique in itself. The first half of the book focuses on real world stuff - Kyra's family have moved on since her disappearance five years ago and she has a hard time accepting that, her boyfriend is no longer her boyfriend, and she starts to develop feelings for his not-so-younger-anymore brother, Tyler. But while all this normal stuff id happening, Derting carefully and cleverly weaves in signs that hint at the coming fallout.

The romance was sweet and lovely to read. Tyler is a normal guy, polar opposite to these 'swoon-worthy' alpha male types that are abound in YA lately, and he was so refreshing to read .

The sci fi, thriller stuff really kicks into gear around the halfway mark and makes up for the lack in the first half by overwhelming Kyra with problems - threats from the NSA, a mysterious guy who seems to want to help her but insists she was taken by aliens, and her ever-growing otherness. There's something not quite right with Kyra. I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first.

An inventive novel of the aftermath of an alien abduction, with some highly charged moments of danger and a genuine romance, Taken puts an original new spin on a familiar story.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing Style ★★★☆☆

Reading round up (25)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress and my thoughts on each book as I read it. There are so many books I have to read to catch up but I CAN DO THIS!!

28th April

Currently reading: Defy | Sarah B. Larson // The Taking | Kimberly Derting

Current page/percent: 14% // 14%

Read today: 5% // 14%

Thoughts: Much faffing around in this. // Meh.

29th April

Currently reading: Defy | Sarah B. Larson

Current page/percent: 32%

Read today: 18%

Thoughts: ...???

30th April

Currently reading: Defy | Sarah B. Larson

Current page/percent: 45%

Read today: 13%

Thoughts: I like Dorian. That's my only thought tbh.

1st May

Started Panic by Lauren Oliver. For no good reason. I'm 4% in and confused/annoyed already so yay. Also read 30% of Defy, bringing me to 75%. I sort of like it. Sort of.

2nd May

Finished Defy (25% read.) That ending was ... not satisfying at all. I thought it was a stand alone right up until the end. Can't really see where this series has to go but okay. I also read 13% of The Taking, bringing me to 27%. I was not impressed by this at first but it's really easy to read and I'm starting to like it.

3rd May

Currently reading: The Taking | Kimberly Derting

Current page/percent: 50%

Read today: 23%

Thoughts: It's turning out more contemporary than sci fi (WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME? I'M A GOOD PERSON!) but the writing is solid and the relationship is pretty sweet. Thank you Kimberly Derting for a lovely pairing, and a relationship that isn't solely sexual tension and the love interest being swoony or sexy or what have you. I'm tired of that. Just a sweet, normal guy is exactly what I've been looking for.

4th May

Currently reading: The Taking | Kimberly Derting

Current page/percent: 65%

Read today: 15%

Thoughts: things are starting to HAPPEN. Thank God.

Books finished this week: 2

(Remember that optimism from the top of the post? Yeah, I probably can't do this.)

~

Books added to my collection:

Snow Like Ashes | Sara Raasch

[no cover image]

Exquisite Captive | Heather Demetrios

I think I showed exceptional restraint to only get two galleys this week. I deserve a medal. (I reeeeeeeeeeeally want Blackbird though!! And I'm waiting to see what everyone thinks about Beware The Wild before I DL it, since it seems I could either love it or - as is most likely - hate it)

Also I bought this precious thing, which I have been coveting for almost a year:

One | Leigh Ann Kopans

So that's my week. I haven't had loads of time to read, since I've been 1) sick, 2) rushing around with The Beast of Callaire release things, and 3) trying to finish off two projects at once. But my schedule is slowing down from crazy-almost-impossible to crazy-but-probably-doable so I'm looking to read 2+ books in the coming week.

Defy (RC Review)

Defy: Defy | Sara B. Larson

Published by: Scholastic Press, January 7th 2014

Genre: YA, High fantasy

Pages: 336

Format: Ebook

Source: Scholastic, via Netgalley

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

A quick, enjoyable fantasy read.

Defy wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was less high fantasy and more love triangle, with a bit of magic thrown it. It was fun in parts but frustrating in others.

I liked Alexa. She was conventionally strong, able to wield a sword better than any man, and burdened with the secret of pretending to be a boy when she is really female. I liked the way she didn't keep stringing Rylan along when she realised her heart lay with Dorian - something few YA heroines in love triangles do. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but she didn't encourage his advances or pretend to reciprocate his feelings either.

The fantasy element of the story is something I really hope is expanded on in future books (or is it book? Duologies are all the rage these days, it's hard to tell). The setting is interesting and I'd love to see more of the other lands, instead of just Antion. I also liked the unique jungle element - can't say I've seen one of them in a YA fantasy yet - but I just wished there was more of the different countries(?)

For me there was a whole lot of like and not much love. I did, however, love Damian. Of course I did; he's my type. But he was lovely and aloof, and then lovely and heartbreaking. Oh, Damian. I really hope he and Alexa get their happy ending.

All in all: if romance and light fantasy is your thing, go for it, but if you're looking for expansive, epic fantasy, I wouldn't get your hopes up. There is, however, a pretty cool magical rebellion and secret plot, which works totally in  favour of Defy.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world building ★★★☆☆

Writing Style ★★★☆☆

Out today: Riot

Riot | Sarah Mussi

from Hodder Children's

It is 2018. England has been struggling under a recession that has shown no sign of abating. Years of cuts has devastated Britain: banks are going under, businesses closing, prices soaring, unemployment rising, prisons overflowing. The authorities cannot cope. And the population has maxed out.

The police are snowed under. Something has to give. Drastic measures need taking.

The solution: forced sterilisation of all school leavers without secure further education plans or guaranteed employment.

The country is aghast. Families are distraught, teenagers are in revolt, but the politicians are unshakeable: The population explosion must be curbed. No more free housing for single parents, no more child benefit, no more free school meals, no more children in need. Less means more.

But it is all so blatantly unfair - the Teen Haves will procreate, the Teen Havenots won't.

It's time for the young to take to the streets. It's time for them to RIOT:

OUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE, OUR BODIES, OUR FUTURE.

My rating: ★★★★☆

From my review: (x)

Riot is a gut-wrenchingly real look at a not-so-distant future, with epic high stakes, heartfelt romance, and thrilling action.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters (One line review)

Daughter of Smoke and Bone: Dreams of Gods and Monsters | Laini Taylor

Published by: Hodder & Stoughton, April 17th 2014

Genre: YA, Epic fantasy, Paranormal

Pages: 613

Format: Hardback

Source: Purchased

By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. 

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

Endless and beautiful and vast, Dreams of Gods and Monsters is fraught with intense emotion and high impact action. Utterly, utterly unforgettable. This story will live with me forever.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world building ★★★★★

Writing Style ★★★★★