Taken by Erin Bowman

Taken

by Erin Bowman  

 

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?

(summary from goodreads.com) 

 

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This book felt like a mash up of The Maze Runner, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and that movie "The Village". I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. The premise was interesting, the characters were at times extremely annoying, the romantic entanglements were … well, let's just say some head bashing was in order. The world building felt a little incomplete, especially once all the "reveals" had been revealed. It will be interesting to see where this series goes - I will probably give any sequel that comes out a try to see if it improves my opinion.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: yes; Profanity: ??; Sex: reference to