SciFi Book Review: The Taking

The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Synopsis:
The last thing Kyra Agnew remembers is a flash of bright light. She awakes to discover that five whole years have passed. Everyone in her life has moved on—her parents divorced, her boyfriend is in college and dating her best friend—but Kyra’s still the sixteen-year-old she was when she vanished. She finds herself drawn to Tyler, her boyfriend’s kid brother, despite her best efforts to ignore her growing attraction. In order to find out the truth, the two of them decide to retrace her steps from that fateful night. They discover there are others who have been “taken,” just like Kyra. Only, Kyra is the first person to have been returned past the forty-eight-hour taken mark. With a determined, secret government agency after her, Kyra desperately tries to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had . . . but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

Review:
Kyra has her future planned out at sixteen. But when she suddenly wakes up and five years have passed, life has moved on without her and nothing is the same. Except for Kyra herself. Her boyfriend and best friend are now at college and 21 years old. Her parents have their own separate lives. And young Tyler is now her age and sparks begin to fly. He also, eventually, becomes her sole confidante.

The Taking is the first in a science fiction trilogy for young adults. Full of mystery, intrigue and a bit of romance – this thrilling story was impossible to put down. The characters are engaging, especially that of Kyra and Tyler. And the suspense of the story is captivating. And because this is just the first in the trilogy, we’re given hints as to what happened to Kyra – but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. And we’re left with a big cliffhanger that makes me impatient for the next in the series.