PLOT & CHARACTERS:
I loved the premise of this one...a woman newly having escaped an 11 year-long captivity and integrating back into society and discovering what her life in freedom looks like. I loved and identified with Matthew as a character- I wanted so badly to get to know Shannon better!- but at the same time I felt as though there was so much that could have been unearthed for both of them, that I found as a reader, I was just waiting to happen.
The pace of the plot moved pretty steadily- at times it felt like it was repeating the same thing and got a tad redundant. As things moved along, I found myself impressed with the attention to detail Henderson put into the system the Jacoby family had put in place, how intricate and secret it was.
I personally thought, given the romantic suspense genre, that there was going to be suspense and some danger, cat & mouse type stuff with her abductors trying to get her back or silencing her before she could testify about her time in captivity- but no. That was somewhat of a letdown, given that I was expecting some suspense, but to each his own.
I thought the POV coming from only one character (Matthew- our main dude) was a bit strange, and in my opinion, made the story more two-dimensional, whereas I could see it just exploding in 3D, had the POV (point of view) alternated from Matthew, to Shannon and maybe even some of the other sub-characters. Especially given the fact that when reading the novel's back cover, we are given the impression that the book is largely about Shannon- and don't get me wrong, the plot does revolve around Shannon, but it just seemed odd that we, as readers, never got into her head via a shared POV. It made her feel oddly emotionally distanced- and that for me, just collapses so many wonderful reading possibilities.
Also, adding to the 2D vs. 3D situation, I was waiting for at least one rather monumental emotional crash for Shannon, and even Matthew. Especially given the storyline and all that had happened to Shannon in her captivity, it made her feel like an emotionally unshakable & un-relatible character. I'm not asking for a perpetually weepy MC- that would grow annoying rather swiftly- but if a character has firewalled their emotions...as a reader, it's pretty hard to connect or identify with their struggle.
The pace of the plot moved pretty steadily- at times it felt like it was repeating the same thing and got a tad redundant. As things moved along, I found myself impressed with the attention to detail Henderson put into the system the Jacoby family had put in place, how intricate and secret it was.
I personally thought, given the romantic suspense genre, that there was going to be suspense and some danger, cat & mouse type stuff with her abductors trying to get her back or silencing her before she could testify about her time in captivity- but no. That was somewhat of a letdown, given that I was expecting some suspense, but to each his own.
I thought the POV coming from only one character (Matthew- our main dude) was a bit strange, and in my opinion, made the story more two-dimensional, whereas I could see it just exploding in 3D, had the POV (point of view) alternated from Matthew, to Shannon and maybe even some of the other sub-characters. Especially given the fact that when reading the novel's back cover, we are given the impression that the book is largely about Shannon- and don't get me wrong, the plot does revolve around Shannon, but it just seemed odd that we, as readers, never got into her head via a shared POV. It made her feel oddly emotionally distanced- and that for me, just collapses so many wonderful reading possibilities.
Also, adding to the 2D vs. 3D situation, I was waiting for at least one rather monumental emotional crash for Shannon, and even Matthew. Especially given the storyline and all that had happened to Shannon in her captivity, it made her feel like an emotionally unshakable & un-relatible character. I'm not asking for a perpetually weepy MC- that would grow annoying rather swiftly- but if a character has firewalled their emotions...as a reader, it's pretty hard to connect or identify with their struggle.
VIOLENCE:
Murders, beatings, shootings & body dumps are all spoken of as memories of Shannon's time in captivity. The circumstances are starkly grim, as you can imagine resulting from any abduction.
Murders, beatings, shootings & body dumps are all spoken of as memories of Shannon's time in captivity. The circumstances are starkly grim, as you can imagine resulting from any abduction.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
A brief kiss is about as detailed as things get.
A brief kiss is about as detailed as things get.
CONCLUSION:
This time round, I'm giving Taken a rating of 2, and recommend it for ages 17+.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but upon finishing, I felt there was much more that could have been added or altered, to make this an explosively awesome read. Not everyone has a criteria for meaningful and deep emotion to be present, but for me...if I can't see or feel a character's heart & struggle first hand- it goes downhill from there. Sure, there was mention of someone crying, or puffy eyes, but that isn't first hand enough for me, personally. There were too many glaringly obvious plot/character issues for me to really recommend this one to my fellow readers as something I really liked.
Taken is chalk-full of intricate, crime operation type details and facts that evenly flow throughout the plot, and some truly likeable characters- despite the personal dislikes on my part. If emotional connection is not high on your list for enjoying a book, this one may get a 4 or 5 from some readers. Don't be expecting a great deal of action suspense- but more suspense concerning the release of details concerning her time in captivity.
Read Taken? What were your thoughts? Share them below!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but upon finishing, I felt there was much more that could have been added or altered, to make this an explosively awesome read. Not everyone has a criteria for meaningful and deep emotion to be present, but for me...if I can't see or feel a character's heart & struggle first hand- it goes downhill from there. Sure, there was mention of someone crying, or puffy eyes, but that isn't first hand enough for me, personally. There were too many glaringly obvious plot/character issues for me to really recommend this one to my fellow readers as something I really liked.
Taken is chalk-full of intricate, crime operation type details and facts that evenly flow throughout the plot, and some truly likeable characters- despite the personal dislikes on my part. If emotional connection is not high on your list for enjoying a book, this one may get a 4 or 5 from some readers. Don't be expecting a great deal of action suspense- but more suspense concerning the release of details concerning her time in captivity.
Read Taken? What were your thoughts? Share them below!
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