Wrap up – The Taking Trilogy by Kimberly Derting

Action packed science fiction for tweens.

The concept of alien abduction is what first drew me to this series, reminding me of the tv show ‘Roswell’ and the 80’s movie ‘Flight of the Navigator.’ It’s a cute read, more focused on the romance than any alien technology or space travel, but the writing style, especially in the first novel is a little jarring; especially with its usage of text abbreviations in the narrative. (Luckily its only in the first book.)

There is a nostalgic and romantic feel to ‘The Taking,’ I really connected with Kyra and her love interest Tyler. They are all types of awkward teen and angst. With the mystery of what happened to Kyra, filling in the missing years while she was taken, and keeping her abduction a secret’ all adding to a great mix of tension for the series.

I can’t say that any of the concepts, or indeed the content of this series feel original; it was all very high-school-special, and something I’d read/seen before. But they are all easy quick reads and Derting manages to up the ante with each instalment.

I feel that the series got increasingly messy – with too many points of view and too many characters growing with each book. It’s a trend I’m starting to see in YA which I find disturbing. Most of the time it doesn’t add much to the narrative and loses the connection we have with the main character, which is what draws us to read in the first place. ‘The Countdown’ was definitely all over the place and did not have any of that spark that attracted me from the first novel. It tended more towards conspiracies, alien races on earth and action scenes. The mystery was gone, and so was the fish out of water theme from Kyra navigating her way through the world.

Derting’s writing style got better with each book in the series, but her focus did not.

Looking back, I think I would have like to have seen more ‘sci-fi’ in this series, and had complexity introduced through characters rather than plot. And maybe a new twist on the alien abduction trope – this story line has been beaten to death already.

I’d have to say that it is quite an enjoyable read though – light escapism, nothing all to challenging. It wraps up nicely, though I still had a lot of unanswered questions. If you’re a lover of science fiction, this may not be one for you, I’d only recommend it for younger readers who like a romance with a twist. It is along the same lines as ‘From a Distant Star’ by Karen McQuestion.

Another note: I love the covers! I bought the hardbacks, and the artwork simply glimmers. Typographical headers are so much better than generic models gazing into the lens.

Overall I’d rate the series as a solid three out of five. Not terribly great, but not awful either… a guilty pleasure.

For individual reviews click on the links below:

‘The Taking’ – https://strokingfire.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/book-review-the-taking/

‘The Replaced’ – https://strokingfire.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/book-review-the-replaced-by-kimberly-derting/

‘The Countdown’ – https://strokingfire.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/book-review-the-countdown-by-kimberly-derting/

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