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A review by silencia167
Untaken by J.E. Anckorn
3.0
This review was originally posted on my blog, The Reality of Books: https://therealityofbooks.wordpress.com/2015/05/02/untaken-by-j-e-anckorn/
Untaken, by J.E. Ankhorn centers on 14 year old Gracie and 15 year old Brandon, two of a small number of survivors after an alien race comes down to Earth and swallows everyone that they love into giant silver ships. They form a plan to travel towards Maine and Brandon’s uncle’s cabin; along the way, the pair comes across a young boy they name Jake. Jake can’t talk, and he doesn’t act like a normal boy. But Jake has a secret, and he will do anything to hold onto it—not only from Gracie and Brandon, but from the army men who pursue them.
Plot wise, this started out reminding me of In The After, by Demetria Lunetta—only it doesn’t move nearly as quickly. There were many times where the storyline dragged for me, but it held my interest just enough that I had to continue reading. The characters in this book weren’t rounded out; the twists and turns were obvious before they were revealed. The world building also lacked for me. I wanted to know more about the alien race—where they came from, their motivations, and just who, exactly, they were. The little we see of them feels like “here we are, going to suck up your people now.” I also didn't entirely understand the way in which the “drones" functioned. In different places in the book, it seems like they work in different ways, and the end adds an entirely new dynamic to the way in which they function.
There’s a lot that this book does well. This book really picks up once Gracie and Brandon join forces on their journey. The first sections are way too long and unnecessarily detailed with things we don’t really need to know. The language of the characters is spot on for their age. The evolution of Jake was also amazing; I enjoyed watching him “grow up” inside his head. The description and imagery throughout are amazing; Anckorn put me right into the situation alongside the characters. I also love that this was a single book and didn’t follow the current trend of YA dystopian trilogies.
The things that this does well are enough to balance out the things that it doesn’t, making it worth a read for anyone middle school age-ish who likes survival stories, aliens, or science fiction.
3 stars.
**I received this book as an DRC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Untaken was published March 23rd, 2015, by Curiosity Quills Press.
Untaken, by J.E. Ankhorn centers on 14 year old Gracie and 15 year old Brandon, two of a small number of survivors after an alien race comes down to Earth and swallows everyone that they love into giant silver ships. They form a plan to travel towards Maine and Brandon’s uncle’s cabin; along the way, the pair comes across a young boy they name Jake. Jake can’t talk, and he doesn’t act like a normal boy. But Jake has a secret, and he will do anything to hold onto it—not only from Gracie and Brandon, but from the army men who pursue them.
Plot wise, this started out reminding me of In The After, by Demetria Lunetta—only it doesn’t move nearly as quickly. There were many times where the storyline dragged for me, but it held my interest just enough that I had to continue reading. The characters in this book weren’t rounded out; the twists and turns were obvious before they were revealed. The world building also lacked for me. I wanted to know more about the alien race—where they came from, their motivations, and just who, exactly, they were. The little we see of them feels like “here we are, going to suck up your people now.” I also didn't entirely understand the way in which the “drones" functioned. In different places in the book, it seems like they work in different ways, and the end adds an entirely new dynamic to the way in which they function.
There’s a lot that this book does well. This book really picks up once Gracie and Brandon join forces on their journey. The first sections are way too long and unnecessarily detailed with things we don’t really need to know. The language of the characters is spot on for their age. The evolution of Jake was also amazing; I enjoyed watching him “grow up” inside his head. The description and imagery throughout are amazing; Anckorn put me right into the situation alongside the characters. I also love that this was a single book and didn’t follow the current trend of YA dystopian trilogies.
The things that this does well are enough to balance out the things that it doesn’t, making it worth a read for anyone middle school age-ish who likes survival stories, aliens, or science fiction.
3 stars.
**I received this book as an DRC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Untaken was published March 23rd, 2015, by Curiosity Quills Press.