The Taker

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Alma Katsu
Format: Paperback
Pages: 436
Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (from Goodreads): True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural St. Andrew, Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening. Until a mysterious woman arrives in his ER, escorted by police—Lanore McIlvrae is a murder suspect—and Luke is inexplicably drawn to her. As Lanny tells him her story, an impassioned account of love and betrayal that transcends time and mortality, she changes his life forever. . . . At the turn of the nineteenth century, when St. Andrew was a Puritan settlement, Lanny was consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, and she will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for eternity.

My Thoughts: I feel it is necessary to start off by saying that this is definitely not a children's story. There is murder, mystery, intrigue, rape, immortal beings, and the police. When I picked up with book, from the amazing Wal-mart discount shelf (my first love), I choose it purely based on the cover. Okay, sure, 'don't judge a book by its cover', but I just love those masquerade masks...Anyway, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 

First of all, this book is strange. Like Wuthering Heights, this story is a story inside a story during a large portion of the novel. I managed to follow this one better than Wuthering Heights. 

Then, of course, there is the fact that you are thrown right into the story. After that, a lot of what we read is the main character backtracking. What I can't understand is why Luke helps her. I mean, this chick shows up in the ER and asks for help escaping, are you just going to help her out? The police were the ones that bring her in. That would give me pause...

Next, the author tries to get us to believe in this world, which is our world, where there are, in fact, people that live forever but that also hang around each other. One is 'in charge' but it's kind of more of an 'I own you' kind of way. He's a bit of a wacko. Then again, this whole concept is nuts right. Sure but then why does it seem so real.

I found myself feeling sorry for the main character. What had she ever done? All she really wanted was love. Sadly, it came at a higher price then she would have thought. 

It leaves us wondering what is going to happen to Lanny. We think she is safe but is she really? She might be able to get herself out of this mess but does she? What will happen to her and Luke? We don't know. We are left completely stranded in this story. I found myself stuck, wondering what was going to happen. I super excited to read book two! I really want to find out what happens in the end.

Final Thoughts: I read this book while Kristen and I were on our break but kept an eye out for the second novel. I waited and waited until I could wait no more. I couldn't wait very long for the next book. Now that it's on my shelf I figured I would go back and review this so that I can gush about how awesome I hope the next one it. I'm going to start reading it right now. You should too.

Seriously though, this is not for children or people that are sensitive. There is murder, rape, torture, plain old capturing and locking up. At times, I found myself uncomfortable. Also, I told my one friend that she couldn't borrow my copy because she was simply too immature. Then again, I could be the sensitive one here... Let me know what you think about it.