I am so very excited to share one of my most anticipated 2013 debut novels:
Erin Bowman‘s futuristic dystopian thriller, Taken (April 16th)
(Reviewed for the Debut Author Challenge and The Bookanistas.)

From Goodreads: There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone. They call it the Heist. Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive. Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

This is a tricky review to write because Taken is one of those very cool novels in which almost nothing is as it originally seems. That summary up above? It’s only the beginning. Countless surprises follow, and to discuss the story itself would be to spoil it. I will say that Erin Bowman’s plotting is tight and her twists are unexpected. Seemingly inconsequential bits of information presented early in the story have a way of popping back up at crucial moments, tying once unrelated threads together. There was never a dull moment in Taken. I flew through this book as if I was on Gray’s journey with him — and what an exciting journey it was.

Speaking of Gray… I totally fell for him. It was refreshing to read a dystopian YA story told from a male protagonist’s perspective, and Erin totally nailed Gray’s sheltered, contemplative, gritty voice. While he certainly has his flaws, I found Gray incredibly endearing. His temper is short and much of his decision making is rash, but he is loyal and vulnerable and very much a romantic. I loved, too, the female characters in this story, Bree especially. Oh my goodness… She is totally kick ass. Like, literally! Plus, she’s part of one of the best almost-kiss scenes I’ve ever read, one that totally made me laugh out loud.

Erin Bowman has a gift for simple, graceful prose that reads as effortless. In Taken, she has built a complex, formidable world and woven a truly unputdownable story — I’m already curious about how the remainder of this trilogy will play out. Fans of twisty dystopians like The Giver, Matched, and Under the Never Sky will be all over this novel. I can’t wait for you to read it!

{In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like it’s important to mention that Erin and I have been friends for a few years. While I adore her personally (here’s her Twitter and her blog), my review of Taken is without bias.}

Check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to today:

Jessica Love raves about MY LIFE NEXT DOOR

Elana Johnson is head over heels for LET THE SKY FALL

And learn more about the Debut Author Challenge HERE.