FEATURE: AUTHOR OF THE MONTH.. (6)

I was on a reading slump for at least 2 weeks and was still having an issue finishing a book. But when I decided to fight it and grabbed my ARC of this title hoping it would bring me back to my reading mood, it did more than that. I was so suddenly awaken by my love for this dystopian novel and I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2!! I am so glad the author finally agreed to be featured on my

ERIN BOWMAN.

What inspired you to write Taken?

It sort of fell into my lap. Well, the story didn't, but Gray did. I was working on a separate manuscript when he started wandering around my head. He was living in isolated town and was dreading his eighteenth birthday. Gray's voice was so clear that I couldn't ignore him. I started asking why—what happened at eighteen that he feared so much?—and the story slowly took shape.

Look what just arrived at the Bowman household!! There are so many. This is really happening, guys! 

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Sitting outside in this gorgeous weather and annotating an arc for the #TakenWithTAKEN giveaway. source

Why did you choose the dystopian genre?

I've been a fan of dystopian tales for as long as I can remember. They tend to take some of the evils that exist in our own world and amplify them, letting the reader experience a "what if" scenario through the safety of pages. For me, reading about broken worlds and watching people fight back--even when everything is stacked against them--is incredibly inspiring.
That said, I didn't intentionally set out to write a dystopian tale with TAKEN. When I first drafted it, I was just trying to tell the tale of a boy looking to find himself and his way in life. The setting eventually grew to showcase a dystopic backdrop--probably influenced by my love of other dystopian tales--but TAKEN was first and foremost about a boy in search of answers.

Taken #2 Title Reveal!! source

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About Erin:

Erin grew up in rural Connecticut, where she spent most of her childhood telling stories. It is rumored that her first words were not “Mama” or “Dada,” but “Once upon a time.” In middle school, when kids were going off to sleep-away camp for the summer, Erin was attending writing camp and penning short stories.

At the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, Erin studied web design (and minored in Creative Writing because she couldn’t stay away from stories). After several years working in advertising and designing websites for various brands, she has moved on to writing full-time. When not writing, she can often be found hiking, commenting on good typography, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter.

Erin is represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger. Her debut novel TAKEN will be published by HarperTeen April 16th, 2013. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.

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I would like to thank Erin for finding time to answer my questions despite of her super busy schedule! I absolutely loved Taken and you can find my review here! I am also currently giving away a copy of Taken for my first blogoversary here! And again, thank you Sarah of HarperCollins for the ARC and Erin for allowing me to feature you!

"Taken is surely a very strong debut novel! The pacing is right, the twists are surprising, the romance is thrilling and the overall plotting is uniquely delivered and I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it! Bowman did a fantastic job in giving us a one of a kind dystopian approach that I would love to read over and over!" - The Bookaholic Blurbs.

REVIEW: TAKEN (TAKEN #1) BY ERIN BOWMAN.

Title: Taken (Taken #1)
Author: Erin Bowman
Edition: Paperback
Published: April 16, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 360
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Category: Dystopia, Romance
Trailer: Here.

Synopsis:

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?

Taken just simply enthralling!

Taken is one of my 2013's most anticipated titles. I've seen mixed reviews of it but my excitement didn't falter. I wanted to see for myself whether it is worth the hype of not. My gut tells me all the time that it would rock my world and it sure did!

When the world you've learned to appreciate suddenly isn't something what you've always thought it was, or when what you believed you are suddenly are all lies, you would find answers, you would seek the truth. That's what Gray Weathersby have chosen, to leave what he used to call home and risk everything just to find out the truth and go beyond the wall. He's eager to know what is the secret his mother told his brother, Blaine, who also never told him anything even before he's gone to the Heist.

The pacing of Taken is wonderfully fast-paced. I never got bored and true enough, I couldn't put it down. The world building is very intriguing that at first I thought it wasn't dystopian. Every chapter brought surprises and I very much love that the point of view is from a male protagonist! Taken's world building did not jeopardize its richness by its pacing. It managed to built it in the middle of unraveling the main plot. And the romance didn't happen instantly. It developed together with the story.

My favorites are Gray and Blaine Weathersby. Their relationship as brothers is very knit and perfectly balanced since Gray is a little bit aggressive while Blaine is patient. I loved and cried watching how intact their love for each other in amid of hardships, betrayal and loss. Gray's loyalty to his loved one is very heroic if I may say especially with the norm these days. But Emma didn't deserve that loyalty. You have to read the book to know why. Then there's Harvey which totally tore my heart apart and Bree who is strong, independent and embodies leadership.

The questions I have though are: if all of this happened after a war that majorly devastated the world, where did they get the resources to fund such experiments and how the Heisting is performed?

Taken is surely a very strong debut novel! The pacing is right, the twists are surprising, the romance is thrilling and the overall plotting is uniquely delivered and I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it! Bowman did a fantastic job in giving us a one of a kind dystopian approach that I would love to read over and over!

Thank you so much Sarah of HarperCollins for the ARC!

VERDICT:

"People have all sorts of pasts, sometimes dark or dreary, but perhaps the actions they choose in the present are the ones that carry the most weight."