This is my first foray into "The Taking" series by Melissa West. The author provides enough of a back story throughout the story for it to almost be a stand alone.
The book starts out with Ari’s recovery on Loge as she adjusts to her new genetics, powers, and assigned station. She is faced with her hated enemy, Zeus, who has corralled a large group of humans as hostages. Bunked up with Jackson and his cousin in their personal home as she starts her training, Ari is able to get into touch with Earth. Petitioned by friends and enemies on Earth to destroy Zeus and provide a route of escape for passive Ancients and the captured humans, Ari’s life is really about to get complicated. Throw in her friend-romance with Jackson and her life starts to implode. Zeus really, really stinks and is a most excellent bad guy. I wanted to whack him sooo many times during the book.
The author’s style of writing flows very easy from scene to scene. There is no lag in action, adventure, or heart wrenching emotion. The author has some heavy tones in the book (death, betrayal, etc) but it’s tempered down for the younger set.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable young adult sci-fi novel. Warning: This novel ends on a funky cliff hanger that will make you shake your fist at the author.
About the Author from Amazon.com:
Melissa West lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA, with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes to read, and could not live without coffee. She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.
