The Taker [Paperback]

An addictive tale of immortal love, Alma Katsu's debut novel, The Taker, will keep you reading late into the night, and leave you wanting more. Combining elements of paranormal romance with historical fiction, this book will take you on an unmissable journey through time.

The story opens in present day Maine, in the small town of St. Andrew, where Dr. Luke Findley is about to embark on yet another monotonous shift at the Aroostook County Hospital. Recently divorced, and living a totally unfulfilled life, Luke can't wait to escape from St. Andrew, but somehow he hasn't been able to make the break with the town where he grew up just yet. However, his life is about to change forever. From the moment Lanny McIlvrae enters his life, he somehow knows that things will never be the same again. Lanny is a woman with a past. Hers is a tale filled with a lot of dark and dangerous secrets, and after two hundred years of protecting her past, she has now decided to share her story with Luke.

We soon find out that Lanny was born in the town of St. Andrew two hundred years previously, but how she has come to live for so long and how and why she has returned to St. Andrew after all this time, are very interesting tales indeed. We are taken back to early Nineteenth century Maine where we meet Lanny as a girl from a poor Puritan family. She is consumed by her love for Jonathan St. Andrew, an exceptionally beautiful boy who, for a number of reasons, can never be hers. The obsessive nature and destructive power of unrequited love is a recurring theme throughout the book. Lanny is deeply flawed. She is selfish in her pursuit of Jonathan. She will pretty much do whatever it takes to ensnare him. While the reader can see all of these shortcomings in Lanny, her actions are also somehow understandable, and that's what makes her such a fascinating character, but also one who I remained wary of throughout her story. Even as I reached the end of the book I wasn't quite sure if I could trust Lanny - did she have ulterior motives? What other secrets was she hiding? This is one character who certainly kept me second guessing myself as I read further into her tale.

Lanny's destiny does not lie in St. Andrew, and she soon finds herself in Boston, where upon meeting a trio of strange characters, her life is set to change forever. This is where the story gets really interesting, with Katsu taking us on a journey to Fourteenth century Hungary where we learn of alchemy and dark magic, and the character of Adair, who is set to become a huge part of Lanny's life. From here, the story adopts a distinctly gothic feel. The Taker is certainly dark in parts and its themes are not for the faint of heart!

While I was reading The Taker I found it to be reminiscent of The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice - a series of books I was completely addicted to as a teen. This one isn't about Vampires, though! For the most part, the book reminded me of Anne Rice's books due to the masterful storytelling, epic scope and completely compelling characters throughout. Katsu has created a wonderful story here, and you will soon find yourself completely immersed in Lanny's tale. The secondary cast of characters is as equally compelling as Lanny. The depth of characterization is such that I could read a book dedicated to each of the characters Katsu has created and never tire of the stories they had to tell.

With that in mind, I am very interested to see what Alma Katsu has in store for the next book in this series. In the last chapter of the book, there are certain hints as to what might lie in store for Lanny and Luke and I certainly can't wait to find out more. I recommend this one for anyone who loves paranormal romance, historical fiction or just a really great read!

Alma Katsu's debut is captivating from page one, as Luke struggles to understand what a beautiful and innocent-looking young woman as Lanny could possibly know about love and loss. Lanny's timeless innocence is captured in flashbacks over her life, as the current plot line surges ever forward. The flashbacks last just long enough to provide relevant information and a satisfying taste of the period, but not so long as to be boring or distracting from the main story line. Katsu's characters are real enough to make you want to take them by the shoulders and give them a shake in certain circumstances, and memorable enough that I missed them when the book was finished. Luckily, this is the first of a trilogy.

In a nutshell, The Taker by Alma Katsu is an epic love story and even epic is not big enough of a word to describe this book. It's already been released in the UK and has gone on to its second printing since publication. With its imminent release due in the US, I am certain that this book will achieve the same amount of success, if not more over there. I actually got this book for review a while ago now and also saw it at BEA (Book Expo America) being handed out to book bloggers. Although the main character is twenty years old (kind of) , I would not consider this a Young Adult book, rather an adult book that crosses over into the YA world, a novel that will appeal to older readers within the Young Adult market. When I first started reading this book, I expected it to be a straightforward love story that spanned across time and place but of course there had to be a twist to the tale and I hadn't quite figured out what that might be. Never in a million years, did I imagine the story would be about unrequited love, the kind of love that is unfulfilling and borders on obsession, the kind of love that has the potential to destroy everything.

Have you seen the published synopsis for the novel? How can you not want to read this book after a description like that?! The Taker is narrated by Lanore or "Lanny" and the book flits between the past and the present quite nicely. We learn of her history as she relays it to Luke, a doctor who is treating her in the ER after she is brought in covered in blood. The reader is taken on a journey through Lanny's life and her everlasting love for Jonathan, the boy she fell in love with as a child. The words trials and tribulations don't quite cut it and to be quite honest, I'm struggling to find the right words to describe the book. It was a fantastic read and one that lingers for some time afterwards, indeed I am still thinking about it. The book cover, both in the UK and the US is beautiful and the content is astounding, especially when you consider that this is a debut novel. That part blows me away. The Taker really captivated me and I was thrilled to discover that this is the first book in a trilogy.

What I found the most interesting was the title of the book. When I read a book, I play a little game with myself which consists of trying to figure out why the title was chosen in the first place. Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it takes a little investigation. When I realised why the title was used, I thought it was incredibly clever because whilst you might assume that it relates to one character, I don't think it does. I think each of the characters could be considered a taker in one way or another and I can't wait for you to discover that for yourself.

I thought all the characters were wonderful but my favourite (and you might find this strange) was Adair. I thought he was wonderfully complex and I suspect that we still don't know everything about him. He may be cruel and somewhat sadistic at times but I believe he has the capacity to love. I'm still trying to figure out what it means to Adair though and whether it is really love or not. Uzra was another favourite as there was something ethereal about the way she floated in and out of scenes like a ghost. I also admire the fact that she never submitted, she never went willingly. I realise that might sound a little cryptic but I'm trying not to give everything away.

Lanny's love for Jonathan was steadfast and uncompromising. I think she was blind to his flaws and this most certainly did them both no favours in the long run.

I had a feeling I would like this book but it turned out to be a completely different story to the one I was expecting and you know what? I think I loved it more because of that fact. It was interesting and different and definitely not predictable. This book is epic in proportion and I really hope to see it on the big screen one day or even as a TV series as it deserves this kind of recognition. I'm passing on my copy to my sister and buying a hardback for myself. This is an astonishing debut novel and like I said, the first of a trilogy. I'm very much looking forward to seeing where the story is going and feel like I'm on this journey with the characters. There's no turning back now and I wouldn't want to anyway, I'm definitely here for the duration.