Talk about lightning striking in the same place twice, that's exactly what Abel did with Taken. Taken did not disappoint, the storytelling was as riveting as Enchantment. I'm still reeling from reading the pages of such an intense and fast driven story. Things never slowed, Channie and Josh were always on the go. Channie and Josh's life got more complicated as the story progressed, when it looks like fate might give them a break they have to face another obstacle. The evil magic book continues to control their life. They also have to deal with Channie's mother Prudence after her use of the book made her crazy. Channie's family were at the mercy of Prudence's wrath when she totally flipped her lid.

Some characters made a turn for the better in this book. One of such character was Hunter. When we were first introduced to Hunter in Enchantment, I thought he was just a jerk trying to get into Channie's pants. I fell in love with Hunter in Taken, he turned out to be a great guy who cares for Channie's well being and a good friend to Josh.

Channie continues to be her same old moody self, and Josh continues to be the sweetheart that Channie doesn't always listen to. There were somethings that Channie had to deal with that made me uncomfortable but definitely added to the story. Channie was used to her mage way of life so when her father and mother either hit her or threatened to she did not see a problem with it. She even thought she would deserve it if she was stupid enough to disobey. Channie and her sister Abby had a conversation about it being okay for a man to hit them if they stepped out of line and that a male in control of their life is okay too. I thought it was funny that Channie never cut Josh any slack for reacting angrily to upsetting situations although Josh would never try to control her or think of putting his hand on her. My female equality mindset really wanted to shake some sense into those women that this is so not right. This scene definitely builds on the mage world and life, it also shows Abel's boldness with her in-depth storytelling.

There is so much happening in Josh and Channie's world that kept me tuned in to their story and experiencing their trials and triumphs to their ultimate destiny. Such a intense action driven read. This time the cliff hanger has me anxious about how things will be in the next installment of the series. ( )

I should say that this book was better than the previous one. The characters have grown and with them the author's skills. The beginning was a little slow, and kind of made me want to slap Channie and Josh for being such crybabies. It felt like the only thing Josh wanted to do was have sex and that's it. It was so annoying.
I was so glad about that encounter with the two trackers, that you wouldn't believe it!! Finally everyone was rushing to do something meaningful! Something other than argue over a pot of stew or killing mice or making cornbread. But, all that annoyingly normal stuff was kind of insightful of the characters' thoughts and feelings. And I liked how this time there were multiple points of view. It was nice to hear Josh's thoughts for a change.
This novel seemed to take the story to a whole new plane. There was action, lots of running away from things and people, strong emotions and of course - every decision came with its consequences. Towards the end, everything was so intense, I was having hard time breathing. It was really an exhilarating ride.

The characters:
*Channie - Oh goodness, this girl irritated me so much with her weird decisions! Protecting Josh would've been much better if she'd actually listened to him. Besides, how could an Empty protect a powerful mage? She brought more trouble than anything else.

*Josh/Valor - I can't wait for him to actually step into his real shoes. Josh is a boy, while Valor is a man, and I really want to see the man. He's been peeking out from time to time both with resolution and cold-blooded decisions. Too bad nobody listens to him half the time. I guess though that this is what keeps the story going. I mean, if everything got solved right away, then there would be no story, so I get it :)

*Hunter - omg, Hunter was hilarious. And the new job he got - it cracked me up!!! I can honestly not imagine him doing those things. His accent was amazingly well portrayed.

*Daddy turned out to be not-so-selfish after all. I felt really bad for him when his wife turned psycho.

*Momma - urgh, just URGH!!! Magic here was like drugs in our world. The woman got seriously addicted and it turned her all Wicked Witch of the West. I really wanted to just see her dead. Harsh, but true. Sorry.

The ending was really powerful. It made me all emotional, but I didn't cry. I was just angry. Such a cliffhanger, Charlotte!!! You're playing dirty!!! LOL
Love it :) Really a great read!!
( )

Enchantment was interesting and had a lot going on, but here things just seen lkike they got out of control for Charlotte Abel, and she didn't know what to write anymore. The jumps from plot to plot trying to make it boring and frustrating. And also, why can't young adult writers actually give an ending to their books, even if they're a trilogy? You get to the last page and want to go to the next (not because it is "oh so very engaging I want to read the next book and know what happens next") because you just can't believe that's how a book ought to end, and it just seems like the end to any chapter, not THE last chapter. ( )

Wow! Preferred Taken a lot more than than the first book in the series! What a cliffhanger: Poor Channie and Josh :( And poor Abby too, just when things are starting to work for her..... Cant wait to see what happens with josh and his clan and if he takes Dominance doooown.... Im excited :) ( )

deleting reviews if you want to take a look at them you can do so on my blog, link on my profile ( )