Untaken

by J.E. Anckorn

It turns out that a real alien invasion is nothing like the Sci-fi shows 14-year-old Gracie loves. Not when it’s your own family who are swallowed whole by those big silver ships. Not if it could be you next.

In her search for her family, Gracie meets Brandon, a high school dropout who would never have been caught dead hanging out with a dork like Gracie before the world ended. Gracie isn’t too crazy about Brandon either, but he has one thing she doesn’t: A plan.

Brandon’s uncle has a cabin up in Maine, and If Gracie and Brandon can survive long enough to get there they can hide out until the Space Men pack up their ships and leave.
Until the army guys come to rescue them, says Brandon.
Brandon is big into army guys.

Gracie has to admit that Brandon’s Awesome Plan probably would have worked out great if wasn't for Jake.
They found 5-year-old Jake, laying half-dead under the remains of someone’s ranch house. He’s a good kid, even if he won’t-or can’t- talk.

But Jake has a secret, and when Gracie finds out what it is, the fragile new life they’ve started to forge looks set to break apart.

When the people you’ve been counting on to put the world back together start hunting you down, alien invaders are the least of your worries.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Aliens, Fantasy, Paranormal

261 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2015

About the author

J. E. Anckorn has been an artist and writer ever since she began to surreptitiously doodle on school supplies instead of learning about practical things, like osmosis and mathematics.

After barely surviving a freak mathematical osmosis disaster, she set out to travel the world, living in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong before returning to her native Britain- just in time to marry an American and leave for the U.S.A. She still failed to learn anything about osmosis, but did manage to cultivate an accent that is unintelligible to almost everyone. (It happened through a mysterious net movement of information from the outside environment into her brain. If only there was a word for that!)

This led to her development of a new language, based almost entirely on polite yet uncomprehending nods. In between these adventures she has worked as a toy designer, copywriter, and freelance illustrator. She lives in Boston, with a small grumpy dog, and a large, slightly less grumpy husband.

Reviews

[Ben Alderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the whole thing today! What an incredible read, about survival, friendship and sacrifice... I feel emotional after this book

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arc provided by Curiosity Quills Press through Netgalley
Book status: Already Released ( March 23rd )

For me the main problem with this story, is that it feels as if it suffers from multiple personality book disorder.

This was supposed to be a YA sci-fi story, but with a fourteen, a fifteen and even a younger kid, there's times in which this is clearly a middle grade story.
However there are other moments in which this crosses to "the adult road" _ a lot of swearing for instance and misogynistic bullshit. I normally couldn't care less about this situation_ the first one_, but in this story it just felt strange and out of place.

But then there's a lot of "dorks", "nerds", "losers", "chicks" comments running around, so I guess that that makes this YA.

The synopsis sounded really amazing: I read it, and my mind immediately conjured images of something along the lines of "Angelfall". Something intense and focused on the characters survival.
My bad.

The thing is that for more than thirty percent we get treated to the characters backstory, and it says a lot about the story execution that despite being privy to that, I couldn't care less about them.

The characters:
For starters, Gracie sounds way younger than her fourteen years old.

"Mom and Dad always told me never to play with—or even touch—lighters or matches, and even though getting a booboo was a seriously pre-Space Man thing for a person to worry about,(..)

Brandon sounds way older than his fifteen years of life, something more than comprehensible due to the way he was raised, but for almost three quarters of the story, the guy is such a prick to the girl that I practically couldn't stand him. If an alien would come and took him away, I would just say:
THANK YOU.
I am not sure anymore if it's on their first or second interaction that he calls Gracie a bitch...

"There was something kind of romantic about a gun."

Then there's comments like this "lying around" waiting to trip you. "A pearl of wisdom" that a friend of Brandon apparently decided to share with the guy.
Yup! Buy a gun you teens, blow your brains out!-_-

Also, the story has some severe lacunas in important parts of the story:
For instance, when Gracie and Brandon first meet they are both in a safe-house with a large number of other refugees . But then something out of a nightmare happens, and the military forces end up appearing and everything is told fast forward in a blink of an eye... and that's it. Move on.
We never have a clear image of what has happened. Where is the government? Where are his allies?
WHERE IS NATO?
Where are the other survivors?

With the exception of a few moments, the pace of a story never manages to pick up.
Strangely _ in a story like this _ this was a most boring read. I lost count to the vast number of pages wasted on boring, couldn't care less details.

Yes it has some horror moments, some alien abduction scenes, some disgusting octopus attacks, but when I didn't get to watch a real partnership establish itself between the kids, and instead I had to watch the fifteen old jerk boss the girl around I was mostly done with this story.

Unfortunately, I found myself interested in the younger kid story (Jake), so I had to keep on reading. -_-

With Brandon's increasing stupidity as the story moves along... although it does give the fifteen old character more credibility as to his age, it was hard to force myself to keep turning the pages.
In the end, Brandon manages to grow up, because a year has gone by, but I didn't get to see that.

Bottom line: Just as I suspected, a post apocalyptic scenario isn't all that fun to live in, or to read about, not when there isn't a sense of dread of what is looming ahead.
And although the characters and their interactions change with time, this is not a story that I see myself re-reading.
What can I say?
I am not a big fan of ET.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Wow. I dont even know what to say. Untaken is one of the first books that has actually legitimately creeped me out in a long time. Like, I dont even know what to say. Okay, lets start off with saying that Untaken is a Sci-fi book. There are aliens, and thats what has me creeped out. The way that Anckorn describes these aliens…. Holy shit. They are. So. Freaking. Creepy. Another thing about Untaken is that I was genuinely as anxious as Gracie was. Anckorn’s writing had this ability to just pull me into the book so well, it was hard to leave the world of Untaken. I’m actually happy that the second part of the book is way more calm than the first part of the story.

I was pleasantly surprised by Untaken, to be honest. Usually when I start a book, I’ll read the synopsis and then write down my predictions. Out of the four predictions I made, only one came true, which is amazing, because I can usually predict quite a few things about a book.
Now the plot of the story takes place over about 11 months. In those eleven months, characters, Brandon, Gracie and Jack learn about survival, friendships and sacrifices.

When the trio are just surviving, they are at their strongest, and they feel everything in raw emotions. Brandon still believes that the army is going to help them.. Gracie is learning new things & keeping the trio together. While Jack is silently observing and learning about the world around him and keeping silent.

In the second part of the book they've settled into this place, and honestly, it was great to see that the three of them as friends. They’re all getting along with little to no arguments, and its just.. ugh. Seeing them like that, as a little family, is great. And when I was nearing the end of the story, I was upset. Like, I didn't want to what happen to happen. But it did, and I think thats what made me like the story as much as I do.

And holy crap, Jake’s point of view? Its amazing. I love Jake’s part of the story, its so eye opening. and so, so refreshing from Brandon and Gracie.

I rated Untaken 5 stars because of the reasons above, and because THERE IS NO LOVE TRIANGLE. DO YOU HEAR ME??? NO LOVE TRIANGLE.

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Full Review:
So this had been sitting on my kindle for a while, and I finally decided to read it one day because I was really in the mood for a specific type of post-apocalyptic read, and it seemed like this would satisfy my craving.

(Plus it has a gorgeous cover. That always helps.)

It actually didn’t end up being quite what I was looking for at that moment, which might’ve affected my rating, but what it did end up being was incredibly character-driven with complex characters who showed real growth throughout the story. The character development was really the crowning feature of this book, especially for Brandon’s character. And the funny thing is, I related a lot more to Gracie’s character, but Brandon’s POV was so well-written that it genuinely made me understand a perspective completely different from my own, see things differently, and understand things I never would have understood otherwise.

I also loved the realism in the book. Yeah there was an alien apocalypse, but the characters’ reactions, the situations, the plot—those were the realistic things. And I’m also always annoyed when characters’ injuries just disappear, so I was really happy that the injuries seemed realistic too. For example, when Brandon got a concussion at one point, he actually felt awful for days, had to let Gracie drive because he could hardly keep his eyes open without getting dizzy, etc. And nothing ever felt forced into the plot or out of character, so all of that was great.

The book also had some adorable, touching moments, as post-apocalyptic books often do, once the characters started bonding. The way both Gracie and Brandon came to care about Jake and to care about each other was sweet. Also, “Holy crap! Why wouldn’t it be?” was the best response in the history of ever when Gracie asked Brandon *SPOILER ALERT* if it was ok that she kissed him. *END SPOILER ALERT*

My main issues with the book though were 1) it felt a little too slow-paced, but mostly 2) it took too long to really get started. To me, the good part in these types of books is when the world has already been destroyed and the characters have come together to start all the great bonding and growth, but a large chunk of the beginning of this one was about Gracie and Brandon’s individual lives before they actually started making their way together. However, I will say the beginning still had that great character development and realism that I mentioned above.

Also, a note, there was a lot of cursing in this book. It wasn’t something that bothered me, and it felt authentic to the characters, but I know it could possibly bother other readers, especially since this is a YA book.

So overall, even though I felt it had a slow start, this was still a great character-driven post-apocalyptic book that was both realistic and touching.

Recommended For:
Anyone looking for a very character-driven post-apocalyptic book (with aliens).

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

A real alien invasion is not just like in the movies. Except that it read exactly like watching one of those movies. Giant alien spacecraft arrive, doing nothing for some time, until they start harvesting. The few people left over are trying to survive and slowly start to realise there might be something more threatening out there,

The story contained the typical characters in a (post)apocalyptic YA. The protected character who will have to learn everything about survival but does have a good brain and a big heart. The troubled character who for convenience knows a lot about survival. To spice things up, they are also taking care of a little boy.

It was an average read. I was mostly interested in the storyline of the little boy, but found the ending unsatisfactory. The rest of the story was quite a standard read. I did enjoy it, for I like these kind of books, but the alien invasion wasn't given too much of a new angle to make it really interesting.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a copy from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)

The characters in this were okay, but I couldn't warm to them enough to love them.

This wasn't a bad read, but there was a few times where I felt bored, as the story dragged quite badly in areas. Apart from that though, it was an okay read.

Overall, An okay Sci-fi/Apocalyptic read.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult novels continue to be a hot property as of late publishing-wise, with readers of YA novels pretty much driving the industry at present. Even so, straight, non-dystopian YA science fiction tends to be a little hard to come by. We've come a long way since the Heinlein juveniles and the Tripods series, yes, but when everything feels like it's either a retread of The Hunger Games or Twilight (and may the higher powers help us all if someone ever finds a way to combine those two things), adult readers of genre fiction and YA fiction may feel like they're out in the cold.

I was able to land an advance copy of J. E. Anckorn's debut novel Untaken, and it follows well in the old-school tradition of science fiction for the younger set. Instead of trying to push the envelope with over-the-top ideas and themes, the book is instead an enjoyable throwback of sorts to the alien invasion science fiction of another era while keeping things feeling fresh and new.

The story follows two teens in New England following an alien invasion. They're pretty sure they can get to a family member's cabin to safety, but it's not going to be easy. One girl's parents have already been taken by the aliens, and the two kids have everything working out until they meet a 5 year old kid who won't talk and is pretty hurt. What becomes complicated is when the teenagers learn that Jake has a secret, and it is likely to change everything.

Untaken works best when it is allowed to exist in its own setting. In a way, the book feels like a love letter to the Boston area, with references to landmarks and cities and even a local AM radio station. The alien threat is handled in a different way from what I'm used to as of late as well - the alien existence is a given, and while it feels real, it also feels like part of the setting itself, much like any other problem someone might be facing. Compared to, say, The 5th Wave (a book I definitely enjoyed), the difference in how the threats are handled by our protagonists and by society feel stark. The kids aren't superhuman, they're just surviving, and it ends up being very realistic.

I can't discount, either, the old-style feel it has. While it might be a turn-off for some readers used to a different type of setting, this story feels a lot like the old science fiction that Gracie enjoys in the book. Consciously or not, the book feels very War of the Worlds-ish at times, and that is mostly to its benefit. The narrative along with the plot speaks directly to this sort of throwback, and I love the cover as a result - this would have absolutely sat on my shelf 20+ years ago.

My chief criticism, however, is that the book does take a while to get rolling. The first quarter or so of the book does move a bit slower than the rest as it works to establish what it seeks out to be, but this is both a product of the style it's presented and a product of modern expectations. The payoff (especially the way the book ends) is well worth the wait, but readers looking for a more direct route to the story might find themselves frustrated to start.

Overall, though, an excellent debut and a sci-fi novel I didn't realize I wanted until I was done with it. The book doesn't come out until March, but there is a pre-order available at Amazon that won't break the bank. I'm glad I got to take a look at it, and you will be as well.

[Eureca Laurice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This type of genre in a book that I considered one of my guilty-pleasure, Apocalypse plus phenomenal invasion, e.g. Natural Disaster + Apocalypse or Alien Invasion + Apocalypse. That type of story might made sense or not is what I was always looking for, fantasy and its fiction. Considering it, I always turn on a blind eye to its flaws, always, like every time.

One summer day in the US...

... when I squinted up at the blue summer sky, all those big, silver ships still hung there, like clouds that never moves.

This is one of the few times that I'm glad I'm not living in the US.

Meet Gracie one of the narrators, the 14-year-old kid a "geeky-nerd" as she refers to herself. Meet Brandon, the 15-year-old kid that love music but can't play music because his dad doesn't want to; His dad mainly play his life until one day all their lives has intertwined. On their road to survival they met Jake, cute little kid that doesn't speak and collect shinnies.



Oh no, not Shinee, but shinnies as in shiny things.

With Alien on the side and survival on the head and army on the tail, surely, living is on the prime list.

Remember The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey? Yes? They have similar storyline.

Before swearing/cursing is a big deal to me and I outgrew that now. Sometimes, I minimized writing that, but should I when this one includes some. For a change, I love that in a book *laugh*. Especially when it's written for kids. *winks*

Anyway, as I have said I always turn blind eye if this is the genre I'm going to read. But sometimes too much flaws can really turn my vision into 20/20.

Flaws, which made me, think of what the actual heck happened.
*This will contain a lot of spoiler*
1. There's this one time, which Brandon was observing about this cabin while he was fishing when suddenly he was inside that cabin. It happens like 3 times on the book and I just particularly remember this one.
2. It’s Gracie's first time driving when suddenly she became pro in driving.
3. Internet!!! Oh my gosh. I was baffled when I have read this near the end. Gracie was chatting with some friend she met online one year after the invasion. Like a lot of people has been missing and only few military was remaining and some people may be, on the other side probably and internet is still working???!!! Huh!! I might as well buy the Jupiter.

All in all, it was still an entertaining read, story about survival and Alien. This was not badly written but somehow not well executed. A lot of author ventures on this side of genre and not all were well executed except for the quiet few. Anyway, I especially enjoyed Jake's POV because his unnatural voice was well made that it felt natural. A lot of points go to Jake for just being cute.

Overall rating: 2.4/5

Thanks NetGalley/Curiosity Quills for providing me an ARC of this.

[✿ℎazℯℓ - thℯ ℛock Cℎick ℱairy✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an action packed, fast paced, thrilling and mysterious read!

I don't even know where to start with this book..

*whew*

First.. What is this book all about?

It's about aliens coming to Earth, taking some people with them, but leaving some too.. with weird yet powerful traits in them. It's also all about the people who are truly left behind. People who haven't been touched by the aliens and continue to struggle living in fear.


You see, our characters Gracie, Brandon and Jake once had a normal life. They had a family, neighbors, other people in their lives... Until they all got taken away. It's sad really because they're just so young to experience what they have experienced. I feel bad for each of them because each family had a story to tell. They were just getting by, then poof! Gone!

What do you do when the world around you changes and all you have are 2 people with you doing the best to survive?

I guess you hold on to those two. Start accepting life as it is and move on from that.

That's exactly what our characters did. After being on the run mainly because of the people who wants to dissect the "others", they find a safe haven and stay there. I noticed how fast the pacing from thereon because I read this in under 3 hours. One thing I can say about them being on the run though, they're smart! Like street smart! I like that about them. Brandon's dad helped a lot with that. Even though he was a drunk, he taught Brandon some life preserving skills and that helped them along the way. I like how they're able to go through one rough patch to another. There's a certain beauty when you outwit people who are older than you. Hah! ;) So there... action, thrill, mystery (you'd have to find out what that is because I'm not telling! ^_^).. all of these are in this book.

I guess the only thing that's holding me back from giving this a 5 is that I still have a few questions after finishing the book. Like what does it mean when people get taken? Does that mean that the aliens took over their brains already? Another one is what happened to the world after this? Do they rebuild right away or start looking for the "others"

Anyway... The ending kind of left me speechless. I actually did not see it coming, but it really is for the best. Ahhh! It's killing me not to describe it in detail, but trust me, this book is worth the time so READ IT!


P.S. I requested for this book because of that gorgeous cover. It makes the premise even more interesting!

I was provided with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Hannah Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!


A copy of the book was kindly provided to me by the publisher but it does not influence my review in any way!

First of all I must be honest, this book was a very close copy of The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey with the ending turning out into The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

THE WORLD: Just like in many alien books that are now trending the world is very similar to ours with just a little addition - alien ships hanging up in the sky above people. First nothing is happening for a while till people get used to them being there and then boom invasion. Moreover, just like in Rick Yancey's book aliens look exactly like us. That is pretty much it. Just a broken world without people.

CHARACTERS: There are three main characters in the book: Gracie, Brandon and Jake. Gracie is a nerdy 14 years old teenager with no friends. Well at least no face to face friends. She spends most of her time online on a science fiction fanbase where she has many friends she can talk to. Brandon on the other hand does not even know how to use a computer. He is a son of an bipolar alcoholic, mainly the case where the kid takes care of the drunk parents and thinks the parent is a god. Jake comes into the picture a little bit later in book and is only 5 years old. But I have to say, he was my favorite. Jake is also special in this story. Now my main problem with the characters was that Gracie is way too silly for a teenager, and I do not mean because of her doing what mommy tells her. Her mother is kinda of a bully as far as I understood. But really, sometimes the things Gracie would say...no wonder she had no real friends. Same problem with Brandon, he is 15 but his relationship with his dad...I will never understand why nobody ever reported him to child protection services. I mean the neighbors saw it, the teachers saw it, his friends family saw it and still nothing. And I also do not like the fact that his father was like god through the whole book and was never criticized, like really you would expect a kid to understand in the end but nope, never happened.

LOVE: No love triangles is always a plus but I was not really impressed with the romance either. Just plain typical falling in love when nobody else is left.

PLUS: I enjoy alien science fiction books so it was an alright read.

MINUS: It felt all the time that I was reading a bad copy of The 5th Wave.

OVERALL: I would recommend this book to the science fiction fans but in case you are not one of them I would say no.

MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!

[Jessica Nicole]

I was excited to be approved for this book, because it's been a while since I've read a sci-fi book. So imagine my disappointment when I found I just couldn't keep reading at about 85 pages. And I didn't make it through those 85 pages because I was super into the story. Probably about 30 of those pages were skimmed.

The prologue was great. I was getting a “The Darkest Minds” vibe from the three kids traveling through a deserted land where anything could be the enemy. I was excited to keep reading.

And then we moved into chapter one.



Chapter one takes us back to before the action really began, and then we sit there, for like, six more chapters. I was mildly intrigued by the fact that there are spaceships just hanging out in the sky, but expecting a reader to be interested by that fact for six chapters and not giving us anything else is a bit much. Even when alien-esque things started happening, it was like, hey, we’re going to hole up in our house and check forums on the internet to see what’s going on.



There was a lot of character set up, I guess, though I didn’t feel like I knew or wanted to know Brandon or Gracie, the two main characters. If we had continued on with the traveling across the country looking for help scenario that we started with in the prologue, I would have been more likely to keep reading. Or at least, something more interesting than sitting around in their houses, waiting for the alien’s to attack and checking tumblr.

Geeze. I really hate not finishing books.

See this review and others like it in a more awesome format at Ramblings On Readings

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Untaken” is a new series that makes me feel as though I were given a gift by being allowed to read and review it. It puts a new take on the apocalyptic theme of an alien invasion, eventually evolving into dystopian territory.

I am going to say this right now, if you see the word “alien” and think it is not your deal, please reconsider and give it a try. The plot is one of survival, with the aliens being the catalyst for the events but not the central focus of the story. The true story is what constitutes humanity and how human humans react when placed under unimaginable circumstances and stress.

The central characters are three children: Gracie, Brandon, and Jake. Their stories are divided into three parts, with the first devoted to their separate lives before and during the initial catastrophic events. This format serves for developing their backstories and personalities in an extremely detailed way. It feels like you know the oldest two, Gracie and Brandon, personally before they even meet. Jake is more of an enigma, and that is a great feature in the story.

While the first part features a lot of action, the second and third parts are more of a slow burn. I love slice-of-life stories that take their time in building new worlds, and this is one of the best I have ever read. The writing is compelling and nearly flawless, leaving the reader to sit back and enjoy the book without the burden of superfluous details and a stuttering plot. It seems to be the beginning of a series, and I hope that is true. I really want to see what comes next.

I highly recommend “Untaken” to those who are 12 and up and looking for a promising new series. If you’re a fan of Mike Mullen’s “Ashfall”, it is something not to be missed. Warning: Once you start it, you may not be able to put it down.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Gel · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ MY REVIEW ON MY BLOG
HTTP://THEBOOKISHANGEL.WORDPRESS.COM

Copy was provided by Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I would like this book very much because the synopsis sounded great to me. It felt like it was similar to Angelfall by Susan Ee which is my favorite post-apocalypse book. The cover is absolutely gorgeous too.

The story started pretty okay. The main characters each had a back story. Gracie is a 14 year old nerd girl. She’s into stuff like the alien invasion and she had an online community where she talks about those stuffs with other people. Knowing that she’s into alien invasion, I expected her to know a few stuffs about survival. I’m into post-apocalypse books right now and I have picked up a few information on how to survive one. But Gracie? She doesn’t know how to survive and she has to constantly depend to Brandon. While Gracie is a 14 year old girl who talks like she’s younger, Brandon is a teenaged boy who talks like he’s an adult. It may be because of his upbringing but still. It’s like the characters are inconsistent.

There is also never a clear image of what really happened. Where is the government? How about the other survivors? The pacing of this book is so slow that I thought I would never finish this book. There is nothing interesting that is happening for like almost half of the book. Fortunately there is a kid that is one of the main characters and he kind of interests me so I kept reading.

If you’re into gross alien stuff then you may like this book, it’s one of the things that appealed to me. It’s also kind of scary if this book would happen in real life.

If you haven’t read any post-apocalypse books before then you may like this one and also if you’re into gross alien stuff.

[BookLoversLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Molly's Book Nook · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is hard for me to give a star rating. Mainly because the first half and second half of the book were very different for me.

The first half was kind of slow. The author was trying to give a perspective of what the lives of the characters were like prior to the aliens... but it was a little drawn out. There was way too much detail about Brandon's drunk father. I mean, that's basically all you learn about Brandon, is that his father's kind of a dick. Then there was literally 2 paragraphs describing how Gracie gets ice cream.. why? It had no impact on the story, it was just a bunch of extra details that weren't necessary. I actually ended up skimming through a lot of the beginning because I knew it wouldn't matter in the end.

With that said, the second half picked up. I started to enjoy the story. I wasn't too attached to the characters. I feel like the author gave Gracie a completely new personality after the aliens took people. Before, she was a loser, shy, didn't stand up for herself. But after, she was kind of a bitch to Brandon and thought she was the shit. I ended up disliking her, but the story was interesting enough. I liked the survival aspects and that the real enemy didn't seem to be just the aliens.

Overall, it didn't draw me in too much and I didn't get attached to any of the characters but it was an interesting/OK story.

[Sara Tickanen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on my blog, The Reality of Books: https://therealityofbooks.wordpress.c...

Untaken, by J.E. Ankhorn centers on 14 year old Gracie and 15 year old Brandon, two of a small number of survivors after an alien race comes down to Earth and swallows everyone that they love into giant silver ships. They form a plan to travel towards Maine and Brandon’s uncle’s cabin; along the way, the pair comes across a young boy they name Jake. Jake can’t talk, and he doesn’t act like a normal boy. But Jake has a secret, and he will do anything to hold onto it—not only from Gracie and Brandon, but from the army men who pursue them.

Plot wise, this started out reminding me of In The After, by Demetria Lunetta—only it doesn’t move nearly as quickly. There were many times where the storyline dragged for me, but it held my interest just enough that I had to continue reading. The characters in this book weren’t rounded out; the twists and turns were obvious before they were revealed. The world building also lacked for me. I wanted to know more about the alien race—where they came from, their motivations, and just who, exactly, they were. The little we see of them feels like “here we are, going to suck up your people now.” I also didn't entirely understand the way in which the “drones" functioned. In different places in the book, it seems like they work in different ways, and the end adds an entirely new dynamic to the way in which they function.

There’s a lot that this book does well. This book really picks up once Gracie and Brandon join forces on their journey. The first sections are way too long and unnecessarily detailed with things we don’t really need to know. The language of the characters is spot on for their age. The evolution of Jake was also amazing; I enjoyed watching him “grow up” inside his head. The description and imagery throughout are amazing; Anckorn put me right into the situation alongside the characters. I also love that this was a single book and didn’t follow the current trend of YA dystopian trilogies.

The things that this does well are enough to balance out the things that it doesn’t, making it worth a read for anyone middle school age-ish who likes survival stories, aliens, or science fiction.

3 stars.

**I received this book as an DRC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Untaken was published March 23rd, 2015, by Curiosity Quills Press.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to read a book on alien invasions? Untaken by J.E. Anckorn is a story captured through the eyes of three young kids during a sudden alien invasion. All over the world, there are huge silver space ships floating above random cities. What is even creepier is that they haven’t struck yet… they just float. But when the time finally comes to where they begin to move, no one is safe.

Gracie, age 14, is just a nerdy girl trying to make it through high school. Brandon, age 16, is a high school dropout living with his drunken dad. Jake, age unknown, is a whole different scenario. Each become affected by the invaders, but are brought together to a camp that they were told was safe. Now, they know better. We follow them as they try to live in the now-apocalyptic atmosphere while also running from the Drones and Space Men… and the military. This is a perfect read for anyone who is a fan of the movie War of the Worlds. It has that dark alien feeling that goes perfectly with the movie’s atmosphere. That was what I was picturing in my mind as the setting for this book.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The story-line was very entertaining. I really enjoyed how J.E. Anckorn used very distinct dialect for each of the characters. I could leave and come back to where I was in the story, and when I read one sentence, I knew exactly who’s point of view I was experiencing. It is very hard to find an author who can truly accomplish this. The book does tell the events through Gracie, Brandon, and Jake with each character dictating the chapter. It is also told in three parts for the three seasons that they experienced throughout the invasion. I also felt like the ending was very satisfying. I could see myself possibly reading this book again in the future (but that TBR-pile is growing so high, so maybe not quite in the future). I really enjoyed this book, and it was a quick, easy read. Definitely a go-to for anyone who likes aliens and sci-fi young adult books.

[Emmeline (The Book Herald) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Curiosity Quills Press for this ARC

Very Nice!

This book, to be completely honest, took me a bit of time to get into.
But once it took hold of me, it didn't let go.

This book was well thought out, it had me very reminiscent of The Fifth Wave. I mean, come on, a girl, a little kid about 4 years old and a boy.

Let's get to the plot,
One day everything was normal.
The next, it wasn't.
Ships lined the sky, no communication, nothing weird happened.
The ships were just there. At a stand still. Without movement.
Until one day, it wasn't.
Gracie witnesses something out of a nightmare, suddenly her neighbours gets swallowed up by this dark thing with tentacles and disappears.
The next day...they're back.
But different.
Not knowing what exactly she's running from, her paths crosses over with Brandon.
An angry 15 year old who thinks the Army is his salvation.
Now the two as an unwilling team find a small boy wandering alone, they name him Jake.
They need to survive, but how can they?

So yea, i did enjoy the plot. The characters took me a bit of time to get warmed up to them but after that, i really got into the story.

It's creative and well thought out too.

I won't lie, it's not the most original idea, but it isn't a bad read.

There is also a bit of Romance in here too. I totally called it, just because the way those two would chew each other out, it made me laugh.

Side note- if you don't like books with swearing...well this one has bucketloads, just saying.

Stay wonderful!

-The Book Herald

Find me of twitter- @thebookherald

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When the aliens begin taking humans, teens Gracie and Brandon pair up to survive the culling. When they find five year old Jake, they can't leave him behind, but it doesn't take long to figure out that something isn't right with the quiet little boy. Determined to make it to the mountains to Brandon's uncle's hunting cabin, the threesome face dangers both human and alien. Gracie and Brandon are a strange combination. She is awkward and withdrawn and he is the product of a crazy, redneck single father, but they do manage to present a pretty nice pair when they team up. The problem was that it took a long time for them to team up, and the beginning of the story gets mired down in character development and plot setup. Once the teens join forces, the action becomes quite compelling, only to slump again near the end. The scifi elements were easy enough to follow once readers got all of the pieces, and it was a pretty reasonable concept that I thought made a lot of sense. I did have some issues with the decision to have the teen characters use poor grammar - English teacher issues. The maturity level of the characters paired with a minimal use of mature language and light sensuality, make this book most appropriate for middle school readers.

[Shayay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the concept for this book; an alien invasion is something I find interesting, and I like how it was written in this book. A little bit more alien encounters would of been cool, but I did enjoy what was in the book, and I like the type of alien species that is represented in this story. The descriptions the author uses for the spaceships, and alien type things really painted a vivid picture, and I like how the world is in a sort of dystopian world. I enjoyed both of the main characters; I do wish they were a bit older because I wanted them not to be so stunted, but I do think the author did a great job of writing the characters, and I felt each characters immaturities were in tune with the characters age group. I like that the author gave build up stories for each character; it was good to see each character in their own world before they joined together, and I liked how the characters played off of each other. I do wish there was more to the end, I felt there was a lot of unanswered questions, and there isn't a resolution to some of the issues in this story. I hope there will be another book featuring these characters because I would like to know how the characters continued to deal with the alien situation. I will definitely look into other books by Anckorn because this was an excellent read!

[Amy Verkruissen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book so much I read it in one sitting! It kind of reminded me of The Host by Stephanie Meyer which I really enjoyed as well. The story is told from the point of view of Gracie and Brandon in alternating chapters. Then Jake the child they find takes a turn in the narration. Gracie and Brandon meet up after an alien invasion destroys the world as they knew it. They've both lost their families and have to stick together to find a safe place to stay at Brandon's uncles cabin up north. They find Jake along the way who doesn't speak and has many secrets of his own but they all grow together and take care of each other as they make their way through a dangerous landscape. Coming across people they cannot trust and some who they thought they could trust. Very good story!

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story. A little dull in the second section but the third made up for that. I really thought that the end was setting us up for a sequel...……… but no. Characters were great and I really loved Brandon's story. Sad ending.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aliens ships appear in the sky, and, at first do nothing but wait, leading people to wonder what their goal is. But suddenly, they strike, and soon most of the population is gone, killed or taken up in one of their ships, which might amount to the same thing. Two teenagers are among those left behind, though, and they must struggle to survive and take care of a young child who was also left behind.

I was able to read this book free through NetGalley. It had a premise just intriguing enough to request it... it is, of course, a YA book, and while I enjoy these kinds of books when they've got a good plot, I've not yet read a YA alien invasion story, which is a staple of SF in general.

The book alternates perspectives, with different chapters written from the perspective of, at first, the two teens, who are from two different worlds (figuratively, not literally), do not know each other at first, and, were it not for the alien invasion, were unlikely to ever know each other. By and large, this works... at first. The characters feel real and are appealing, even if they sometimes screw up (the girl is a little closer to 'perfect except socially awkward', but not so dramatically so that it's hard to take her seriously as a character). I enjoyed following them through the early part of the drama, and although certain aspects of their meeting and getting to know each other went pretty much as expected, I was glad that the author didn't rush into it and gave us plenty of time with each character on their own.

The aliens might not have been the most rigorously thought out, but the author succeeded in creating a sense of creepiness with how they defied easy understanding and labels and remained a mystery.

The book might not have been perfect, but I was enjoying myself...

At least, I was up until the little kid arrived. Specifically, once he had his first POV chapter, my enjoyment of the book started to take a sharp drop. I don't mind kids of his age in a book, and I read about him in the description of the book so I knew he would be there, but the way he factored into the plot just soured me, a little, on everything, and his POV chapters never felt authentic to me. I was hoping he'd just be a kid, somebody that complicated survival for the two teens but, because they were good people, they did their best to do right by him. Instead, it felt like the story became ABOUT him. And, while it may not be related, it was about this time that other elements of the story started to come apart, either jumping too far ahead in time too soon, elements not getting enough payoff, or just generally stretching credibility too much. It's probably not related, but I'm going to blame the Kid anyway, because without his POV chapters we might have had time and space for the other stuff.

Did it ruin the book for me completely? No, or at least it never got to the point where I thought it was a complete waste of my time, but it did dampen a lot of enthusiasm. If my enjoyment stayed at the level of the first half or so, it might have rated a high three or even a four. And it's possible that much of this is completely subjective, the author hit on pet peeves of mine but didn't actually make any serious mistakes. I think there is definitely some talent here in creating appealing characters and building a creepy setting, and for a first novel it certainly shows promise.

With YA, I always try to look at it two ways... how do I enjoy it now, and how do I think I would have enjoyed it were I in the target age range. In this case, the second one is particularly hard, because I'm really not sure how I would have reacted to the things that turned me off. Maybe they wouldn't have bugged me at all and I would have rated it a four. As it is, I think I have to stick with my overall rating of a two, and maybe guess that, were I a YA, I'd have bumped it up to a three at least.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lent this book by a coworker who happens to be related to the author as they thought I would enjoy it, but I was not requested to or expected to review it.

The premise of Untaken is unmistakably similar to The 5th Wave in theme — an alien attack on earth that comes in waves, with two teenagers trying to survive whilst protecting/rescuing a young child. However, it’s been long enough since I’ve read The 5th Wave that I wouldn’t be able to make a direct comparison of specific similarities and differences between the two other than them both being YA fiction.

We spend a fair bit of time at the beginning of this book becoming acquainted with the lives of our two protagonists Brandon and Gracie. Coming from different backgrounds, their experiences definitely acted as believable catalysts for their actions and interactions throughout the book; when they finally meet it is surprising how well they compliment each other’s individual strengths, and their ability to reach practical decisions together in stressful situations works in their favour many times. They bicker and have disagreements, but there is an underlying respect on both sides that helps them reach mutual conclusions which are stronger than any of their individual ideas.

My main concern coming into this book was the worry of encountering excessive romance or a pseudo-family relationship between Brandon, Gracie, and the child they are trying to take care of, Jake. However, these elements only surfaced for maybe two or three chapters and I did not feel that they were particularly forced. Unnecessary perhaps, but that’s purely my personal preference.

Often I tend to find myself frustrated with YA fiction written in first person, but the writing in Untaken flows well, capturing the personalities of each of the characters and how they view the world around them. The switch to third person is particularly successful in stumbling you as the reader whilst conveying the battling consciousnesses of Jake, which is a major part of his narrative arc.

I felt the focus of the book was fairly singular when there was clearly a lot going on elsewhere with the military’s efforts to stabilise the remaining population. Whilst this was frustrating, it was understandable as the three needed to stay isolated; by leaving us in the dark it showed how frustrated the characters themselves must be having to live and plan their movements with such little contact with the rest of the world.
However, by omitting the information of what was going elsewhere (and I’m treading lightly here to avoid spoilers), I felt that some extra time could have been spent following Jake and the strange events that were beginning to happen around him. His chapters were fascinating, and it was a shame that Gracie and Brandon’s chapters seemed to be so stuck in denial of what was happening when there was opportunity to really delve deeper and learn more, though I welcomed the challenge of certain things being left open to interpretation.

Overall, a solid book covering a snapshot of a devastating event with characters I could empathise with and a fast-paced story. I only wish it were slightly longer in some areas!

[K.L. Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

En del af Untakens charme er dens enkelthed. Den er bygget på det (tør man sige det?) lettere originale science fiction princip om alien invasion fra rummet, og vi er således helt forbi de dystopiske temaer der pt præger genren i bøger som Hunger Games og Divergent

Et større antal aliens kommer til jorden, og er alt andet end fredelige og venlige. Byer bliver ødelagt, adskillige mennesker bliver dræbt og alt er kaos. De overlevende samles i bunkere, men da det viser sig at der ikke er hjælp at hente fra regeringen, er det op til dem selv at forsøge at overleve invasionen. Bogen følger Gracie og Brandon, der på ingen måde er udset til at være et perfekt match før de krigeriske aliens kommer til jorden. Kan de samarbejde - og overleve - længe nok til at nå til Maine, har de en chance for at klare sig gennem invasionen. Hvad ingen af dem havde regnet med, er at møde en 5årig dreng, der er slemt tilredt. Og de havde da slet ikke regnet med, at både regeringen og rumvæsnerne er uhyre interesseret i selvsamme dreng. Hvad er det Jack skjuler?

Historien fortælles med skiftende synsvinkel, og Grace og Brandon giver et rigtig godt ping-pong til hinanden, med deres forskelligheder og interne problemer. Jacks fortællervinkel må jeg indrømme at jeg stadig ikke helt ved hvad jeg synes om. Der skal noget helt særligt til, for at kunne fortælle en historie fra en 5årigs synspunkt, og selvom jeg ikke hadede Jacks kapitler, så er jeg stadig heller ikke helt sikker på at forfatteren træf det rigtige valg, ved at inddrage ham som fortæller.

Untaken er noget tid om at komme i gang, og starten er ret sløv i det, men efter den første fjerdel af bogen begynder der at komme skred i tingene og resten af bogen er den sløve start værd. Samtidig byder bogen på en sand kærlighedserklæring til det amerikanske land, underforstået at forfatteren inddrager pejlemærker, kendte steder og byer, og man kan næsten føle jorden under sine fødder, som man bevæger sig af sted sammen med den lille gruppe. I starten kan alien invasionen godt virke lidt sær og forvirrende, især på grund af rumvæsnernes væremåde, men der er et svar på alting, og det faktum at vi har at gøre med tre helt almindelige unge, giver en hvis realisme og naturlighed til plottet, som egentlig var dejligt forfriskende, og fik dem alle tre til at fremstå langt mere som rigtige mennesker, end ellers. Samtidig fik det én til at spekulere på hvordan man selv ville klare sig i samme situation, og om man overhovedet ville være bare minimum af forberedt til noget som helst i den stil.

Alt i alt var jeg ganske positivt overrasket over bogen, enkelte elementer trak lidt ned, mens andre til gengæld trak godt op i regnskabet. Efter at have læst den sidste side, er jeg en smule i tvivl om hvorvidt der faktisk kommer en fortsættelse, eller om slutningen skal fungere som den gør nu. Det kan den sagtens, og jeg var ret glad for den, men der kunne godt være mulighed for en efterfølger.

Læs alle anmeldelser her

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forget Armageddon. Aliens have shown up in large numbers in strange silver ships and they did not come in peace. Destroying buildings and killing humans, the aliens have made a right mess of Earth. The remaining people are scattered among shelters, but when they thought they could count on the government to protect them, they soon realize how very wrong they were. Gracie, Brandon and Jake need to get to safety and wait for the Army to rescue them from aliens and the special agencies such as the CIA. However, they didn't count on Jake being of special interest to the government and aliens alike. Now they can't trust anyone except themselves. How long can they hide and survive? And if there's no one left, does it matter if they do?

This is an interesting take on alien invasion. A slow start, but picks up as it goes along. The story is told from three POVs, 14-yr-old Gracie, 15-yr-old Brandon and 5-yr-old Jake. None of them are related, but they all want to survive. Gracie and Brandon's stories of the invasion are sorta similar, but Jake's is very different. He's very different.

The invasion is a bit confusing. Why hover and wait around for so long? Then come in guns blazing when it later becomes clear that they want the humans. So why slaughter so many? Didn't make sense. And our own governments? What asshats! Seriously.

I enjoyed the switching POVs. It gave a well-rounded telling of the events both before and after the invasion. The writing is superb and the plot interesting. It made me wonder aloud to my husband how well our own kids would fair if they were dumped into a flight and survive situation. The kids in this story had to go back to basics. Forget tv, internet and video games. How well would most of the kid/teen population today get along if they had to do without electricity, running water and grocery stores? How many of us are prepared for such an event? I grew up on a farm and my husband knows how to hunt, so we would probably be ok as long as we avoided the aliens and the bad government guys. But still...eep. Let's just not let this happen. Ok?

[Alyce Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first I need to say a huge thank you to Curiosity Quills Press, for sending me an e-copy of this novel in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I was fairly nervous about reading 'Untaken', because I haven't read many alien invasion novels, but I read and absolutely loved 'The Fifth Wave' by Rick Yancey last year, so I was worried that this was going to be too similar to that and I was going to end up hating it.
However, 'Untaken' is a completely different novel, which really stands out in the genre in its own right. We follow three perspectives: fifteen year old Brandon, fourteen year old Gracie and seven year old Jake, throughout their travels on the road and their attempt to survive and thrive in a world that has gone massively downhill. Throughout the first part of the novel, we get the story of how the three of them met and how their journey began, while the second and third parts follow them throughout the trials that they face on the road.
One of the most interesting aspects of this novel are the 'Space Men' themselves. At the start of the book we witness Drones, which are little black octopus like creatures, engulfing humans, who then turned up perfectly fine the next day... Until they decided to get on to the alien spacecraft and fly off. It's a very underdone plot, the aliens taking the humans rather than murdering them, so it was a very enjoyable feature - too often the aliens are shown as aggressive and violent creatures that want to murder all of the humans to take the planet for their own, so actually taking the humans to their planets was a great twist.

Read the rest of my review here!

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Although alien invasions isn’t a unique plotline, I found this book to be quite an intriguing read – even if there did end up being two different first person POVs and one third person. Although it was interesting to see what happened from the two main characters’ points of view, I would have much preferred it if the book had stuck to third person… and definitely not switched between first and third.

I did find it quite easy to relate to the characters and I was as confused and uncertain about what was going on as they were. It was interesting to see how Brandon and Gracie each handled what had happened to them – and how each of their upbringing caused them to react in different ways.

I did feel that the blurb gave away a lot of the book. It was interesting to see how the characters got to that point, but I felt that it didn’t hold back a lot of the mystery.

I liked the interactions between Gracie and Brandon, but I did feel that Brandon’s character development, in particular, seemed a bit rushed. The time when he changed/matured felt as if it was glossed over.

The tentacled creatures/drones were really quite scary. By the end of the book, I had a little more understanding about their purpose… but not quite all that was going on. I would have liked some more answers to my questions.

There was quite a lot of action in this book that kept me reading throughout. I felt the author did a good job of showing the fallout of what happened and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Jake.

I do think this book should have a sequel, since there was a lot that wasn’t explored that could have been. I would probably read a sequel, if there was one, at some point in the future.

[Hinterland Hallucinations · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was unexpected. I assumed it was another alien invasion story… and it was, but with a few other twists.

Narrated in alternate P.O.V. from Gracie, Brandon and Jake, Untaken documents their journey of survival through alien and human combatants’ alike, searching for a safe place to call home (in the form of a cabin in Maine). I’m not usually a fan of alternate voices in the narrative, but this time it gave unique perspectives and added something to the story.

I found Brandon to be a little crass and obstinate, the curse words and his attitude fitted his age and how he assumed a leadership role. This juxtaposed with Gracie, more of a tween than a teenager, but with the common sense of someone much older. She was quietly observant and determined with a manner that worked around the boys and kept the group together. The group dynamic was very reminiscent of The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey.

Jake, the youngest, only has short and sparse contributions to the narrative, but it was always to show something important.

The mode of the alien attack was a little derivative, I would have like to read a more original aspect to their presence; however their motivations were pretty cool indeed.

Overall, I was really excited about this book – parts of the narrative felt awkward, but that was due to the fact of the cast’s such young age. And this is a quick and easy read full of action and mystery. I devoured the book in one sitting. I had difficulty in predicting what was going to happen, maybe about three quarters through I was pretty close, but there is certainly enough plot twists to keep you guessing.

I’d recommend this without hesitation, especially if you love sci-fi or dystopian.

[Casia Pickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Untaken is a young adult science fiction written by J.E. Anckorn. It is being rereleased in March 23, 2015 through Curiousity Quills Press.

The book is written in three point of views with Brandon and Gracie being the most used. Through them, you experience the downfall of mankind and the horrors of who to trust and who not to. The children join forces and become a family unit of their own.

Anckorn writes a beautiful piece that I had to constantly put down. Not because I couldn't get into it. Oh no, Untaken pulls you in all the way. I had to put it down because every time the kids were put into an emotional moment, I needed to pause. I felt like I was there, experiencing the alien invasion, the center, the drones . . . everything. It was disturbing and wonderful at the same time.

I love feeling an emotional attatchment to the characters and not many books have done that lately. I can probably think of two others that I have a clear attatchment to that I've read recently. It is the imagery and realisitic actions of her teens that make Anckorn's work beautiful.

This book is science fiction. It has aliens in it. HOWEVER, you don't really see much of the invasion. What you see is the human coniditon that happens after the invasion. How do you think the world would be after something like this? Peaceful? Doubt it. Anckorn's setting is exactly what I would expect.

Even though I'm not a science fiction person all the time, there are a few books and authors I will read. Anckorn is one of them. Untaken is a beautiful and disturbing book that deals with three children in the aftermath of an alien abduction. It's a must read for young adult and science fiction readers.