Book Review and Giveaway: The Taker by Alma Katsu

** this giveaway is closed **


I know, I know, You're saying ANOTHER supernatural book, aren't they all done and over? But what about a book about Obsession? AH, there's the ticket! And well, if there's an immortal, well, all the better right?


the taker cover
Synopsis: True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .


On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. 


And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.


About the AuthorAlma Katsu likes to write stories that pull the reader through a journey that is sweeping in scope, a little dark and a little magical. The TAKER is her debut novel. She lives in the Washington, DC area, has a MA in fiction from Johns Hopkins University, once studied with John Irving, and counts fairy tales among her greatest influences. You can find out more about The TAKER at www.almakatsu.com


Review: Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker alternates between the present and the past, in a moving tale about unrequited love and obsession. It takes the lore of the vampire/immortal tale and starts it in Puritan America and flips it on it's ear! One of the writers who read the book said it was 'the thinking person's book, and in many ways it is. The author goes back and forth in time, giving very descriptive passages about the time and places, and she assumes you know history and folk legends. This is not to say you have to know all that, but it makes it an easier read, and really a hugely more enjoyable one. 


I actually took my time reading the book, so I could absorb more of the language and complexities. And even then I finished it in 3 sittings! Katsu's dialogue keeps the book flowing and she ends her chapters with you wanting to get to the next one, to see what will happen next. Some people have complained the book ending was open and abrupt. But I think Katsu planned it that way. She is either going to write a sequel, or more likely, wanted the reader to use their imagination and determined what would happen after the book ended. Course, I think the book is going to be one of the hot sellers for the Fall, so a sequel may evolve after all (I hope!)! Pick this one up for a great story that enthralls you!




**
**




Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Gallery Books via bookblogs.ning, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.

Comments

  1. This book sounds good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Take sounds like a fascinating story! Thanks for the chance to win!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the giveaway being going around the web to win. Love the supernatural.

    Contact Me:
    My e-mail: hernandezcassandra50@yahoo.com

    My blog: Book & Movie Dimension

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds interesting!

    Michele aka MikiHope
    www.mikishope.com
    MikiHope1@Yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment