The Taker - A Review

The Taker - Alma Katsu (publisher)

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.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

My Thoughts:

Timeless. This is the first word I think of when I think of this book. A love, dare I say, obsession that lasts a lifetime or in this case forever if you're immortal like Lanny is. 

This book brings the reader from current time and takes then back to early 1800's and earlier in some spots. The characters are lush, vivid and the author brought each one of them to life with her writing. I found myself drawn into the story she weaved. Seduced is a good word to describe how I was drawn in. 

Lanny at times could be annoying. I wanted to shake her when she choose to do some of the things she does. Then again love doesn't always come in clear straight lines and is often times messy. I feel the same pull towards Johnathan that all the females in the book seemed to have even thought my brain new better, I wanted to love him as Lanny does. 

Then we've got the Addam's family bunch of Boston. Least that's how I see them in an odd sort of way except only with a twist of deviation. There are no words for how I feel about Adair. I had a wide range of emotions regarding him as the book went on. Yet no matter how I fell about his character, I still feel drawn to him. The other minions were well written too but this book really is all about Lanny, Johnathan and Adair. 

I can't forget about Luke. The doctor in St. Andrew's emergency room the night the police bring Lanny in to be checked out to make sure she was physically okay before they charged her with murder. Luke is drawn to Lanny like Lanny is drawn to Johnathan. He's living a quiet life, grieving over the loss of his family to another man and at least in my mind hiding out in St. Andrew.  He's finds himself inexplicably drawn to Lanny and before he knows what he's doing he's helped her escape and running off with her. I'm intrigued to see how he plays into future books and curious to see how this character develops. 

In short I found The Taker to be a captivating Gothic tale and I can't wait to read book two!


I should note the book did contain adult themes.

Author's Website: Alma Katsu