The Replaced
by Kimberly Derting
♦publisher: HarperTeen
♦release date: April 28th, 2015
♦hardcover, 368 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: The Taking, book 2
review of book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review
Kyra hasn't been the
same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance.
Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others
who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler,
the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her
group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the
hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the
Returned, Kyra knows it's a risk to go after him. What if it's a trap?
And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn't the same boy she lost?
Review: While I have a feeling I’ll be one of the few to read this book, because I know I was one of the few who really enjoyed The Taking, I admit I had a harder time with this second installment. After the way book one ended, with Kyra’s boyfriend and father disappearing and her finding her way to a camp of others like her---other Returned---I guess the natural way for the story to progress would be the action-packed run from the government agents and the suspenseful search for her missing loved ones. It was good in that sense. Excitement, danger, and some great new characters that she meets in the camp keep the plot rolling.
However, I found it lacking a lot of what I loved about book one. Kyra’s angst and immaturity that I was able to accept before as being a pretty realistic reaction of a girl thrown suddenly into a difficult and crazy situation was just too much this time around. There was a fair bit of whining and jealousy and sulking that seemed out of place in such intense situations. Still, it’s not completely unfounded, as Kyra discovers she doesn’t quite fit in, even with others that have been abducted and returned. There's an interesting dilemma where she is faced with figuring out what being human means to her. And I'm not usually one to complain about a love triangle, but I didn't like the one building here.
sStill, a few really sweet moments and a good surprise twist or two pulled this one back to a decent read for me. I’m undecided yet whether or not I’m curious enough about how it ends to pick up the third book next year, but I fairly enjoyed this second book!
Purchase The Replaced: BookDepository • Indiebound • Amazon
