Review: The Taker by Alma Katsu

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 438

Received: Borrowed from library

Release Date: September 6, 2011
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Goodreads 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 Review:

I don't even know how to review this book, it was just that amazing. I almost have no words. This was a book that as I read (with other things needing to get done as well) I kept saying to myself, "Just one more chapter, just one more..." And before I knew it I was done the book. I definitely got that sadness (and almost turned the book over to start it again).

It is a difficult process to bring supernatural and historical together in a novel but Alma did an amazing job. With what happens to Lanny there is so much to the story, and I really enjoyed the other characters introduced. You also get some of their history as well. This book spans across a large amount of time, but Alma does it in a way that is easy to follow.

Alma's writing is absolutely beautiful and she definitely takes her readers on an unexpected journey in this story. This book was impossible to put down because you want to continue the story and find out what happened to Lanny to bring her to where she is. I found I was disappointed when I came to a chapter that brought me back to the present, at times it felt like an interruption to the story rather than adding to it.

The characters were interesting. I wasn't the biggest fan of Luke, I felt he was just there for someone to hear Lanny's story. But the characters around Lanny as she grew up were definitely interesting people with a lot of heart to them. I continually found myself drawn to Jonathan, and wanted to know more about him.

This book is definitely not a light read (which I thought it was when I picked it up). Be forewarned there are a lot of sexual escapades throughout that will definitely be disturbing to some readers. I found myself disturbed by some of the things Lanny went through, but I was still enthralled by the story.

I'm interested to see what Alma does next. I felt that this story ended perfectly and am not sure how she will continue this as a series, but will definitely read on to see where the story goes next.