DNF Review: The Taking by Kimberly Derting

This is my very first DNF review. As in I did not finish this book. It isn't the first book that I have started to read but couldn't continue, but it is the first one that I wanted to talk about and explain more about why. You see, I've wanted to read The Taking for a long time. And I really wanted to love it. But I didn't.

I don't know how many pages I read of this book, since it is supposed to be 368 pages in the hardcover. But with the eARC that I read via Edelweiss I got to page 86 of 231. And that was enough for me. Enough to know that I don't want to read more of this book at the moment. But maybe one day in the future.

I don't know how to talk about this book. Hopefully this won't be long, since I did not read the entire book. But I just could not finish it. I could not force myself to read more, as I started to dislike this book a whole lot. I started disliking the writing. As in I did not like it at all. I didn't like the way Kyra was thinking. How she spoke. I did not like the characters in this book.

But I wanted to. I really, really wanted to enjoy The Taking. Because I adore the author, Kimberly. I think she's amazing. And I have loved other books by her. But this one was just not for me. It makes me so sad, but it is what it is. I thought it sounded like an amazing book. With the whole Kyra passing out and then waking up with five years having gone by. But then I started reading. And I hated it. To be honest. Her mom had moved on. Didn't get it. HATED how Kyra was with her new brother. She was not nice.

And her dad moved on as well. And I didn't understand that. At all. The way he was. Sure, I could get it, but I didn't like how Kyra was dealing with it and how she was thinking. Not for me. Especially since for her it had just been one night. While for them all she had been missing for five years, yet she hasn't aged a day. I liked that. But in the 86 pages that I read nothing was being done about it. This book was more focused on the characters. Like the new love interest; there was just way too much insta-love.

Though, the romance hadn't really started. But seriously. Before she was gone, she was in a relationship with Austin. And was going to be with him forever and blah. Then she was gone five years. He moved on. With her best friend. His younger brother is now seventeen and super-hot and nice and has a crush on her. And she crushes on him. The same day. When it had just been a day since she was together with Austin. Sure, it had been five years for him, but only hours for her. And I just did not get it. At all.

Anyway! I ended up saying too much. Again. But now it is enough. I did not like what I read about this book. And I'm sorry. But not sorry enough to try reading more of it. Maybe after my hardcover arrives. Probably. But I'm not sure I want to. Sigh. This book was just not for me. I'm sorry. I'm not sure if it would be for others either.. but I do know that many will love it, even so. I wish I had. But I didn't and I just had to share my feelings about the pages that I read. I don't regret not reading the rest of it.

DNF

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