The Taking #2 The Replaced

Presenting The Taking #2 The Replaced by Kimberly Derting.

Here is the summary of the book:

Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

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?

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human.

The typical road story with that abysmal 2nd book syndrome .... Sorry The Replaced was not my most favorite of the series. Didn't really enjoy this as much as I did the first ..... but it did provide some answers. Kyra has found out that she was not the only one taken, there have been more ..... and the 'but' arrives ..... but she is also the only one to have been gone the longest. Making her different from the rest. When Tyler was accidentally exposed to her blood, he ran the risk of death. In a last ditch attempt to save him, she have him to the aliens that took her.

'The Replaced' began sometime after 'The Taking' ended. Kyra is getting used to life in the camp as well as her mysterious powers. But also worried for Tyler. It has been weeks since the aliens had taken him and still there has been no news of his return. The Taking, I loved. It had an intriguing concept and strong characters in Kyra and Tyler. But in 'The Replaced' it felt like back to square one.

Second books usually don't see much action but the heavy duty travelling. While The Replaced proved to be a fast read, it did felt dragging. While we loved the shocks coming our way in a bid to spice up the story and we get some answers but a whole lot more important ones are still left unanswered. Also while Kyra was a strong protagonist, she was still weaker here. She pined & whined for Tyler throughout, understandable. Did feel sorry for her didn't we ..... anybody can go mad in such circumstances but I still didn't care much for her here .....

Of course when the actual action does start, it starts with a bang and goes on nonstop till the end. And somehow they still find a way to establish a triangle ....... but the good & the bad combined this was an ok read. Didn't intrigue or mesmerize like the first book but it was something ..... Here's to hoping Kimberly Derting comes up with a better next book.

"A road trip with its bumps & pitfalls with its revealing revelations"

Genre :     Young Adult, Paranormal, Sci-fi, Romance, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: 28th April, 2014

My Copy: publisher and edelweiss

Rate:             3/5 (Liked It)

Other Books by the Author(review links):

         The Body Finder (series)
         The Pledge (series)
         The Taking #1

Buy:           Amazon | Book Depository