The Taker by Alma Katsu
(The Taker #1)
Arrow Books (Sept 2011)
Paperback, 436 pages
Paranormal Romance
The Taker is an historical paranormal romance that is mostly from the memory of the main protagonist, Lanore McIlvrae (Lanny). The writing is beautiful and reminded me of my old English teacher who had an ability to read effortlessly with words rolling off her tongue, instantly capturing your attention and retaining it for the whole lesson, but just like school the idea of going was unappealing and once I put The Taker down I struggled to pick it back up again.
The Taker is an immortal love story which focuses on the problem with infatuation, blinded by desire and doing anything to obtain the affections of the person you admire rather than picking someone who brings out the best in you.
I’ve always wanted him to love me the way I loved him. He did love me, I know he did. Just not the way I wanted him to.
“And it’s not so different for a lot of people I’ve known. One partner doesn’t love the other to stop drinking, or gambling, or running around with other women. One is the giver and one is the taker. The giver wishes the taker would stop.”
“But the taker never changes,” Luke says, though he wonders if this is always the case.
“Sometimes the giver has to let go, but sometimes you don’t. You can’t.”
The Taker starts in the present with Lanny being arrested by the local sheriff and taken to the hospital to be checked over. The on duty Doctor, Luke Findley, feels an instant attraction to Lanny and decides to help her escape. Lanny then shares her life exeriences to Luke and the reason she returned to Maine.
We are then taken through Lanny’s history and memories, starting with the man she loves and desires, Jonathan St Andrew, the son of a wealthy business man and an extremely attractive individual. Lanny takes us on a breathtaking journey spanning two centuries as her love for Jonathan never diminishes, despite never really being his, and how she was prepared to do anything for his affection. Lanny does come across as shallow, as although she has a good friendship with Jonathan the only thing she ever seems to like about him is his looks.
You might ask if I loved Jonathan for his beauty, and I would answer: that is a pointless question, for his great, uncommon beauty was an irreducible part of the whole. It gave him his quiet confidence-which some might have called aloof arrogance-and his easy, disarming way with the fairer sex. And if his beauty drew my eye from the first, I’ll not apologize for it, nor will I apologize for my desire to claim Jonathan for my own.
Lanny, infatuated with Jonathan, gets pregnant and is sent away to Boston to have her baby in secret. We travel with Lanny from Maine to Boston. Lanny refuses to go to the convent and runs away, finding herself in Adair’s home. Adair is a wealthy foreign count who saves Lanny from an infection that would have killed her by giving her an alchemy elixir that makes her immortal. With a special incantation given with the elixir only Adair can harm or kill Lanny and she becomes subject to his rules. Scared and under Adair’s orders, Lanny returns to Maine to bring Jonathan to Boston, as Adair is intrigued wanting Jonathan to join his minions.
The Taker is divided into four parts, Maine, Boston, Adair’s history and the present day. As the story unfolds there are unpredictable twists as Lanny seeks to protect Jonathan and herself from Adair. Lanny discovering Adair’s secrets plots a way to escape his dominion before it become too late. Although the history and experiences Lanny shares are interesting and thought provoking, The Taker lacks excitement. It was the lack of excitement that caused me to procrastinate reading of this book.
VERDICT:
The Taker is beautifully written, the story flows easily and is wonderfully captivating. The problem comes when the book is closed, it’s hard to pick back up, and although it is well written and is interesting it lacked excitement. With the historical part of Lanny’s life concluded I hope The Reckoning will add the excitement The Taker lacked.
RATING: 
ALMA KATSU ONLINE
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER
- The Taker
- The Reckoning
- The Descent
BUY YOUR COPY
4 Comments
It does sound a bit of a drag. Books that are a reflection back the way can be stifled with the fact you want it to hurry up so that you can get back to the present, or at least the interesting bits.
Great Review, Becs. Think I might pass on this one
Reply
Thanks Gemma, I couldn’t fathom my feelings on this one.
Reply
Sometimes you get books like that. You didn’t dislike it but you didn’t like it either.
Reply
Definitely one of those x
Reply