Is alien abduction real? Kyra, a sixteen-year-old girl, has no recollection of her memory after a blinding flash of light. What feels like only a day turns out to be five years.
Title: The Taking
Author: Kimberly Derting
Genres: Fantasy > Sci-Fi > Aliens
Read Format: Kindle Edition
Total Pages: 1,146
Reading Date: 01st April 2025 – 11th April 2025
The reading order – How to Read the Taking Series by Kimberly Derting
- 1 The Taking
- 2 The Replaced
- 3 The Countdown
The Taking
A flash of white light… and then… nothing.
When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed… yet she hasn’t aged a day.
Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.
Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems.
There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?
My thoughts…
Yesterday, 16-year-old Kyra was arguing with her dad about her college decision. This morning, she woke up behind a dumpster with no memory of how she got there. But the most shocking revelation is that five years have passed.
When I first read the book blurb, it grabbed my attention because it seemed so promising. However, the story starts off at a very slow pace, especially in the first part. It focuses heavily on Kyra’s frustration as she tries to come to terms with missing five years of her life, as well as her new feelings for Tyler, her ex-boyfriend’s younger brother.
The second part of the story gradually picks up the pace, with more events unfolding, such as Kyra meeting others like herself. The ending is compelling enough that anyone willing to give the story a second chance will immediately want to dive into the next book to find out what happens next.
I, for one, will definitely continue reading Kyra’s journey. Now that the introductory part is over, I hope the pacing will remain steady and keep the story moving forward.
The Replaced
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?
My thoughts…
If you haven’t read the first book, you won’t miss out on any vital story details because this second book provides plenty of tidbits to fill you in. However, I personally find this constant repetition annoying, as it disrupts the smooth flow of the storytelling and lessens my enjoyment of the book. Maybe it’s just me being overly eager to find out what happens to Kyra next.
Aside from the break-in mission and the twist at the end about the betrayal, the rest of the story feels pretty dull and unengaging. I hope the final book will give us more action and less unnecessary dialogue.
One thing that really confuses me is why they didn’t realize that Agent Truman would also be altered, especially since he was taken and brought back as well. It’s surprising that this didn’t occur to them until the very end! Personally, I’ve been waiting for those who were newly returned to reveal their changes. That said, Kyra’s dad definitely has some serious explaining to do.
The Countdown
Kyra struggles to understand who she is as she races to save the world from complete destruction.
Ever since Kyra was abducted by aliens and then returned to earth, she has known there was something different about her. Now she knows the truth: she is an alien too. Her alien captors replaced all her human DNA with their own, gifting her with supernatural powers like incredible healing, enhanced eyesight, and telekinesis.
But when she’s captured by an unexpected enemy, Kyra begins to wonder if her abilities are also a curse. And is she, as her enemies believe, meant to play some key role in helping an impending alien invasion? Is it programmed into her, something inescapable? Or can she fight that destiny?
No matter what the truth is, Kyra is sure of one thing: She just rescued the love of her life, Tyler, and she is not going to stand by and let anyone hurt him or her friends. Whatever it takes, Kyra will do everything in her power to save the world…even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.
My thoughts…
I found the series somewhat disappointing, particularly the final book. It’s the last book, and I was hoping for a more epic showdown with a display of powers and plenty of action. However, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations in terms of delivering a satisfying conclusion.
I’m still grappling with the villain’s change of heart. After being a thorn in the characters’ sides throughout the story, the sudden shift felt far-fetched and rushed.
If you’re looking for a compelling love story that will tug at your heartstrings, you won’t find it here. While the first book is okay, the second and final book fails to deliver a convincing or emotionally engaging story in that department.
That said, what this series excels at is creating a “running for your life” kind of atmosphere; it’s consistent, and as such, it gives us the thrill of joining Kyra and her current companion.
Anyway, I’m willing to give Kimberly’s next series, The Pledge, a try. I hope it will be better.
