Starts Well...rapidly goes downhill

The opening scenes are riveting. A mysterious woman arrives at an emergency room. Has she killed someone? A sad hearted doctor...secrets. I was starting to look for a few more books by this author.

Then it turns into 50 Shades of Stupid. A flat and uninteresting foray into what the author, no doubt considers a masterwork of erotica -- but in reality is as interesting as listening to grass grow.

There's very little of the paranormal here -- unless you consider endless trite bodice ripping style paranormal.

Yuck. No,,,yuck squared.

11 people found this helpful

Too dark for my taste

This is only the 2nd book that I gave up on in several yrs of audible membership. Unless you enjoy dark, weird tales including sexual sadism, give this a pass.

10 people found this helpful

Heavy Hearted...

Any additional comments?

It's difficult to rate this book. This was a very heavy read for me.

This dark historical fiction/fantasy introduces us to some very complex and intriguing characters, none of which are very likable. But that's by design. These characters are flawed and I'm impressed with the author's ability to keep me coming back despite some of the way I felt about the characters. I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I disliked all the characters. But Lanny's plight and survival story is compelling and I couldn't stop reading it, even when it made me feel depressed and anxious. Like I said...very compelling, but if you are a very empathetic reader, it can be a heavy read. Maybe it's just the way I related to Lanny... I found it to be a bit depressing, and as an empathetic reader, I felt the sadness in Lanny's obsession with Jonathan.

Alma Katsu is a very talented writer. Her characters were well defined. It's a love story, but not to be confused with historical romance. Love is a funny thing. It's cliche to say, but "the heart wants what the heart wants." Lanny is in love with Jonathan from they time they were children. And Jonathan loves her as best he can, but she knows from the beginning that he may not love her the same way. Even if they live for an eternity... But she never gives up hoping.

I will read The Reckoning, but not just yet. My heart can't take it. I would look forward to other stories from Alma.

**Spoilers**
I would have liked to see a little less of Lanny's "youth" or rather, early years, and more of the last 100 years of her life. We could have seen the character development over that time. It makes me sad that in those years that she didn't grow to accept the relationships that she couldn't change and find love and happiness in the life she made.

I personally believe that love and happiness are part of who we are and we can decide to grow those feelings just as the feelings of sadness, loneliness, and loss can be held obsessively (as in the case of Lanny) to our own detriment. Letting go is not easy, but sometimes you just have to move on. I also think that having Jonathan disappear for 100 years, and have some significant character development happen and just dropped in our laps was a bit of a cheat.

10 people found this helpful

Left wanting something more...

The Taker is a great story. I loved the performance of the reader. And overall the story was very good, well written and so interesting!! I just felt that that we didn't get the complete story. Or maybe it was that we had too many very good stories with none of them ever giving that feeling of satisfaction. Though Katsu certainly has set up a series in the making, and I'm looking forward to more.

8 people found this helpful

Brilliance tainted

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone who loves historical narratives infused with audio pornography.

What was most disappointing about Alma Katsu’s story?

It was a clever narrative, it got me to listen to all three of the trilogy. I kept hoping there would be more substance to the tale but it just kept lingering. Why does a talented author sully their story lines with lurid excruciatingly detailed filth? It's like a comedian who only make people laugh with being vulgar. I'm not a prude, but this series just got worse each book. The end was a spineless disappointment.

Which scene was your favorite?

Only the descriptions of settings. Her ability to contextualize the characters was what kept be listening.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Taker?

All the unnecessary details of the sexual proclivities of the characters. It only weakened any compassion for Lanny. Really? Eroticism and torture lead to love? The entire trilogy could have been reduced to one slightly longer book as each one was a repeat of the last filled with rabbit trails and disappointment.

Any additional comments?

I felt embarrassed that had wasted so many hours and credits listening. The series never had a salient point to it. It had nothing to do with love- it was about obsession.

3 people found this helpful

An exquisite tale

This is an endearing and beautiful tale of mystery and love. How far is too far to go for unrequited love? Lanny knows...I love the details in this book and felt as if i was there watching the story unfold. This is not my typical action packed vampire read and it is also not a simple romance. There is just enough intrigue for the paranormal mind and fiction readers in my opinion to be not an average read. I know I will listen again and complete the trilogy.

5 people found this helpful

A must read!

I was impressed with this audiobook, is beautifully written and contains so many details that makes you feel you are watching everything instead of hearing it.
I was so smitten by this book that I even bought the paperback on Amazon.com just because is a must read ... all over again ... many many times.
I loved the characters, each one of them has a story to tell, there should be more to this story! Can't wait for more!
If you don't know what it is about, is a wonderful tale that talks about deep love, lust, obsession, greed, vanity and so many other things ... it will really leave you wanting more of this story.

4 people found this helpful

this book needs a trigger warning

I didn't care about any of the characters, and there's a lot of nonconsensual sex.

1 person found this helpful

Good story....

I don't normally read romances. I felt the story was interesting however I didn't like all the sex in the book. Laurel Lefkow did a great job on narration.

1 person found this helpful

This is the worst book I have ever listened to

What disappointed you about The Taker?

Absolutely depraved! Rape seems to be the constant theme, yet in a positive way? This book is just bizarre.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

This book will make you sick to your stomach and question the future of literature.

1 person found this helpful