ARC Review: The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting @kimberlyderting @harperteen

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. 

Title: The Replaced (The Taking #2)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Brooke's Review:

I want to thank Harper Teen for supplying me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

I absolutely adored The Taking. The characters, the plot, the everything. And then, when it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, I had to have the next book. So jumping into this one was no effort at all. If you haven't read the first book in the series, STOP HERE! This review will contain spoilers for that book! So turn around, go back to the first book and READ IT!

This book picks right back up where the first left off. Kyra has lost her father and Tyler. And now she's part of the rebel crew trying to outwit and outrun the NSA. You can imagine this does not come easy.

Kyra remains the tough as nails girl we knew in the first book. She's intent of finding Tyler. Her life since she was returned has been filled with much heartache. so losing him was the icing on the cake. She spends much of the book wondering where he is and how things will be when they are reunited. I don't see her change much in this book until the very end. But I won't get into that too much because I don't want to spoil things. One thing she works on during this book is honing her power. It's something that could be of great use if she just knew how to control it.

We get to know Simon a bit better in this book. We see where he has come from and learn a bit about his background. We also see him develop a strong pull to Kyra. Since Tyler is not in the picture Kyra feels the pull back. But she squashes it because all she wants is Tyler.

The pacing of this book was a bit slow for me. I was not as riveted as I was in the first book. There is less action, more development of characters and relationships. We also meet a bunch of new characters, which gave the book a more interesting feel. And, of course, there are traitors in the mist, which Kyra and her crew don't figure out until very close the end of the book.

There is a big twist in the plot of this book, about who Kyra actually is, which explains the title. But you'll just have to read it to find out exactly what I mean.

I didn't love this book as much as the first for sure. I was missing characters and, while I was happy to meet new people, I still wanted to see some of the old ones from the first book. Some did eventually appear, but it's not until later in the book and I really would have liked to see it earlier.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the next one!

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins), THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.