Review: The Taking

First in a series
By Kimberly Derting
Available now from HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Review copy
Read my interview with Kimberly and my review of The Body Finder

THE TAKING presents a classic sort of sci-fi mystery, the type that might show up in The Twilight Zone or The X-Files. Kyra Agnew argues with her father on the way home from a softball game, gets out of the car, sees a light, and disappears for five years.  When she gets back, she remembers nothing and appears to be the exact same age as when she left.  At first, THE TAKING seems to be about Kyra's difficulties rebuilding a life that has moved on without her.  But Kyra might not be the exact same as when she left, and a suspicious government agent is snooping around.

THE TAKING scratched the same itch for me as Malinda Lo's recent duology ADAPTATION and INHERITANCE.  There's government conspiracies, missing memories, strange new abilities, and possible aliens.  I love this sort of science fiction, where something unexplained has happened and the characters have to figure out the new rules of their universe before they can act effectively.

However, THE TAKING also has the weakness of ADAPTATION: there is a lot of setup.  The payoff is learning what happened to Kyra.  But that knowledge is left for later books in the series.  The events of THE TAKING are interesting, but the book ends without providing answers for the many questions that arise during the story.

Normally, I like at least a little resolution in the first book in a series.  And, to be fair, there is some.  For a moment I thought several characters' fates would be left in the balance, but that is not the case.  However, THE TAKING still worked for me because the atmosphere drew me in so tightly and I am so curious about Kyra's fate. 

I am not thrilled that she's super special even among the people who have disappeared.  I am thrilled that she's an angry teenager who doesn't immediately warm up to her new brother or to her best friend and boyfriend who got together in their shared trauma over Kyra's disappearance.  Kyra's better side comes out around Tyler, her former boyfriend's brother who is now the right age for her.  It veered close to insta-love, but Tyler had an old childhood crush on her and provides Kyra the unquestioning support she needs but isn't getting from anyone else.

I was sucked in by THE TAKING and couldn't put it down once I started.  At the same time, I feel like I can't truly review THE TAKING until I read more and see how all this setup play out.  I have a good feeling though, because THE TAKING is a promising beginning.

Review: The Body Finder

By Kimberly Derting
Available now from HarperTeen (Harper Collins)
Review Copy



One of the great things about young adult books is the fact that they can use the trappings of almost any genre. Yet romantic suspense is rarely represented. I think part of the problem is the darkness Kimberly Derting said she worried about in my interview with her. Romantic suspense, especially if it involves a serial killer, lives and dies by the serial killer. A lame motive can ruin a good story.

Derting knocks it out of the park with her killer, who narrates scenes between chapters. His passages are chilling not only because of Derting's skill in crafting a killer's consciousness, but also because of how empathetic the victims are. In a few brief pages, Derting makes you sorry that a character is going to die. If you like stories like the classic noir THE KILLER INSIDE ME by Jim Thompson, then you'll love Derting's killer.

As for the romantic elements, Jay and Violet are incredibly cute. They're best friends who are clearly into each other (especially to others), but afraid that the other doesn't see them the same way. I love how her friends - Chelsea, Jules, and Claire - react to Jay and Violet's drama, particularly Chelsea's not-always-helpful snarking. The romance and high school scenes add levity and hope to counter the darkness.

Of course, YA can also blend genres. THE BODY FINDER contains paranormal elements as well. Violet is compelled to find murdered bodies, including small animals who were eaten for dinner. (Truly a case of Blessed with Suck.) She can also sense matching echoes that mark the killer, even if the killer is someone who acted in self-defense like her police chief uncle.

As more teen girls die, Violet decides to use her ability to help the police. As others wisely point out, this puts her in danger of attracting the killer herself - or running into other murderers.

Derting combines an interesting premise, an intriguing mystery, and an absorbing romance to good effect in THE BODY FINDER. This is a powerful debut and I expect good things of the sequel.

Interview with Kimberly Derting

Kimberly Derting is the debut author of THE BODY FINDER, which I will review here tomorrow. You might have seen her around the net before, however. She's even been a visitor to IBWB. So read on for the mind behind this excellent new thriller.

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1. Myself, and probably many others, are familiar with your blog, The Road to Publication. How do you feel your blog affected your road to publication?

Since I started my blog after my book was already out on submission to publishers, it was a great tool to begin connecting with potential readers, other bloggers, authors, etc. I love meeting people, and my blog has just become another way for me to make new friends, as well as keeping up with what’s going on in the YA community.



2. Parts of THE BODY FINDER are written through the killer's point of view. What sort of research did you do on serial killers to create such a convincing voice?

Apparently, I’ve unknowingly spent my life studying serial killers because those sections of THE BODY FINDER from the killer’s POV were extremely easy for me to write. I would love to say that I interviewed serial killers from prison, but I didn’t. I just read a lot of books and watched a lot of true crime TV. Plus, the internet is invaluable!

3. In one of your blog posts, you mentioned how your biology degree helped you to be a better writer. Of course, a biology degree implies plans other than becoming an author. What are some other things you're interested in doing with your life?

Wow, very perceptive! You didn’t figure out who the killer was before the end of TBF did you??? I was actually pre-med when I was in school, and had every intention of becoming a doctor. Fortunately, I realized before I actually applied, that I wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to juggle a family and med-school…a realization that saved me a lot of energy and grief. Besides, if I’d been honest with myself way back then, I would have admitted that what I really wanted to do was write!

4. Before selling THE BODY FINDER, you tried to sell a horror novel. Do you think you'll ever rewrite that novel and try again?

Absolutely not! If I have it my way, that book will never, EVER see the light of day again. Let’s just chalk that up to a learning experience about the publishing industry, and more importantly, great practice on what NOT to do!

5. Some parts of THE BODY FINDER are pretty dark. Did you worry about how far you could go in a YA novel? Did you ever have to reel in some of the darkness?

I was actually very worried about that (again, very perceptive!). In fact, when I sent in my first draft, there were far fewer scenes from the killer’s perspective because I really thought that might be too creepy for YA. When my editor came back and said they wanted more, I was thrilled, I LOVED writing the killer’s sections. I know, I know, that just sounds sick and wrong!

6. You knew that you had sold THE BODY FINDER for awhile before you could announce it on the blog. How does it feel to contain such big news? On a semi-related note, anything you can currently share about DESIRES OF THE DEAD without making your editor mad?

It was SOSOSO hard to hold that news in. It was about three months before I could announce it publicly…or what I like to call “forever!” The day I was told I could announce it, I was in New York , but I broke out my laptop and blogged it anyway. It was so great to finally get it out there!!!

As far as Desires, I will tell you that there will definitely be a dead body. Shhh! ;)