Sabina's Adventures In Reading: Release Day Review: The Taken by Julieanne Lynch

Today is The Day!! Julieanne Lynch is releasing her new book The Taken.

HAPPY RELEASE DAY JULIEANNE!!!

Hope you will have a wonderful day!!!

Loralee and her mother are moving from Boston to the little snoozy small town Cherry Shore Creek in the hopes of getting away from all the memories regarding Loralee’s dead father. Instead, Loralee finds herself dragged to the brink of her sanity, questioning not only the town’s past, but her own as well. Will Loralee figure out the truth before the creepy old town’s haunted mansion takes her soul, and the rest of the town’s inhabitant souls as well?

As always, reading a book written by Julieanne is a delight. You’re not aware that you’re turning the pages, and the story flows very well, delivering plots and twists that surprises you. I liked The Taken, there were definitely elements in there that I didn’t see coming, and I was surprised more than once. I liked the back and forth between Hunter and Loralee, the teenage hormones playing tricks on Loralee. But at least she’s got one at her back since nobody else will believe her, although to be fair, neither did Hunter at one point.

Loralee’s relationship wither mother is twisted and complicated. As most relationships between a mother and her teenage daughter, there are fights and the whole; “I hate you, you don’t understand me at all, you’re stupid”, are of course a part of their arguments. But there are more lying between them; secrets from her ancestors, misunderstandings and grief. All of it straining on their frail relationship.

The haunted mansion was a very nice touch, I liked how Julieanne portrayed it; the evil in there, the small children trapped, the despair, anger and all the devils minions.

However…. As much as I liked the story, and it was a page turner, it didn’t quite make it for me. There were so many wonderful things in The Taken, but somehow, when closing the book, I didn’t have the need to know more, not wanting to re-read it, or read more of Hunter and Loralee, or her past and their future. I can’t explain it, can’t put words on it, it was just a feeling. Don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful written, and I both laughed and snorted and shook my head several times, but it didn’t catch me, didn’t get under my skin. Which is alright. Not every book has to be an emotional roller coast. *smiles* The Taken is still an amazing testimony to what Julieanne is capable of as an author, and I’m looking forward to read more from her.

When Loralee Quinn moves to the small town of Cherry Shore Creek after the death of her father, she isn't quite prepared for the events which soon take place. Battling school bullies, a tempestuous relationship with her mother, and her own deep rooted insecurities, she falls prey to a curse long forgotten.

An entity soon settles deep within Loralee's mind, feeding on her grief, and destroying her from the inside. In order to overcome the nightmare that soon becomes her life, she has to piece together the puzzle, and unlock the secrets keeping her trapped in her own living hell.

As the tapestry of her life unravels, Loralee soon realizes she is the very key to setting herself and the souls of the taken free.

Julieanne also writes under the pen name J.A. Lynch.

Shy and reserved Julieanne Lynch is an author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland, with her husband and five children, where she works on her Shadows World novels and other series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths, a rock star being one of them. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University, and considered journalism as a career path. However, she decided writing was the way for her and is thankful for each day she lives her dream.

An avid reader, Julieanne has always had an encompassing fascination with folklore. When not writing, she enjoys crime series such as Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS and Cold Case, and loves anything with Vampires, listening to metal, meeting new people, drinking lots of green tea, and sharing her dreams with her children. She is a self-professed goth wanna-be,and is happy when left to write into the early hours of the morning.

Julieanne's YA series, the Shadow World novels, is published by Vamptasy Publishing and thus far contains Within the Shadows & Escaping Shadows, the third installment, Fighting Shadows is being written. It follows the war between vampires and shadow creatures. Giselle Bergman, an 18-year old human girl, falls victim to a scheme by one of her closest childhood friends, and embarks on a journey that sees her become the center of a battle between good and evil.