First Impressions: Last year, I requested to review The Taker by Alma Katsu, a novel I didn't hear much about, but I was intrigued by the book synopsis and let's face it, I like to read books other people seem to pass by. When I sat down to read The Taker, I was completely blown away and I have read it several times since. Each time I read Alma's book, I find something new that I didn't notice before. Details are everything, folks! And Alma knows how to write a darn good story. Without any hesitation, Mrs. Katsu is my favorite modern day writer, right up at the top of my list with Anne Rice. For those who have read The Taker and have read any books written by Anne Rice, can you imagine just for a second what these two authors could do if they collaborated? Someone needs to make that happen stat!
For the people who have not yet read The Taker, I'm going to be quite frank. Read it. You will love it. The debut author who thanked me graciously for taking my time to read her book and for giving her book a voice on my blog, is now a bestselling author on Amazon! Good things come to good people! I foresee things only becoming bigger and brighter for Alma, especially with the release of The Reckoning, the second book in The Taker Trilogy.
I dare say I was thrilled and beyond enthusiastic to read and review The Reckoning.
First 50 Pages: In my original review of The Taker, I mentioned that I felt like I was reading an Anne Rice novel (but without all of the vampires) and that Alma's writing style is exquisite. The same holds true for how well done The Reckoning was written. It has an effortless (although, I'm sure it wasn't!) and easy, yet complex, multi-dimensional ring to it. One of the finer points of Alma's writing is how she handles the details in the imagery used. It is so easy to becoming completely immersed in her writing and subsequently, her characters. Once again, I found myself unable to put this book back down once I started to read it.
Characters & Plot: Let's recap The Taker a bit, shall we? In The Taker, we meet a woman named Lanore. In the beginning of the story she is a murderer who doesn't attempt to hide the fact that she killed someone. Before the police take her in for booking, Lanore is taken into a hospital where she meets a doctor named Luke Findley. Luke is intrigued by Lanore, I dare say he is hypnotized by her, and Lanore begins to weave together her tale of heartbreak that expands more than 200 years. Lanore happens to be immortal, at least partially. She could be killed by her maker, Adair. The man that Lanore killed was Jonathan, her lover and who was also made immortal by her hand.
Through the span of time, Lanore tried her hardest to receive Jonathan's love, but it was met with resistance and it never fully bloomed. As Lanore tells her tale of how she and Jonathan came to be immortal, Luke risks everything he has to help Lanore escape imprisonment and agrees to take her over the border into Canada. Along the way, all of Lanore's secrets continue to pour out. We learn how she loved Jonathan as a child while growing up in a puritan village and how she never, ever gave up on him loving her back. We learn how Adair mistreated her and physically and sexually abused her during her time in Boston, how he gave her the gift (or curse) of immortality, and how and why Lanore bestowed the same upon Jonathan. In a nutshell, The Taker was not only a cautionary tale of how love can consume a person in the worst possible way, but it was also about the taking and receiving of love. I also mentioned this point in my original review of The Taker, how that book shows how people can easily give their love, while some people don't know how to give their love, so they take it instead. The Taker has this theme running through it constantly and it is proven again and again.
Adair's backstory is also included, which makes The Taker span even more centuries of time and is equally as fascinating. I hesitate to call him evil, but he is quite the mastermind of chaos and control. Lanore has him imprisoned inside of a wall of his home, but we all know that isn't going to last forever.
At the end of The Taker, Lanore and Jonathan escape over the border into Canada, which brings us now to the second book, The Reckoning. There is a small gap of time between the novels and we meet Lanore and Luke this time around in London. The loss of Jonathan still pains Lanore and there will forever be empty space in her heart that can never be filled. Lanore recounts what happened after her and Luke crossed the US/Canadian border and to help her start off her new life with a fresh slate, Lanore donates many of her belongings to a museum.
While Lanore and Luke visit the exhibit at the museum, something is stirring deep within the walls of Adair's home where Lanore has held him captive for 200 years. Without Lanore knowing and having the time to move Adair, the home is demolished and Adair is again a free monster in human form that will do everything possible to track down Lanore. When Adair is released of his imprisonment, Lanore can tell immediately that something isn't right. Fearing the worst (understandably), Lanore leaves Luke to keep him safe from whatever wrath and revenge Adair has planned and she seeks out acquaintances from her past. Unfortunately for Lanore, that probably wasn't the wisest of choices. Realizing that she can no longer run and hide from Adair, she is forced to accept her fate and do her best to face him head on.
But Adair has his own wicked plans in the works and he adjusts to modern day life fairly well. While he is still as menacing as ever, The Reckoning shows a slightly softer side of Adair. I still don't like him and I don't think I ever will, especially after he performs a spell that tears Lanore's heart apart. Even more of Adair's past is revealed in The Reckoning and parts of it almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost.
Lanore is a much more likable character in The Reckoning. While I did adore her character, I know that some of my friends thought she was needy and relentless in her pursuit of Jonathan's affections, which turned them off. But in my opinion, that was sort of the whole point of the first novel, to show how one person can give so much, while the other does nothing but take and take. I do think that Lanore comes across as a much stronger and capable female protagonist in The Reckoning then what she did in The Taker. Plus, when she is around Luke her lover, the best in her truly shines through. Will she ever love Luke like she loved Jonathan? Probably not, but at least her love is reciprocated back.
Final Thoughts: The Reckoning was an excellent middle book in The Taker Trilogy and I will be eagerly awaiting the third and final tale! While The Reckoning is notably shorter in length, it was just as captivating and fabulously written as the first book. I love how Alma stripped down all of the fancy aspects of immortality and weaved an extremely creative tale without the need for vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the dark. Brilliantly done, The Reckoning is a book you won't want to miss!
