This review was first posted on Ruby's Reads. 
 Okay, confession: When I first found Taken on Goodreads I thought it was the sophomore novel by the author of Plain Kate. My bad! It's actually the debut of a talented new author, one with surprising vision and delightful skill as a writer. While Taken won't make my list of top books this April, it was plenty enjoyable and a quick read with lots of positive elements. 
 Chief among Taken's attributes are the characters. Gray, the main character, is smart, brave, vulnerable and annoying all at once. His two love interests (yes, two) are both equally three-dimensional. Unfortunately, even though two interesting romantic leads should be a good thing, I'd made my choice about who I wanted Gray to be with before I even met the alternative. And even though the love triangle doesn't really come into fruition until the last part of the book, it became the worst kind of love triangle when it did, meaning that I ended the book on a sour note. 
 While the love triangle didn't really work for me, there were other elements to appreciate. The world-building is interesting, though it was reminiscent of another other book I couldn't place. Or maybe I just experienced book-long deja vu. Bowman doesn't believe in letting the grass grow underneath her plot or characters. Secrets are shared and problems are solved with a straight-forwardness that speeds you through the book. 
 I enjoyed Taken even though I had issues with it, the love triangle being the primary one. If the love triangle lasts long into the series, I'll probably stop reading. I find it difficult to respect an MC who fools around with one love interest when he knows he still has feelings for another girl. Taking both the flaws and attributes into account, Taken lacked whatever it is that makes a book special for me.