Review of Taken

Rose Nafula Oketch · Post by **Rose Nafula Oketch** » 25 Nov 2023, 04:42

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Taken" by Fiona Jenkins.]

4 out of 5 stars

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A young woman, Sharon, is married to Jerry, and they are blessed with a daughter, Samantha. Jerry seems uncommitted to the marriage, as he spends most nights away drinking and not caring for his small family. Sharon is fed up with his behavior, and their marital relationship is straining. Jerry was filled with great anger upon discovering her intentions and trying to stop Sharon from leaving him, which resulted in him injuring her. Sharon seeks help from the police station, and Jerry is apprehended, but not for long. Sharon and her baby are adjusting to life without Jerry. One day, in the middle of the night, they are abducted by a madman who seems to have prior information and is familiar with their current situation at the moment, which makes his kidnapping very easy. The madman is infatuated with Sharon and her baby and wants to take them as part of his family. He manages to carry and tie Sharon at the back of the van while she is unconscious, and he stays with Samantha on his side of the seat in the van.

He embarks with them on a horrifying journey, with the two helplessly staying the nights with him in different places, like in the cornfield. Taken: A Riveting Novel of Terrifying Psychological Suspense is refreshingly thrilling and intriguing, authored by Fiona Jenkins. Will Sharon be in a position to rescue her baby and herself from the abductor? Find out more from the novel.

The novel was alluring from the start until the end of it. Its pace pursued the plot's urgency based on how the events unfolded in the book. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I could yearn for more of how Sharon would handle the unfortunate situations she and her baby would find themselves in. It was utterly fantastic. I like the vivid description of events and scenes. I find the majority of the scenes and events fast-paced. From Sharon's marriage, I could see things that led to trouble and, eventually, the breakup of the marital relationship between the young spouse. Jerry wasn't committed or content, and he mostly spent the nights drinking with friends, not prioritizing his family. It is an aspect I noticed and liked, as we can deduce a lesson from their marriage. Themes of intimidation, domestic abuse, sexual assault, and lust are well captured in the book.

I did find some things to dislike about the book. Some parts needed to be fully developed, such as the part where Sharon placed the note under the quilt. It needed to be further and fully developed. Fiona Jenkins could have done better by trying to find out and including how Lou could have found the note and how much she contributed to linking authorities to Sharon's rescue from the hands of his brother. I also stumbled across errors that frustrated me and kept slowing my reading pace.

With all that said, I will award Taken 4 out of 5 stars. The few aforementioned minors contributed to pushing me to deduct a star and award it that rating. I am glad that this novel was Fiona Jenkins's first published novel, and its old manuscript rejuvenated her love for writing. I applaud her for her outstanding work of fiction. It was exhilarating reading it. Also, it was well-written, and another round of editing would do better. I recommend it to mature adults and those who love novels with terrifying psychological suspense.

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Taken
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Samuel Falle · Post by **Samuel Falle** » 03 Dec 2023, 17:31

This review appreciated the book and applauded the author for doing a great job in creating it. Based on the pleasant impression the author's writing created, the reviewer also did well in making me want to include the book on my bookshelf.

Laney K · Post by **Laney K** » 11 Dec 2023, 05:59

Your summary had me quite hooked and I strongly believe that I would enjoy this book; I enjoyed physiological thrillers a lot. Thanks for the excellent review!

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 14 Dec 2023, 23:31

Wow this book sounds like a rolleroaster ride, it's right up my alley. It's a shame about all the errors, but you're right an author can learn a lot from their first book. I'm going to add this one to my list. Thanks for the great review.