Review: The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting

The Replaced

Author: Kimberly Derting

Series: The Taking

Pages: 368

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release date: 28^th April 2015

Amazon

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

Kyra hasn't been the same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance. Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler, the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the Returned, Kyra knows it's a risk to go after him. What if it's a trap? And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn't the same boy she lost? 

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human.

Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Contains spoilers from the first book.

The Replaced is a book I have been eager to read after the ending we were left with in The Taking; I have always found the concept intriguing and things are now becoming really exciting.

The Replaced is the second book in The Taking series by Kimberly Derting and begins where there first book ended. Kyra Agnew is now forced to hide out with others that are just like her, the Replaced and are on the run from the NSA but her sole focus is to still locate her boyfriend Tyler and her father.

The book started off extremely slowly for me, I don’t feel there was a lot happening plot wise; we get the random run-in with the No-Suchers’s Daylight Division which involved some great action sequences but otherwise it seemed there was more plotting and planning rather than acting.

I did like the change of scenery and learning about Griffin, she was a hard ass and her past really interested me. The other side characters also played a pivotal role in the overall story. We get a few surprising twists and turns as well as a shock betrayal I didn’t expect.

The romance isn’t at the forefront of the story and I am not sure in which direction the author will take it as we now have Simon thrown into the Kyra/Tyler mix. I definitely have my hopes on Simon, his protective nature and understanding really endeared me to him as did his persistence. There was a bit of a twist with Tyler so I am keen to see how it all comes together.

Kimberly Derting’s writing is engaging and highly entertaining; I thoroughly enjoy the dialogue and interactions between the characters.

Overall, The Replaced did feel like a filler book to me unfortunately; it was entertaining and has ended in a place that makes me more than eager to get hold of the next book.

Thank-you kindly to HarperTeen for the opportunity to read and review The Replaced by Kimberly Derting.