One of the problematic issues with series is the wait between books. After a year (heck, even after two or three months), the finer details of a story begin to escape most readers. In Frozen, I made a deliberate decision to not spend too much time summarizing the events of Taken. Being in first person, excessive recapping felt forced and unnatural to Gray’s narration.
That said, I wanted to take a few minutes to recap the events of Taken here on the blog. If you have plans to read Frozen but did not have time to re-read Taken in recent weeks, you might find this info useful. I‘ve peeked at a few early Frozen reviews (bad Erin!) and while many are positive, the biggest complaint is in regards to confusion in the opening pages, and readers feeling they lacked certain details from Taken necessary to be immediately immersed in Frozen.
BUT PLEASE BE WARNED
The rest of this post contains MAJOR spoilers for Taken. If you choose to continue reading, every last twist and turn in Taken will be spoiled for you.
Got that? ALL THE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Proceed with caution.
If you’re reading via rss reader, this is your final warning. If you’re on my actual website, scroll down and click to view the recap.
……………………..
…………….
………..
…….
…..
…
.
.
.
.
.
[toggle_box]
[toggle_item title=”I understand there will spoilers. Show me the recap anyway!”]
Key characters
Gray, Blaine, and Owen Weathersby: Gray is the protagonist, Blaine is his twin, and Owen is their father, a Rebel captain representing Group C/Claysoot, who the boys are reunited with in Crevice Valley. All three grew up in and were Heisted from Claysoot (except for Gray, who climbed the Wall).
Dimitri Octavius Frank: Dictator of AmEast, leader of the Franconian Order, and man responsible for the Laicos Project.
Ryder Phoenix: Leader of the Rebels, a group of Laicos Project survivors and AmEast citizens all working in opposition of Frank from Crevice Valley. Ryder is also from Claysoot.
Harvey Maldoon: Brilliant scientist and geneticist who originally worked for Frank and created the first Forgeries. After growing conflicted with his work, he joined the Rebels, working as their Head of Technology.
Clayton “Clipper” Jones: A young and gifted boy working as Harvey’s protege in Crevice Valley.
Brianna Nox: A skilled fighter from Saltwater, now working with the Rebels, who showed Gray the ropes when he first arrived in Crevice Valley.
Emma Link: A gifted medic from Claysoot who followed Gray over the Wall.
Maude and Bo Chilton: Maude is the oldest resident of Claysoot, and serves as their Council Head in Claysoot. Her brother, Bo, was Heisted years earlier and eventually comes to join the Rebels.
Elijah Brewster: Ryder’s first partner in establishing the Rebels. Elijah is also a captain, representing the citizens of AmEast.
Marco: Frank’s right-hand man and most loyal supporter within the Franconian Order.
Kale: Gray’s niece, Blaine’s daughter.
Key locations
Claysoot: Gray’s hometown surrounded by the Wall. Also known as Group C, one of five test groups in the Laicos Project.
AmEast/AmWest: Simply put: the East and the West, two countries that arose after the Second Civil War.
Taem: Domed city and capital of AmEast. Frank runs his operations from Union Central, a massive military facility within Taem.
Crevice Valley: Rebel Headquarters, located near Mount Martyr within the forests beyond Taem.
Group A: A Laicos Project test group located in AmEast’s western territory, just east of the AmEast/AmWest border.
How Taken concludes
While at Crevice Valley, Gray learns the truth behind the Laicos Project. Frank is responsible, not Harvey. The Rebels also learn that Frank is tiring of Rebel antics and is preparing a strike on their Headquarters.
Gray (pretending to be Blaine), Bree, and Harvey head to Taem in hopes of securing a vaccine that will protect the Rebels. Gray and Harvey are brought to Union Central, where Harvey is secured in a guarded room to await execution. While waiting for Bree to stage a diversion, Gray visits Emma, where he is devastated to learn that she has begun a relationship with another boy.
Bree overrides Union Central’s alarm system, providing a diversion for Gray and Harvey. While Order members panic, Gray breaks Harvey from his room and the two visit the labs where Harvey once worked. A Rebel spy, Christie, helps them gain access to the vaccine. On the way back to Harvey’s room, Marco informs Gray that Harvey’s execution has been moved up and that Gray will do the honors.
In Taem’s public square, crowds have gathered to watch the execution. Before Gray is forced to shoot Harvey, a bullet strikes Gray. He falls, and the square goes up in flames. Harvey is killed by crossfire, but Gray is saved by Bozo, the crazed man he once shared a cell with who is revealed to be Bo Chilton, of Claysoot. Bo brings Gray back to Union Central, where they meet up with Bree and Emma.
While trying to escape, the group ducks into a room to avoid some Order members. Here they find dozens of screens relaying footage from the Laicos Project’s various test groups. Gray notices that the images in Group A–which is supposedly extinct–contain suspiciously human movements. Leaving the room, Bree is shot by an Order member. Gray carries her to a car. Bo drives, and Emma tends to Bree’s injuries.
Safely back at Crevice Valley, Gray is reunited with his father and Blaine. Unable to repair things with Emma, he drifts closer to Bree. The Rebels decide to investigate Group A. The story ends with Gray and a team of Rebels heading west with the hopes they will find survivors to help their cause.
Where everyone is at the end of Taken, according to Gray
Gray, Owen, Bree, Emma, Clipper, and Bo… are heading west to Group A, along with a few other Rebels.
Blaine, Ryder, Elijah, and the other captains… are staying behind at Crevice Valley.
Frank and Marco… are in Taem.
Harvey… was killed by crossfire in Taem.
Maude, Kale, and many other Laicos Project victims… are still trapped in their respective communities.[/toggle_item]
[/toggle_box]
—
So that’s the recap. If you didn’t have time to re-read Taken, hopefully it has you all caught up and ready for next week.
On that note, don’t forget that you can still get free swag for preordering a copy of Frozen by 4/14. Plus, every preorder also qualifies you to win a bundle of books, one of which is an annotated (by me!) ARC of Frozen. Details and entry form here.
