Taken

taken cover (re-release)
Release DateApril 16, 2013
SeriesTaken, book 1

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Buy it now!

Amazon »

Praise for Taken

An action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end. I devoured this in one sitting and might have gnawed a nail or two off from all the excitement. More, please!

Marie Lu, NYT bestselling author of the Legend Trilogy

A suspenseful trek. Readers will eagerly await the next installment.

Kirkus

An action-packed, emotionally charged, plot-twisting adventure. This dystopian has plenty of potential for gripping sequels.

Booklist

A dramatic work that is reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver and will appeal to fans of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games.

School Library Journal

This engrossing debut novel moves at breakneck speed with puzzles to keep readers guessing and an ending that will leave them wanting more.

Shelf Awareness
Trailer
Awards + Recognition
Publishers

U.S. and Canada: HarperTeen
Germany: Piper

Hungary: Delta Vision
Italy: Sperling & Kupfer

Spain: Random House Mondadori/Montena
Turkey: Pegasus Yayinlari

World English rereleased by Bolt Books in 2024