The Things They've Taken Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

The Things They’ve Taken 
Author: Katie McElhenney
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description: 

All Lo Campbell wants is to be a normal teenager—to go to one high school, live in one place, and have one real friend. Instead, she travels the country with her mother, chasing the unknown, the “what else” that’s out there…

Until one day, the “what else” chases back.   

Determined to rescue her mom from whatever supernatural being took her, Lo will need more help than a badly dressed demon obsessed with country music. She’s going to need a Tracker—and lucky for her, she finds one. Shaw is strong, good-looking, possibly available, and utterly infuriating. Sure, he may have secrets, and his help costs more than a brand-new car, but she’ll have to deal with him if she wants to find her mother—and get her home alive. 

Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Things-Theyve-Taken-Katie-McElhenney-ebook/dp/B06Y5VV62P 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34851852-the-things-they-ve-taken B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-things-theyve-taken-katie-mcelhenney/1126187626?ean=9781633759749  

The Things They've Taken was just the book I had been looking for and didn't even know it until I started reading. It was instantly full of paranormal mysteries, which is always a huge plus for me. It was honestly a breath of fresh air into a overrun genre that seems to have a lot of the same aspects in most of the titles. Another thing was the fantastic attention to detail and the vivid imagery the author uses to make Lo's world come to life right in front of my eyes. I was sucked into her crazy life immediately - and I didn't come back until I had finished the entire book (the whole thing took only a few hours and one sitting - which is always a great indicator of how much I enjoy the story). Lo's a wonderful main character. She's interesting, smart, a loving daughter, determined, and much more. She's also flawed - never feeling like a normal teen, bouncing around her entire life with her mom, and pretty all over the place at times. Her flaws only made me like her more because she was easy to identify with. I really liked getting to know her throughout the book, and watching her overcome the obstacles in her path was great. 

The plot was quite original and full of paranormal elements that I adored. Right from the start we're introduced to demons - and it only gets better from there. I loved learning about all of these creatures during the story - I wish there could have been more! The ending of the book is a little unfulfilling, so I'm really hoping that this is going to be a series. I would love to get to know Lo better and to head back into her crazy world. One final note I want to make is the writing style. If you've read any of my reviews before, you know that this is a HUGE deal for me and factors in a lot during my reading experience. The author chose to use the first person point of view for the story - and I'm SO happy that she did! It definitely wouldn't have had such a positive impact on me if it had been written any other way. First person POV lets the reader connect much deeper to the narrator (which, in this case, was Lo) and allows them to really get to know the character over the course of the book. Since the story is told from Lo's perspective, we get to see inside her very thoughts, hopes, fears, dreams, and so much more that wouldn't have been possible from another viewpoint. I'm so glad the author wrote the novel this way - it only made me love it all the more. Very highly recommended for fans of YA fiction, fantasy, paranormal, action/adventure and even romance!

Katie McElhenney was born in Philadelphia into a big family of curious kids and patient adults. A voracious reader and unapologetic daydreamer, she knew she wanted to become a writer someday. With the support of an amazing family, great friends, and some truly spectacular teachers she has written short stories, poems, and novels. A solar-powered human, she now lives in Los Angeles and uses the great weather for year-round trips to the beach and long runs (where the best inspiration happens). Find out more about her at katiemcelhenney.com 

And her social media accounts are:   
Website: katiemcelhenney.com 
Facebook: Katie McElhenney 
Instagram: katiemcelhenney  

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