Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>The Things They've Taken</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>The Things They've Taken</i> by Katie McElhenney offers a unique blend of fantasy, adventure, and young adult drama. It follows the journey of Lo, a girl whose mother has been taken by a supernatural force. To rescue her, Lo teams up with a mysterious and brooding guide named Shaw. They venture into a strange and dangerous world filled with magical creatures and perilous challenges.

<h4>The Details</h4>

McElhenney's world-building is one of the novel's strengths. The otherworldly landscapes are vividly described, making it easy for readers to immerse themselves in the fantasy setting. The narrative is paced well, with plenty of action and suspense to keep the story moving forward. The premise of a rescue mission in a mystical realm is intriguing, and there are moments of genuine tension and excitement.

However, the novel is not without its flaws. While the plot is engaging, it sometimes feels formulaic, relying on well-worn tropes of the genre. The character development, particularly for the protagonist Lo, is somewhat lacking. Lo's motivations are clear, but her growth throughout the story feels limited. Her relationship with Shaw, while central to the plot, lacks depth and nuance. The dialogue can also be stilted at times, which detracts from the overall emotional impact of the story.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>The Things They've Taken</i> is a solid read for fans of young adult fantasy, especially those who enjoy quest-driven narratives with a touch of romance. However, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of some of its contemporaries in the genre. It’s an enjoyable entry into the world of YA fantasy adventures.

Loss and Helplessness Must Not Take Over

This looked like a very interesting read I immediately wanted to know everything about Lo and that cover! What a beauty. Sadly, there was little to no resolution/ story development by the end. I was so upset/ disappointed by this. Based on the way the book ended it seemed as though we were going to get another…Unfortunately since this title came out in 2017, I don’t believe we will. Which is possibly the saddest thing ever. There was so much potential with this story. The paranormal characters were fun to get to know. The various demons/ elementals/ elements/ monsters and magic wielders were grand! I really hope we do get the follow up of this story because I’m curious to know more...

What has Lo’s mom been looking for?

Why did that greater demon want with her?

Why has that greater demon been gone for so long?

Does that greater demon really want LO?!

What makes Lo so special?

What’s this about special tracker blood?

What about those stones…who? Knows? What?

How does everyone know each other? With the exception of Lo we aren’t really given the back story of who and what everyone is after… but they all know one and other? So weird(probably due to the fact it wasn’t explained.)

What does Shaw want?

What was up with that huge-ish twist at the end? <- This question is probably the most frustrating because it really didn’t feel like it would impact the story. Lo grew to care for Shaw and I’m certain she would do whatever she could to help him.

What’s up with Mange(Shaw’s dog) is it really his sister?
LOL, I tend to take flights of fancy ha, ha. Seriously, his dog is not normal there is something special about him/her lol. 😉 I would like to know what.

There were moments of adventure and quests completed but soooooo many unanswered questions. As the book stands, I have to give it 2.5 stars I recommend it if you are looking to meet some fun paranormal characters just don’t expect any progression/ resolution.

An entertaining enough YA urban fantasy that doesn't entirely hit the mark.

The description of this book makes it sound as if heroine Dolores "Lo" Campbell and her mother are supernatural hunters or experts or something, with Lo working on her own after her mother gets nabbed. But here, instead, is an actual summary: Lo's neglectful, airy-fairy mother, constantly latching onto various new-agey fads, delves into black magic/devil worship type stuff and gets taken by a demon. Lo, who has a strong personality but knows next to nuthin' about nuthin' , decides to plunge headlong into an (admittedly pretty interesting) supernatural underworld in order to find her.

Expectations properly managed, I will now go on. As I said, the supernatural underworld McElhenney creates here is pretty interesting. I'd have loved to see it more developed, and to see Lo more, I don't know, shocked and surprised by it, since she seems to have always thought before her mother was taken away that the supernatural was a lot of hooey. But unfortunately, Lo does not do very much in this book besides snark at everyone and OBSESS OVER A GUY WHO IS A HUGE JERK.

For here is, indeed, the bulk of the plot: Lo hires a "tracker" (read: really hot teenage boy who is a professional supernatural tracker!) to help her find her mom/the demon who took her mom/someone who can locate the demon who took her mom. (Yeah, that). Lo is instantly smitten, even though tracker, Shaw, is a full-on asshole. His rude behavior is "explained" as the book goes on, but in no way does the explanation constitute an excuse. It is very difficult to enjoy a "will they won't they" romance when one sincerely hopes that "they won't." There was also a twist at the end that was made out to be a bigger deal than it actually was. It just ... didn't seem particularly important or game-changing to me, but all of the characters reacted as if it was.

I would classify this as UF rather than PNR, even though the romance, such as it was, became so prominent. This is because it's a YA, albeit a pretty dark one, and one comes to expect YA fantasy to have some romance as a rule. I just wish that in this case the romance didn't lean so heavily on the bad-boy trope. Girls SO do not need to keep internalizing the idea that being treated like crap is okay so long as the guy is hot.

I'm still rating this book 3 stars, rather than 2, because I sincerely enjoyed the supernatural world-building, the writing, and Lo's snark (when she wasn't pining). If there's a sequel, I will most likely read it.

3.5 stars

Dolores aka Lo has spent her life moving from town to town with her mother who studies various cults/beliefs before getting bored and switching to the next one.
One day Lo returns to their apartment in time to see her mother trapped in a pentagram and then disappear.
Lo will do whatever it takes to find her mother, even if it means paying a moody tracker called Shaw to hunt her down.
What took Lo's mother?
Will Lo find her?

The premise for The Things They've Taken intrigued me, and while it might have gone in a slightly different direction than I was expecting, I enjoyed it.
I liked reading from Lo's point of view. She was relatable and determined to find her mother. I felt a bit sorry for her - Lo didn't have many close friends due to moving around a lot, and had been growing apart from her mother.
The romance wasn't one of my favourites, but I didn't feel that it was rushed.
The plot was interesting and ended in a way I hadn't guessed. I liked that things weren't straight forward and am intrigued to see what happens in the sequel.
I really liked the writing style - it was easy to follow and held my attention.

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

This book was a stunning read from the beginning to the very end. There wasn't a dull or boring moment throughout the entire book, and I was glued to the pages from the start.

Lo Campbell's mother had a long history of trying to find her spiritual self, and it led them all over America. This time, however, something found her. The greater demon snatched Lo's mother right in front of her. Now she needs help to get her mom back.

She's loathe to ask for the help of a tackily dressed demon she knows, but he puts her on to a Tracker named Shaw. He's supposed to be the best, and he sure charges accordingly. He's a grumpy man of few words, but he swears he can find her mother. She just has to insist on coming along.

The Things They've Taken is an interesting YA supernatural road trip novel, and the start of a series. It's got a lot of the standard up and down dramatic romance bits much of the genre has, but the supernatural action is fairly fast paced and interesting. I think I'll stick around for the next one, and if YA is your thing, give it a try.

Not an altogether bad book. it had a sort of Supernatural/Twilight vibe. THere is some interest to the characters though not a deep connection. I was intrigued by the quest elements, standard though they may be: objects to find, obstacles to overcome, shady alliances and deals to achieve an end. My complaint is that it assumes an understanding of supernatural beings that the average reader won't have. A touch more explanation would work wonders.

ARC provided for an honest review.
A fun read, but not my cup of tea. The hero felt too forced, and was the epitome of negative stereotypes which heroes always seem to follow in YA novels.

4.5 Stars

'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!

I really liked this book! I always read reviews before if any and I was surprised by some of what people said. I enjoyed this book all the way through! It was almost a read in one setting book for me!

Argh, so on the fence about this book. On the one hand, The Things They've Taken has a lot going for it. It's equal parts creepy and humorous, the characters are well fleshed out, and the story itself will keep you reading on well into the night! On the other hand, I'm not a fan of instalove or characters who are overly indecisive. So, again, on the fence! Let me try to break it down for you.

This story starts off at a manic pace, as Lo sets out on her mission to save her mother. I was riveted as she navigated the world of the demons, and learned how to bargain with these terrifying beings. McElhenney does an excellent job of building up the tension and anxiety, even from the beginning, to a point where you're just as worried as Lo is. After all, it's her mom who is missing and she has no idea how to get her back. That in itself is a terrifying thought.

Now let's talk instalove. I know that there are plenty of readers out there who don't mind it, and so I'm here to tell you that this book is definitely well worth your time! Unfortunately, I'm the type of reader who can't stand characters who whine and pine, as I like to call it. So I was a little disappointed that Dolores went that route. She starts out as this amazing character who is tons stronger and I would ever be, in her situation. Then Shaw enters the picture, and suddenly she's an impulsive, jealous and fairly tough to love character. Why is it that hunky paranormal boys tend to do that to YA girls?

The other issue I had, and this honestly bothered me a bit more than the instalove, was the fact that this book ends without tying up all the loose ends. Admittedly, there's a pretty amazing twist towards the end that I didn't see coming, but I really wanted more closure before the story was over. I suppose this means that there will be more of Dolores' story to come, but it's a little frustrating to be left out in the cold like that. Let's hope this isn't over yet!

For the introduction of some great mythos and a paranormal story that hooked me and kept me reading to the end, I'll happily offer up a three star rating to The Things They've Taken. Fans of paranormal romance novels will love this one, and will be pleasantly surprised at how much action actually happens here! If you're a fan of broody and hunky paranormal boys, then this is the book for you.

I really wanted to like this book. And I did...sort of. But for me, there was too much lacking. The Things They've Taken is the story of a Lo, a teenage girl, whose mom is taken by a demon. Lo hires a tracker and they set off to find her. That is all the summary this book needs, cause not a whole lot else happened.

First off, I felt no connection to her mother who is missing, because we never actually meet her before she is taken. Rather than just telling me what Lo's life was like before her mom went missing, I wish we would have experienced some of it.

Also, there was no real magical world built. Along the way we have demons and other supernatural beings occasionally thrown at us, but we have no idea what kind of supernatural world exists. There was no order to it. It felt like Lo and the Tracker were aimlessly wandering around trying to find her mom for the whole book, without a real sense of what they were doing.

Lastly, there is supposed to be this huge connection going on between Lo and the tracker, and I never felt it. I never cared if they got together or not.

I won't bring up the ending because I wouldn't have a big enough spoiler alert sign for it, but I was super annoyed at the ending too.

Sorry, reading this over, I sound super complainy (not a real word, I know. My computer has big, angry squiglies yelling at me. They are under 'squiglies' too.). I just felt like it had so much more potential and I was super disappointed at the end.

Overall I think I'll be giving it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)

I received this copy from YA Reads through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Let's go :D

*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)

I was surprised at how much I actually like this book. If you have been following my reviews lately, you’ll realize I’m right in the middle of a reading funk where the books have lost a little of their magic. Not The Things They’ve Taken – I felt the magic since chapter one and read the whole thing practically in one sitting <3 BESIDES, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT TWIST IN THE END?!! Seriously, I need to know what happens next! 5 stars *–*

The narrative was first person from Lo’s point of view (and yes, I gave it 5 stars – it was that good). I liked her badass way because while she isn’t over power, she isn’t stupid either. Lo can smell foul play from miles away, but she isn’t perfect – which makes her perfect for me. #what McElhenney writing style also was wonderful: fluid, simple and magical.

I was highly intrigued with this plot from the first moment I read the blurb and I wasn’t disappointed. I had my guesses, but I couldn’t see many of the twists coming and it was sooo refreshing! I was missing a little mystery on my non-mystery books, haha!

Annelise, dear, sometimes you don’t make any sense.

Sorry. Moving on, haha!

I already talked about Lo, so I'm taking this moment to say that I was highly amused by Rshkur, one of the demons. The guy may be dirt, but he's fabulous. I have a weakness for bad and smart guys, what am I doing with my life?!!

The only thing I wasn’t really into on this book was the romance parts, but it could have been worse, so I’ll let it slide, haha!

Now I’m going to shut up and allow the book to tell you why it is so fantastic. THAT’S RIGHT, PEEPS: QUOTE’S TIME! I only have one and a dialogue, because I got so tangled reading that I didn’t want to stop for one single minute, not even to do highlights, ooops!


“To survive in this world, Dolores, knowing your strength is nowhere near as important as knowing your weakness.” – Rashkur


And this killing dialogue, right in the first chapter:


Lo: I’m not old enough to drink alcohol.
Rashkur: Says who?
Lo: Says the state of Kentucky.



*~.Cover Analysis.~*

Well, the first thing that attracted me towards this title was that beautiful cover, haha! I loved the nightly background with the bird made out of water. The fact that the title has a fluid type font made with the water background also made me love it harder and, well, I was sold and requesting it and reading it like crazy, haha! <3

~*~

Overall, if you like YA, urban fantasy and romance, I think you REALLY should give this book a chance <3

Thank you so much for reading this review! Also, thanks so much to YA Reads, the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy =D

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.- Goodreads

Jumping right into things, I would like to say I cannot tell you why I truly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to book two.

The thing about it is the overall story was written well. I loved the concept of someone who knows nothing about the other world is willing to do whatever it takes to get her mother back. But despite that, there are some things that caused the book to drop in rating for me.

Firstly, Lo. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the box and she is constantly blinded by her emotions AND she believes the whole world should be revolving around her mission to save her mother. She was selfish and even at the turning point ending, I still strongly believe she was selfish. Although she is justified for being hurt, her selfishness, her immaturity completely makes things so much worst than what it is.

Secondly, not much really happens in this book. There is a lot of driving, a lot of meeting new people and Lo reminding the tracker she paid him to do a job. Predictability is within this book, however, the author was still able to pull a trick out without being seen. I strongly feel that the author didn't put enough in the book; enough character development, backstory or even romance.

Despite all of this, because I know it is a lot, I want to read book two. I want to know what really is going on. What is the tracker's backstory, what didn't Lo's mom tell her, where is Lo's father... there are so many questions that the author does even touch but they are there and I want those answers.

I liked the story and it moved faster than a book that didn't have a whole bunch going on should. I appreciated that. I know that I gave a lot of negatives to this book but I recommend it because there is a crap load of potential in this series and I am looking forward to its growth.

3 Pickles

If you like starting new trilogies, are okay with slow buildups that leave you with more questions than answers and can handle cliffhangers then you’ll love this book. If you’re one of those that has become so accustomed to the Netflix binge way of life then you’ll need to wait until the whole series is out.

Like most first books in a trilogy this one is all about foundation with very little payoff. You’re getting a story with a slow pace, a skeleton framework in world building and character development along with just enough storyline to give you an idea of where the author is taking you. The one true negative about this book is the romance between the characters which didn’t feel very reality based or like they were even invested in it themselves; almost as if the author is playing with the idea but isn’t sure she’s going to keep that as part of the plot. Could also be she felt compelled to throw it in there since girl meets hot guy and falls for him seems too often be a must need plot device in the YA genre. It’s 2017, why can’t girl just be a strong character who doesn’t need to turn mushy over a guy and suddenly lose her ability to function without him?

There’s a good bit of action, some crazy twists and diversity in characters so you don’t lose interest and aside from the romance entanglement it’s obvious this is going to be an entertaining trilogy. McElhenney definitely leaves you wanting more but I have a feeling because of how little world building is in this book readers will enjoy it more once further books are out.

Lo is on the search for her missing mother, which is why she finds herself at a seedy bar to ask a demon for his help.​ This is just the start of the dangerous, mysterious, and creepy journey that Lo finds herself in, but she is desperate to get her mother back and is willing to do whatever it takes. With the help of a shady tracker named Shaw who took all her money to hire and his shaggy dog Mange, Lo must face darkness to succeed.

​When I saw the cover for this book, I was lured in. I didn't care what it was, I just knew that I had to get my hands on that gorgeous cover. I honestly had no idea what the book was actually about when I started, just a vague notion of a girl trying to find her mother, but otherwise I was in the dark.​ I found out that this book was a crash course in everything supernatural, be it water nymphs and Seers, to the dark and ominous demon hierarchy. Kinda a road trip from hell.

The best part of the story was the way I could never predict what would happen next. I was kept on my toes and always second guessing what I was reading. An arcade game to win a cheap, ugly prize fit for a Madame who owns a den of sexual pleasure? A seer who lives in a nursing home and trades in favors as she sews pills into her quilt? Being licked awake by an ugly tracker demon? Yeah, I had no idea what was coming next and I was so into the crazy journey that I unexpectedly read the book in one sitting.

This is not the complete story, but the first in a series and fair warning, the end does not really wrap anything up. Sure some stuff in answered, but Lo's journey is not at an end. And I for one can't wait to see where she goes next.

I received this title in return for my honest review.
Visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ for more reviews

This book had quite a bit of potential to make it on my favorites list. But just a lot of things happened within the novel that killed it for me. It had a promising start and slowly just went all the way down hill chapter, after chapter. I did very much enjoy the writing style of this book, it was great! It wasn't extremely lyrical or anything super fancy but it was nice enough to pull the story along. What killed this book was the characters, and their weirdness. But anyways, the plot lolol

Plot:
We have our main character, Dolores, who has lost her mother to a demon. Now the Paranormal aspect of this book was AMAZING. I loved it, and there were enough demons and paranormal creatures to save this from being a two star. So Lo, is trying to go on this mission to find her mom because she's freaking out without her. But Lo is a strong character in the first few chapters and she's one of those "don't need no man" characters. Which I love (this doesn't mean I don't like the super girly characters either, and there's nothing wrong with having a strong female character who has some girlish whims.) But it seems like the whole character just changed once the boy named Shaw is introduced. Shaw is the tracker who is supposed to help her find her mom, and he is just Rude. I hate this troupe of jerky bad boy falls in love with a strong female character and turns her into this puddle of love. Like she never showed any signs of being interested in him until one random moment and then he touched her neck or something and she was all wobbly knees and skin tingly. SHE DIDN'T MAINTAIN THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE STORY AND THAT KILLED ME. Don't change for your man jeez. Oh but anyways, they're on this journey to find her mom and umm it was pointless. I'll just say that, it was pointless. THIS WHOLE BOOK IS POINTLESS. (view spoiler)

Characters:
Now as stated above, the characters changed a lot. Dolores was so bad to bone and had her feminine whims. WHICH is great okay, I love strong characters but who are also not afraid to enjoy what they enjoy. I CAN'T STAND THIS "I'm not like other girls/boys" troupe, please kill it. BUT, DOLORES CHANGES HER WHOLE DEMEANOR FOR THIS TRACKER DUDE within a matter of like 50 pages she is no longer the same? And she never even said he was attractive when she met him, but then when they finally kissed they were all like "I've wanted to do this since the moment I met you." No, that was a lie, you were worried about your mom get your head outta your butt and Shaw was only worried about his money, get real. This just ruined the book because it was like she wasn't even worried about her mom and all she cared about was Shaw, and their relationship. I'm so salty about this.

Woo, that was relieving to get that all off my shoulders because I was so upset about this! I can never get any amazing books from Netgalley and it's so disappointing. *heres to hoping my next read is better than this because if not I might cry*

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review The Things They've Taken by Katie McElhenney! Lo, short for Delores, needs help retrieving her mother from a burning pentagram that pulled her through the floor. Shaw, a tracker, is willing to help her for fifteen thousand dollars in cash. He brings his large dog, Mange, along for the journey. They visit a seer at a nursing home and then every other being they can find to get guidance from. Lo feels like she is going in circles and not accomplishing anything that she has set out to do in her quest to rescue her mother. The variety of characters is fun and I enjoy Lo's sense of humor and snarky comments. Shaw, in all his mystery, is intriguing and interesting and I want to get to know him better. The book ends as though there is a sequel planned and I look forward to reading it. The Things They've Taken is a mix of supernatural, fantasy, mythology, adventure and humor. Fun and enjoyable and worthy of a 5 star rating!

I’m torn, very torn. I really liked this book for a whole slew of reasons. Amazing reason. Fantastical reasons. But the romance. It was so instant. And Lo’s (Lo, short for Delores) back and forth behavior was enough to give me a headache.

First of all this book ends unresolved. So I’m really hoping this is going to be a series because I am way to invested for this to be a incomplete story. The story starts off with a bang as Lo sets out to bargain with a lesser demon. Her mother is missing and taken by an ancient demon (think super scary strong compared to a lesser demon) and she needs all the help she can get. I’m not going to lay it all out the hows and whys her mother got caught up in demons as the events and tidbits of information given as the story goes on is half the fun.

Enter Shaw, he is moody, handsome and just deadly enough to scare and entice Lo. He’s a tracker but we really don’t get any info on what exactly a tracker is and why they are so special. Honestly, throughout the book I just figured he was a highly trained person with magical sight but Shaw mentions that its in their blood in order to be a tracker so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We meet some cool none human characters like Madame Q and a Seer, and some not so cool peeps like a creepy necromancer who wants in Lo’s pants.

The whole story has this underlining current of tension and anxiety as Lo doesn’t know where he mother is or what sort of condition she’s in. What was the most jarring was the way Lo completely forgot about her mother in short bursts because of Shaw’s hunky-ness. She would be super emotional and then Shaw would take off his shirt and she would just practically melt into a puddle. Or Shaw would flirt with Madam Q and Lo would get outrageously jealous and go off doing something incredibly stupid all while knowing that she shouldn’t care and that she needed to focus on her mother. I mean, pull yourself together Delores! I really feel like this would be a much stronger book without the instant love. They were together maybe a day or two before she starts swooning over him.

There is a huge plot twist right at the end which I was both happy and angry about. This finally removed the rose colored glasses from Delores’ eyes but at the same time completely crushed her. No spoilers but it’s a doozy of a twist.

Overall: I enjoyed this. I read it in nearly one day and was captivated by the magical realism and the way Katie McElhenney incorporated supernatural creatures lesser seen like the Jersey Devil and sprites. I hate to say it but Rashkur was my favorite character. The way he used a different endearment in each sentence when he spoke to Lo and his gaudy outfits were just so funny. Shaw was hit or miss. He was your typical bad boy with hot and cold moments and by the end I had a general idea of why he did what he did to Lo and what he has to gain from it. (Cryptic, I know.)

All Lo Campbell has ever wanted was to just be a normal teenager instead of being dragged from one place to another with her mother all her life. But Lo and her mother are not normal in the fact that they can see what others can’t from the supernatural world.

One night Lo finds herself in a living nightmare when her mother is taken by a demon so now Lo will do anything to find her mother and bring her back. Starting off on a journey by visiting another demon Lo seeks answers into what happens and finds herself teamed up with a tracker in the quest to find her mother.

The Things They’ve Taken was a rather fast paced young adult fantasy dealing with demons and all kinds of other creatures. While I enjoyed the pace of this one, the interesting characters, situations and not having the romance thrust into full gear right away I did find a few other flaws in my opinion bringing my rating down to 3.5 stars.

First, I was expecting the story to start off with a mother and daughter living in a normal type world but it jumped right into Lo needing to find her mother with very little world building to introduce the story. Also, while I did enjoy the adventure that Lo tackles in order to find her mother and the different characters brought in the story seemed to have a rather abrupt ending making this feel more like the beginning of a book. As much as I tried to turn the pages the book was over leaving me with questions and no word of a sequel which was disappointing.

Overall, 3.5 stars, even with the flaws I still enjoyed the fast pace of the story that was there and would continue reading about these characters if the story is continued.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.