Witches. A witch hunt. Smuggling Witches.
As someone that loves a good witch read, the blurb really got my attention, and I had to give this one a chance and boy it did not disappoint.
The author did an amazing job writing this book. The world building, details, backstory, just everything you need was done perfectly well that the book flowed seamlessly throughout.
I’m quite surprised on how well she wrote on some topics that were more political where it hit on the whole witches need to be hunted and magic is bad. Normally I can’t stand politics, but I didn’t hate it as much as I would have normally simply because of how well she wrote it.
Moving on…
Cora and Theo were great characters. Cora is a witch that helps smuggle other witches out from the government trying to imprison them. Theo is the opposite. A witch hunter who is meant to do just that.
But when reunite and find that feelings are still there, is both great and terrifying. One is trying to save witches and other is meant to catch them. But they want to make this work and make things right by both working to get Cora’s family out to safety.
An absolute favorite for sure. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

A great read for the fall months.
A dark urban fantasy with witchy vibes,
Very atmospheric, loved the witch X witch hunter, slow-burn romance 😍 and the banter was great!
Action-packed and hard to put down.
Highly recommend!

I unfortunately tried a few times, but I just couldn’t get into the story. The premise was interesting but the writing style was not working for me. I has to DNF early on

In a world where magic is forbidden, Cora must hide her true self and her powers as a witch or risk being taken away like her mom and twin brother were many years ago. Until one day, when she is reunited with her childhood best friend, Theo, who mysteriously disappeared before her family did. Theo has secrets of his own, and was forced to become a witch hunter at a young age due to his innate ability to detect magic. The bond between Cora and Theo is still strong, even after all these years. Despite their opposing interests, they must work together to uncover the truth about what really happened to Cora's family.

The Ones They Took was an impressive and unique urban fantasy debut. I was captivated with the characters and the conflict from the beginning. However, one thing that I found to be lacking was the chemistry between characters, especially Cora and Theo. I really liked Cora and the cast of strong and powerful supporting female witches, but overall, I was disinterested in Theo and his relationship with Cora. In this book, the author invented a very creative magical system within our world, but at times, I felt like I missed some important details. I almost wish she would have simplified the society a little bit and fleshed out the important plot lines more. Overall, I think Sarah K. West is a talented author and I am interested to read her future books. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a solid standalone urban fantasy.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Fox Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Nearly halfway through and it’s missing something. It’s good but it’s not good enough for our box sadly,

A lovely witchy read for those who love witches and those escaping from danger of being killed because they are witches. Very similar to Salem witch trails and if you love that history you’ll love this book!

This story had such an interesting concept, but I feel like parts of the world could've been explained some more. A breakdown of the powers or how exactly the witch community was exposed that lead to them being outcasted would've added that much more to the story, but I was still able to follow along pretty easily.

I enjoyed the plotline and had a fun time reading it. The characters were enjoyable, but the romance wasn't believable. I felt zero chemistry between the two of them. They barely even seemed like friends.

Overall, I think this would've been better as a duology or trilogy. The author would've had the chance to build up the romance and dive a little deeper into the story.

(If this review doesn't make sense, I'm sick right now and putting words together is a struggle lol.)

I really wanted to like this book. I tried 2 different times to read it but DNF’d both times.
Full disclosure I only made it to 42% before calling it quits.

This books pacing is my main problem. It is SLOW. it doesn’t feel like the plot advanced at all during what I read. Cora is a great character and I think Theo is interesting and their motives were worth delving into deeper.

The concept of an urban fantasy version of LA where witches are in hiding and hunted was so intriguing. The execution was extremely lacking. I just found myself getting really bored and couldn’t keep interested.

Thank you to Tiny Fox Press and Netgalley for the digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an exceptionally long book. Wayyy too long. The premise is really good, but most of the book was too slow-paced for my preference. There were some good parts when the action happened. I just wish there were a lot more of them.

Mmm. I'm very indecisive about this book. I liked it. For the first 50% and then I found myself skimming the rest of the 50%.

I had this book on my TRB prior of getting it here on Netgally.

I like the sound of the story and the title which was suggesting it will be a good book.

It started really slow... I really hate to say it but it was dragging ... like where is the action??? It did got interested at some point, but overall I am struggling to finish it :( ... as of now I DNF, but I might picked it up again.. I hate not finishing books :(

✔️Friends to enemies to lovers
✔️Action-packed
✔️Dystopian
✔️Witches/Witch Hunters

A witch named Cora runs into an old childhood friend, Theo, who is now a witch hunter, and now Theo has to decide between duty and the people he once cared for.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the characters. The stakes are high, the world-building is good, and the characters struggle with more than just the obvious. My only complaint is I wish there was more of an explanation of the magic system and different kinds of magic. Regardless, it’s an engaging and emotional story.

The Ones They Took is an action-packed read I wished I could stay home all day and read. The writing makes the book hard to put down and is beautifully descriptive with seamless transitions between characters and past and present. The characters are complex, and you can't help but root for Cora. This book does touch on some heavy topics, but it is a dystopian world. I did love the dynamic between the characters, including an enemies-to-lovers troupe. The book was a slow burn but in the best way. I am also a huge fan of the dual POV throughout the book.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This one just didn't hit for me. The pacing throughout was off. The beginning was slow for me and the end felt kind of rushed.

I thought the concept of this book sounded very interesting but it was very slow and I had a hard time motivating myself to pick it up. I think the book could have benefited from having a bit faster paceing. I think a better worldbuilding in the beginning could have benefited the story.

This was a very easy take on what in reality would've been a very difficult situation. It's a urban fantasy dealing with the aftermath of people finding out witches and others are real. I really liked the approach of it and the focus was good. The writing kept me well entertained but I got confused at the number of characters to keep track of.
Still it was an easy read and an interesting take on what would happen and how would the world deal, and I find it a fairly realistic scenario especially compared to other dystopias, this one was more of a racial dystopia for the supernatural.

A good, simple urban fantasy, would recommend to anyone looking into the genre as a good starter!

I really don't like giving negative reviews for books, but I couldn't even finish this book, i got half way through and had to stop for my own sanity. I was really looking forward to reading it as it sounded so good, I got half way through, nothing had really happened, sure some people had died and some had been imprisoned, but not in any way exciting or interesting. I found it very unbelievable, yet predictable at the same time. Not for me sorry

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, I enjoyed it. The protagonist, Cora, is a tough nut to crack, and her love interest, Theo, even tougher, but Cora’s network of friends and family is pretty great, and Theo totally comes around. The magic system in this book is very interesting, especially since unlike many magic books, this one is set in the real world, a very recognizable LA/OC. At times the book reminded me a little bit of The Handmaid’s Tale, just hearing about how paranoia, riots, and secret police had gradually taken root, leading to the state of affairs we found Cora in at the start of the book - people being imprisoned suddenly and indefinitely, a network of safe houses for witches, and hunters armed to the teeth reporting to the higher ups and taking people in on tips from neighbors, coworkers, whoever. Cora and her friends take it upon themselves to fight back!

NETGALLEY - When I signed up for this ARC, I was expecting a somewhat sexualized tale of witches being taken away for seedy purposes. Instead, Sarah K. West created a fully-realized dystopian epic set in a very familiar but twisted Los Angeles.

In this urban fantasy, the country is swelling with riots (feel familiar?). Cora moves home to a suburb outside of Los Angeles as public outrage ignites over the world’s worst kept secret: witches are real. But people like her have been hunted for much longer than the government cares to admit. When she was only 16, her brother and mother were snatched by witch hunters and she spent the rest of her life hiding and drowning in grief. Hitting rock bottom, she joined the rebellion and has been smuggling runaway witches to their safe haven, Whitefall. But it all falls apart when one little girl gets caught by someone from Cora’s past.

I was blown away by this novel! You will be left dumbstruck by the amount of detail and craft that went into this. My romantasy girls will be swept off their feet by the begrudging bond that forms between Cora and Theo (by chapter 15! Scouts honor). Both have stormed through insurmountable trauma and are coping as best as they can. Standing on opposite sides of a war, they have little sympathy for each other. But the memories of who they used to be force them to reconsider their own prejudices.

I’m not a literary genius so I’ll just have to share examples this book reminded me of. The pacing reminded me of Harry Potter, following the day-to-day life of Cora (a rebel witch) and Theo (a witch hunter). With each day you read about, their mysterious world grows a little bigger. No info dumping! Every bit of knowledge you gain is carefully crafted and weaved into the events as they happen. Cora is a realist and survivor, reminding me of Celaena in the first TOG. Theo’s emotional maturity and (eventual) tenderness reminded me of post-mountain Rhysand. And their personalities are made all the more visceral by the realistic and familiar world that grounds the story. You can doubt my over the top name-drops, but you’ll have to read it to fight me (haha!).

If you liked the scope of Fourth Wing, (from the parapet, to the challenges, then the dragons), you will love the adventure that unfolds here. It’s not just a witch hunt, or a second chance, or a rescue mission, it’s so many things tied into one. A leader in the coven shared that every time one used magic they were weaving themselves deeper into the fabric of the universe. I feel like this story weaves a thousand incredible threads into this wonderful urban fantasy. “The Ones They Took” is genuine gold and will appeal to both readers looking for escape and those who look for magic in the day to day.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

This started out really slow for me and I kinda struggled getting through it until about 65-75%. The story, plot, and action for at that point. There’s no spicy in the story at all which probably added to it feeling slow. Overall it was a decent book.