Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Something just didn't vibe with me fully, the concept was fine but for me it just wasn't magical enough. And I don't mean in the whimsical sense, there just wasn't enough focus on the magic for me to be fully sold. There wasn't enough tension even with the darker topics, it felt a little too.. easy and slightly predictable for me unfortunately, especially with so much focus given to Cora and Theo's relationship throughout the book.

So yeah.. sorry to say that my feelings for this book are simply pretty neutral.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC of this book.

This book surprised me, I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book but it isn't what I got. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it within 24 hours. I think it is very character driven and I enjoyed seeing both Cora's and Theo's characters develop.
I think the premise of this book is believable and could very well happen today if witches with powers were a thing. People fear what they don't know and so they lash out.
This book perfectly represented this fear and what happens when society lets it get the better of them and lets their humanity ebb away.

I think Sarah K West has built a brilliant world and I hope she decides to write a prequel. It would be interesting to see how the events that are deemed normal by society in this book came to be as well as an explanation of all the different types of magic.

This was a good read, many things going for it. Once again I found an urban fantasy story that I enjoyed, despite being a definite urban fantasy hater. Look at all these thoughts being disproved with each book I read.

World building is on point. The only thing I would have liked would have been a little more explanation and exploration into different types of magic. And seeing more magic performed… that would have been pretty fun to watch and imagine. But the world was succinct and clear and I felt like I understood the lore well enough to immerse myself.

At times during chapters we delve into more heads than I was comfortable with - each change in narrator was clear but it wasn’t always chapter-by-chapter so it was on occasion a little jarring. But for once I was thrilled to find a book that wasn’t told in the first person. I like a good third person narrative. Recently it’s been hard to come by so this was especially pleasing.

And then we come to all the good stuff. I could gush for a while - ultimately it comes down to caring about the story of our main characters. I picked up this book when I had the chance just to find out what happened next. And there was certainly enough drama and intrigue to keep me turning the pages. My emotional investment as a reader makes it breaks a book, and this certainly succeeded.

Well worth a looksee.

DNF at 20%, just couldn't get into the story, not enough world building. Also just couldn't get over some inaccuracies in the story, it's a no from me.

I really enjoyed this book! The story was interesting from the beginning. The dialogue was overall well done and believable. I REALLY loved that information was woven so well into the book instead of lengthy info dumps. The info drops that were there didn't feel tedious and fit into the storyline well.

Cora is a great female main character! I loved watching her relationships evolve. I LOVED Pip. He was such a refreshing nonhuman character. I thought the romance subplot was believable and well written. I enjoyed Theo's character growth. I love how the author handled addiction, grief, and trauma recovery.

This book gave me Charmed, 5th Wave, and When the Wind Blows vibes. I loved the magic system, and the hopeful ending. Overall, this was a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Charmed, spice, dystopia, and/or romantasy.

Content warning: death, kidnapping, assault, full rainbow of cuss words, lower spice s*x scene, addiction recovery, gruesome injury

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts contained in this review are my own.

“People with power sell that lie because they’re scared. They’re afraid of losing control. They’re afraid of being less.”

The Ones They Took was just one of those books that I wished I could just stay home all day and read. The writing is beautifully descriptive, perfectly paced and has seamless transitions between both characters and the past and present. Each character is complex, overcoming the roadblocks they face with the purpose of making the world they live in better.

This book does touch on some heavy topics as it brings you into a world where magic is illegal and the only way to stay safe is to stay hidden. It provides important insights on where we both have been and currently are as a society and is a guiding light to how people should act in the face of the situations therein.

I can’t wait to see more from Sarah K West in the future. Her writing is amazing and future potential is endless.