The Taken

snicker9 - The Taken starts by introducing Isla the fox and her family, describing their life. Then Isla is separated from her family. When she returns home she finds her family's den surrounded by strange foxes who are burning it down, and her family have disappeared. Isla sets off on a dangerous journey into the furless one's city, in order to track down her family. On the way she meets another fox who is searching for her twin brother. He says that he has been sent by the Elders. But can he be trusted? On her trip Isla learns about the true meaning of family, faces danger around every corner, and learns about the magic of Foxcraft. To be honest I had a tough time at the beginning of the book. At that point I think that there were too many adjectives that could have been taken out. It was hard to get into the story. But I continued reading, and once the action started to rise I could hardly put the the book down. Isla faced trial after trial of survival. There were many surprises, and I loved looking back and noticing parts of foreshadowing, or clues to an event that would happen later in book. I recommend this book to middle grade students and older, as there was a lot of action and fighting. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Starred review from July 1, 2015
A young foxling must navigate both the dangerous world of humans and the mysterious world of foxes as she searches for her missing family. After chasing beetles and eating berries, Isla returns to her family's den to find it on fire and overrun by an unfamiliar skulk. Isla barely escapes from the dangerous one-eyed vixen and her pack of branded foxes. Desperate to find shelter, she flees across the deathway (road), narrowly avoiding the manglers (cars). She must hide within the Snarl, the sprawling city of the furless ones. But Isla is naive, and the city is a dark place filled with danger. So when Siffrin, a handsome fox, finds her and talks of magic and prophecy, she is understandably suspicious. But she is also desperate. Isla narrates her beautiful and dangerous world, forcing readers to see their own lives from the perspective of wild animals. A smooth highway is a death trap. Garden sheds are shelter. Annoying rodents are food. Vivid details, intriguing characters, and a riveting plot are smoothly executed in this exciting new series from one of the authors who write under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter. Beautifully rendered and magical. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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August 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-Isla's life is carefree and comfortable, although she lives in the Great Snarl with Ma, Fa, Greatma, and her inseparable and more talented twin, Pirie. Suddenly, all is snatched from her when she lags behind and comes back to her den to find a shulk of mean-looking foxes, led by the one-eyed Karka, burning down her home. She takes off before she can be captured, but finds herself in the dangerous world of the furless (humans) following the deathway (highway) and unable to eat anything more than beetles and worms. The young kit soon finds herself in the company of a dog. When she begins to see his true shape, he wa'akkirs (shape shifts) to reveal his true self: the beautiful red fox Siffrin, sent by the Elders to retrieve Pirie. He teaches Isla about Foxcraft, the cunning magic of the fox, and she is able to connect with Pirie in her dreams as they continue their search. But all is not as it appears with Siffrin, and Isla realizes that he might not be a friend when she catches sight of the half rose mark on him. The mark is that of the foxes of Karka's shulk, those called the Taken, who are controlled by the evil Mage. With so many questions remaining at the end, there is sure to be another installment in this series that will explore more parts and places of the fox world. Reminiscent of the "Warriors" series (HarperCollins), to which the author contributed, and similar to Kathryn Lasky's "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series (Scholastic), this title takes the actual habits and attributes of real foxes and mixes in magic and a complex social structure. This book will be enjoyed by readers who like well-crafted fantasy of the furry kind. VERDICT A solid contribution to anthropomorphized animal stories, though not completely original in concept.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

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