ARC Review: The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting @kimberlyderting @harperteen

Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

Kyra hasn't been the same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance. Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler, the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the Returned, Kyra knows it's a risk to go after him. What if it's a trap? And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn't the same boy she lost?

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human. 

Title: The Replaced (The Taking #2)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: April 28, 2015

Brooke's Review:

I want to thank Harper Teen for supplying me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

I absolutely adored The Taking. The characters, the plot, the everything. And then, when it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, I had to have the next book. So jumping into this one was no effort at all. If you haven't read the first book in the series, STOP HERE! This review will contain spoilers for that book! So turn around, go back to the first book and READ IT!

This book picks right back up where the first left off. Kyra has lost her father and Tyler. And now she's part of the rebel crew trying to outwit and outrun the NSA. You can imagine this does not come easy.

Kyra remains the tough as nails girl we knew in the first book. She's intent of finding Tyler. Her life since she was returned has been filled with much heartache. so losing him was the icing on the cake. She spends much of the book wondering where he is and how things will be when they are reunited. I don't see her change much in this book until the very end. But I won't get into that too much because I don't want to spoil things. One thing she works on during this book is honing her power. It's something that could be of great use if she just knew how to control it.

We get to know Simon a bit better in this book. We see where he has come from and learn a bit about his background. We also see him develop a strong pull to Kyra. Since Tyler is not in the picture Kyra feels the pull back. But she squashes it because all she wants is Tyler.

The pacing of this book was a bit slow for me. I was not as riveted as I was in the first book. There is less action, more development of characters and relationships. We also meet a bunch of new characters, which gave the book a more interesting feel. And, of course, there are traitors in the mist, which Kyra and her crew don't figure out until very close the end of the book.

There is a big twist in the plot of this book, about who Kyra actually is, which explains the title. But you'll just have to read it to find out exactly what I mean.

I didn't love this book as much as the first for sure. I was missing characters and, while I was happy to meet new people, I still wanted to see some of the old ones from the first book. Some did eventually appear, but it's not until later in the book and I really would have liked to see it earlier.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the next one!

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins), THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Book Blast: The Taking (The Taking #1) by Kimberly Derting @kimberlyderting @harperteen

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

Excerpt:

Finally, when I couldn’t think of anything else to do and when I couldn’t put it off any longer, I knocked. My throat felt suddenly too tight, which seemed silly. Of course they’d be mad, but they’d forgive me too.

It was an accident, me staying out all night. Somehow I’d have to find a way to explain that to them. To make them believe that I didn’t know exactly what had happened the night before.

I shifted nervously back and forth as I waited, thinking of a million ways to say I’m sorry. The seconds seemed to stretch and bend and last an eternity, and just when I was about to give up, when I was sure that neither one of them was home, I saw the curtain on the other side of the door—the one above the couch in the living room—part.

A face appeared.

A child’s face.

I was confused, startled by the appearance of the toddler.

I was an only child—the product of parents who’d spent my entire life doting on me, and only me. I was the center of their universe. Their sun and their moon and their stars, as my dad liked to say when I was little.

The little boy lifted his hand in a motionless wave, pressing his chubby fingers to the window and leaving a steamy impression around them. I thought of my mom, and the way she’d always told me not to touch the windows because it left fingerprints.

But when the man appeared behind him, I physically jolted. I looked at the door again; a sense of dread filled every crevice of my being, like I’d made some terrible mistake and gone to the wrong house. Like there was some other blue-gray house with my handprints forever imprinted in the walkway.

My panic subsided somewhat when I saw the worn gold numbers running alongside the front door: 9-6-1-2.

My address.

My house.

My home.

I was definitely in the right place. So who were these people? These strangers staring at me from the other side of my window?

Would you like to follow the rest of the excerpt tour? Then click below!

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins), THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (coming April 29th from HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Goodreads/Website/Facebook/Twitter

ARC Review: The Tanking (The Taking #1) by Kimberly Derting @kimberlyderting @harperteen

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

Title: The Taking (The Taking #1)
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Harper Teen
Expected Publication Date: April 29, 2014
RATING: 5/5 Stars

The Cover Contessa's Review:
I want to thank Harper Teen for providing me with an early copy of this book to read and review. This is my first book from author Kimberly Derting and I'm so glad that I jumped in! Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or my review.

Blurb from Goodreads:
A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing. 
When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 
Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men. 
Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

As of late I have been very into Sci-Fi reads. So, when I picked this one up, I was hoping it would live up to the other Sci-Fi books I've been reading. And I'm so glad I did. First off, did you see this cover? Don't understand it? Well, pick up the book and you will!

Kyra, I love her. She's smart and sassy and strong, super strong. She will do anything to figure out what happened to her, why she was missing for so many years but still looks sixteen! She spends the entire story fighting for herself and figuring out who she really was (before she was Taken). Kyra is faced with twists and turns and uncertainty. And she's also faced with feelings for a boy who was only twelve last time she saw him. I think my favorite part of Kyra is that she keeps a clear and level head for most of this book (although the romance does throw that off a bit for her, but that's nothing new for a YA book).

Tyler, oh how I loved him. He was super sweet and totally swoon worthy. At first, I felt like it was odd that he and Kyra became this pair, but then it just kind of clicked and made sense. He was so much more her speed than his older brother. And Kyra knew herself so much better with Tyler than she did with Austin. So Tyler was really good for her. Best of all he's super loyal and totally believes in Kyra. It seems he would do anything for her, risk anything for her because she is all he's ever wanted.

I blasted through this book in one day. I loved every page of it. I was never bored. The action and twists and turns kept me wanting more (and I still want more even now that the book is over). It was fast paced and never boring. The story seems completely plausible, if you believe there is more out there than just the human race. But Derting left quite a bit of mystery in the story and I really loved that. She was able to give little bits here and there to create a rich and intriguing story. I loved her writing and prose, it was easy to read and flowed well.

Most interesting of all for me is that the story reads as a bit of a contemporary, with the romance that blooms between Tyler and Kyra and the fact that it's set in our time, as opposed to a future or something of that sort. The romance was sweet and slow for the most part (although Tyler was acting on a crush that he had had on Kyra for 5 years, but for Kyra the relationship was new). I enjoyed that the characters were completely relatable and fleshed out well and their emotions were very real. I could really feel the situations they were placed in and what affect they hd on them.

Derting creates a thrilling ride through this new sci-fi mystery. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout. I can't wait for the next installment as the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger.

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins), THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (coming April 29th from HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Goodreads/Website/Facebook/Twitter

Tuesdays For the Taking @kimberlyderting @harperteen

The Cover Contessa is extremely excited to be participating in:

Tuesdays for The Taking

A promotional post where you could win your very own copy of Kimberly Derting's newest book

The Taking

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer meets The Fifth Wave in this chilling and explosive new series. The last thing Kyra Agnew remembers is a flash of bright light. She awakes to discover that five whole years have passed. Everyone in her life has moved on—her parents divorced, her boyfriend is in college and dating her best friend—but Kyra's still the sixteen-year-old she was when she vanished. In order to find out the truth, she and her friend Tyler (the only person who seems to understand her since she got back, he also happens to be her ex-boyfriend's brother) the two of them decide to retrace her steps from that fateful night. They discover there are others who have been "taken," just like Kyra. Only, Kyra is the first person to have been returned past the forty-eight-hour taken mark. With a determined, secret government agency after her, Kyra desperately tries to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had . . . but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

PRE ORDER:

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The author:
Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins), THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster), and THE TAKING trilogy (coming April 29th from HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Goodreads/Website/Facebook/Twitter

The Giveaway:

You can win an ARC of Kimberly's book The Taking

It's easy. Just two little steps!

Step #1) Tweet one of the questions below along with your answer (remember the hashtag!)

What is your pick for a superpower? #TheTaking

or

You can travel through time, where do you go? #TheTaking

Step #2) copy and paste your URL for your tweet in the Rafflecopter below! You can do this once a day.

See, simple and easy!

GOOD LUCK!

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Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Offering (Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

  The Offering by Kimberly Derting True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy. Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.
  Praise for The Offering "This was a truly epic ending to the series." --Crystal Perkins, Goodreads Review "The final book in Kimberly Derting’s Pledge trilogy is a thrilling conclusion. I was immediately swept up into it and powered right through. It was pretty much what I wanted with a few surprises along the way." --Krys at Bibliopunkk Reads

Today we welcome Kimberly to the blog for an interview!
Welcome Kimberly, so great to have you here!

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you want to be something else? 

When I was growing up, there was a show on TV called BJ AND THE BEAR about a trucker who travelled with a chimpanzee. Of course, this made me want to be a trucker, and because it was the 70s, I wanted to be a “foxy lady trucker.” My plan was to have a boyfriend in every city, a faithful German Shepard companion, and a tricked-out sleeper compartment (you know, for all the boyfriends). Fortunately, I took Journalism in the 7^th grade and fell in love with writing instead.

How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?

It usually takes me about 4 months to write the first draft, and another two to three months of revising with my editor before it’s polished and ready. For me, the biggest obstacle is always time. I have a husband and three kids, so carving out time to just sit down and write can be challenging although we all work together to make it happen. And fortunately, my office has a lock on the door!

Do you have a schedule of when you write? 

I generally work all day, from the time my daughter leaves for school (which is ridiculously early!) until around 6:30 in the evening—later if I have a deadline. I don’t necessarily set a word count goal because if I meet it, I feel like I’m done for the day, even if I’m on a roll. And if I don’t meet if, I feel like I’ve failed. For me, it’s better just to work until I can’t work a second longer.

How many books have you written so far? Do you have a favorite?

THE OFFERING will be my seventh published novel, which completely blows my mind! But asking me to choose a favorite is like asking me which of my kids I like best ;) 

Do you have a favorite character?

I’ve always had a soft spot for Angelina, Charlie’s little sister, from THE PLEDGE trilogy. There’s something very sweet about the bond she and Charlie have, and the entire time I was writing THE PLEDGE I kept imagining how my oldest daughter (who is 14 years older than my youngest daughter) would react if she were forced to save her sister’s life.

Where do you write?  

We have a really nice office off our bedroom, which my husband has offered to trade me several times, but I still prefer our spare-bedroom-turned-writer-cave. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’ve developed a bond with my daughter’s hamster, Carmel, who shares it with me.

What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing? 

I think it goes without saying that if you want to write, you should read everything you can get your hands on, even if it’s not in the genre you want to write in. You can often learn more in the pages of a book than you can in a classroom. But most importantly, if you really want to get published, my advice is: Don’t give up! Ever! This is a tough industry and rejection comes with the territory. You have to learn to take “no” and move on.

What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to write? 

Some of my favorite YA authors are Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES), Holly Black (WHITE CAT), Carrie Ryan (THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH), Melissa Marr (WICKED LOVELY), Richelle Mead (VAMPIRE ACADEMY), Lauren Oliver (BEFORE I FALL), Veronica Roth (DIVERGENT), and about a zillion others!

My all-time favorite book will always be TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee, and my all-time favorite author is Stephen King. To this day, THE SHINING (by King) is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read!

Do you have any go to people when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta reading and such? 

The only person I talk to about my story while I’m writing is my husband, and even then, only in the broadest sense. I generally have a very strong notion of where I want the story to go, although sometimes it veers dramatically off-course while I’m working. I like to write my first draft with little or no outside influence, though—I won’t even read books in the same genre, for fear they might bleed into what I’m writing. Once I’m finished with that first draft, however, I will generally let my husband and my agent read through it, and give me their thoughts.

Are you working on anything now? 

The first book of my new series, THE TAKING, comes out April 29^th, 2014. It’s about a girl who wakes up after what she thinks is one night, only to realize that five years have passed and everyone she loves has moved on without her...yet she hasn’t aged a day.

I’m working on the second book in that series now!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! It was great having you here. Good luck on your new series!

  Author Kimberly Derting Kimberly Derting is the author of the BODY FINDER series, THE PLEDGE trilogy, and THE TAKING (coming April 2014 from HarperTeen). She lives in the Seattle area, with her husband and three children, who often find the outrageous things they say either in the pages of her books or posted on Twitter or Facebook for the entire world to see.  
    Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 1/21/14 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast and Giveaway: The Offering (Pledge #3) by Kimberly Derting

The Offering by Kimberly Derting True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy. Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.
  Praise for The Offering "This was a truly epic ending to the series." --Crystal Perkins, Goodreads Review "The final book in Kimberly Derting’s Pledge trilogy is a thrilling conclusion. I was immediately swept up into it and powered right through. It was pretty much what I wanted with a few surprises along the way." --Krys at Bibliopunkk Reads

  Author Kimberly Derting Kimberly Derting is the author of the BODY FINDER series, THE PLEDGE trilogy, and THE TAKING (coming April 2014 from HarperTeen). She lives in the Seattle area, with her husband and three children, who often find the outrageous things they say either in the pages of her books or posted on Twitter or Facebook for the entire world to see.  
   

Tour Schedule

BookBlast $50 Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 1/18/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway