Last year I had heard quite a lot about Alma Katsu’s The Taker, but didn’t pick it up to read until getting a copy from Wunderkind PR for review. The book had some really good buzz around it, so I put aside another book to dive in. Luckily, The Taker, book two of The Taker Trilogy, did not disappoint. You can read my review here. After writing my review, I got an advanced copy of book two, The Reckoning, which I promptly read and very much enjoyed.

Please be aware that if you haven’t read the first book (and really, what are you waiting for?) then this review will have some spoilers from The Taker in it. Proceed at your own risk!

Book two picks up a few months after The Taker ends. Lanore McIlvrae is in London with Luke Findley, visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum for the opening of the exhibit of the treasures she anonymously gave as a gift. While there, after two hundred years on the run after imprisoning Adair, the man who made Lanore immortal, she suddenly realizes that he has escaped.

Adair emerges into a world he doesn’t recognize and seeks out the immortal Jude for help locating Lanore. All Adair wants is revenge for her deceit and will go to extreme measures, including digging up her old boyfriend Jonathan from the grave, to find her. Adair has no conscience and is wicked to the core, but has an undeniable attraction for Lanore, even though she was the one who betrayed him. In the meantime, Lanore quickly finds herself on the run, seeking Adair’s other immortal beings in the hopes they will help her escape the inevitable wrath of Adair.

As the story unfolds, we learn about Lanore’s life over the last couple hundreds of years and about how her love for Jonathan was never ending, even after he left her and then asked her to end his life. We also learn about Adair’s past and his quest for immortality. Soon their stories merge together in a very interesting and quite surprising conclusion to The Reckoning, one that left me wanting more.   

Book two of The Taker Trilogy was a really great read. I enjoyed this supernatural thriller probably as much as book one, in particular because I thought that the character of Lanore grew so much in this book. In the first book she came off as self-serving, but you can really see her character begin to change and by the end you are surprised to see how much the author has developed her character. Also, even though Adair is still a brutal guy, you get a little bit of a better understanding of the person he has become by the end of the book. 

I flew through the three hundred forty plus pages, never quite knowing where the story would lead. I enjoyed the overall gothic feel to the novel and compelling storyline and also felt that the ending really left the storyline wide open for book three. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the last book in the trilogy to find out what happens to Lanore and Adair.

Giveaway details!

Wunderkind PR has offered to send a hardcover copy of THE RECKONING to one lucky winner (US or Canadian residents only – no P.O. Boxes please)! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post (with a valid e-mail address) by 12 noon on SUNDAY, July 8th and I will randomly pick one winner. For an additional chance, tweet this giveaway: Stop by @SWrittenWord 4 a chance to win THE RECKONING by @almakatsu @WunderCara http://tinyurl.com/78727q5 #giveaway