The Taker by Alma Katsu ~ review

Product Details Hardcover: 448 pages Publisher: Gallery Books (September 6, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 1439197059 ISBN-13: 978-1439197059 Review copy provided by Gallery Publishers Click here to purchase a copy of this book. About the book: True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . . On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated. Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley. Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption. My take on this book: This book grabbed my attention from the first pages. I picked it up because I thought I would be reading a book about vampires, and while it is about immortals, the immortals aren't vampires although they do share some similarities. Dr. Luke Findley had come back home to St. Andrew Maine to take care of his parents, who have since passed away. He struggles with things that happened during the death of his mother four months ago, and really wants to leave the tiny town. His job as an ER doctor on the night shift is normally slow with nothing ever happening, but when the sheriff brings in young woman Lanore McIIvrae, Lanny covered in blood who has confessed to killing a man in the woods, he feels drawn to her. She asks Luke to help her escape and starts  telling him her story which begins in 1809. The author did a fantastic job of transitioning between past and present, and I would easily say the historical portions were some of my favorite parts. There were enough twists and turns to keep my attention, but the ending fell a bit flat for me, it just seemed a bit rushed and left me wanting a bit more. Since this book is the first part of a trilogy I will certainly pick up the next one. I would consider this book a middle of the road read for me, not my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. I do look forward to reading more from this author.   rating 3.5/5