Taken

by Brock Eastman
P&R Publishers

The Wikk family lives in a futuristic time and world, where the past is the key to the future. As archaeologists, the Wikk parents are constantly on one adventure after another. With their eldest son in the Academy, and the three younger children at school, they prepare to go on a dig that will expose the truth of their origins. But just as the plan is falling into place, a man in black, Captain Vedrick, interferes with the family's departure. Taken hostage by a man involved with a sinister group that has more money and resources save the Republic they are a part of, the Wikk parents have no choice but to order their son to escape with the younger children. 

At seventeen, Oliver firmly believe that he is a man. When his parents are kidnapped by a wicked man and his band of soldiers, Oliver has no choice but to take charge of the family. Completely confident that he can handle his twin brothers and a sister two years his junior, Oliver sits behind the controls of the newly refurbished ship - the Phoenix. Things go awry from the very beginning. Never having actually flown a ship before, but with a year's training at the Academy under his belt, he outmaneuvers the solders to escape. But time is running out, and the longer they take figuring out the clues, the less likely they are to find and rescue their parents. Will the children be able to climb every hurdle thrown at them? Or will they fall to the same fate as their parents; capture and then disappearance into thin air? 

I was somewhat skeptical coming into this book. Despite all the good reviews, how attention catching can young adult fiction really be? Either I'm a kid at heart or Eastman is just that good. I loved every moment of this book; the story, the characters, the made up weapons and technology, just everything. The writing was imaginative, creative and absolutely believable. This story is not just for kids, it is for adults of any age.

This book was provided by P&R Publishers for free in exchange for an honest review.