Taken by Benedict Jacka – Review

Published: August 28, 2012

Publisher: Ace

Series: Alex Verus #3

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 337 (Kindle)

My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:
Mage apprentices have been vanishing without a trace—and someone on the council might be involved. Alex Verus has no evidence, no witnesses, and no suspects. All he knows is that someone is keeping tabs on him. And after assassins target his own apprentice’s classmate, Alex sees that he doesn’t know the half of it—and that he could be the next to disappear…

It turns out that the Alex Verus series is producing one solidly entertaining read after another. I would say it’s on par with Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series with it’s case of the week style and the entertainment factor.

This time around Alex is asked to investigate an unusual increase in missing apprentice mages. To me, any missing apprentices sounds like a problem, but mage society treats a few missing here and there as a normal attrition rate. I probably wouldn’t survive the week – I’d end up eaten by goblins or turned into a croissant. Anyway, Alex brings Luna in on the investigation since she is an apprentice and will have access to a different social circle than Alex would. Coincidentally, Alex is also being asked to use his divination abilities to ensure that an upcoming magical competition for apprentices goes smoothly. Suspicious much? Well Alex sure thinks so!

Taken might be my favorite installment thus far. I feel like the characters are starting to feel more fleshed out and the introduction of some more secondary characters livened things up. The secondary characters are actually two apprentices that end up playing a pretty major role in the story arc of Taken. I actually find myself hoping they’ll appear in future installments so they can get some more depth too! Possibly the best part of the story however is Luna getting the hang of her curse magic. She’s really starting to come into her own and her increased control is allowing her to have a bit more of a life since her curse is less likely to accidentally affect others.

I’m having a great time with this series and I can’t wait to pick up the next installment once I get to a few new releases I’ve been waiting on!