Review: Powerful Paranormal Suspense!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2013
I began reading "Taken By Surprise" without any introductions. I didn't read the pitch or any other information about the book. Immediately, I was drawn into Zoe's story, and I found myself captivated by the playful style the author used in presenting her relationship with her friends, and potential boyfriend. The clever technique employed to build suspense, then, took me totally "By Surprise", I was led into it by my nose, but I really didn't anticipate the change that is suddenly thrust on the reader. It took my breath away. I actually cried at the tragic juncture where the telling of Zoe's birthday events cleave the novel into much more than a simple recounting of a young girls angst over her unusual paranormal power--Zoe can see the future in her dreams. However, she is only one part in five of characters whose lives project to create a canvas for the author to paint the images this books sketches for the reader to relish. Each telling layers added dimensions to a tale, so compelling that the protagonists literally bounce out of the book and pull the reader into their saga with such force that the length of the book becomes unnoticeable, actually the story ends way too quickly, and the reader is left tantalized and begging for more.... more ... more, and gladly, I have to tell you that there is more in the form of two further fictions to satisfy the mystery of the stolen teenagers, who are special in ways that their exemplary powers can only mildly suggest.