At some points, this book was very sentimental about the value of humanity and what it contributes to the world. At first I found this to be thought-provoking, but it became too much of a recurring theme for me to really appreciate it.

This was additionally rather telling about humanity. I'd like to hope that the results of the environment were the results of a selection; however, this definitely made me think about complacency and the environments we need to survive.

The characters selected and built were intriguing, especially while interacting with each other. I almost felt as if I were watching a science experiment from afar, also.

Cassian's affection felt a little too perfect though. He had just happened upon Cora, and just happened to find her intriguing, and just happened to pick her. I didn't find it to be terribly believable.

I did think the procreation aspect was a little forced, especially if the Kindred had been so interested in human culture--other than perhaps in the past fifty years in the most Westernized countries, what they encouraged would be abhorred in most societies.

The ending was rather dramatic. I'm curious to know what happens next, but I'm not sure if I'm captured enough by the premise to actively seek out the next book.
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It was a little confusing at the beginning of the story, mostly because I hadn't read a whole lot about the book, so I didn't really know what to expect, though having read Megan Shepherd's work before, I wasn't too worried. As the story progressed, we get little glimpses of the characters and where they are coming from until we get a more complete picture towards the end of the story. Having all of the characters be from the various locations and backgrounds worked well in this story.

It was a little hard to connect with Cora's plan to escape, as she really didn't have a "Plan", but just aimed to get out of the enclosure. On one hand that made sense as she really didn't know what to expect once they were out, but on the other had, it didn't work for me when she was going to run from one alien species to another without knowing anything about them. It would have seemed a little more likely if there was more information about the other species, or if she had more of a plan of what to do when she got to them.

The ending to this was a little surprising. I wasn't completely shocked, but it was a different twist to go on for the next book. I will be watching for the next one just to see where she goes from here. ( )

Oh I really liked this book! The idea of humans being the ones in a cage while aliens observe them and alter their environment to test out different scenarios was so cool. It was interesting the people they picked and all their secrets. I liked Cora and I felt bad for her when the group turned against her because they thought she was sabotaging them. Lucky was sweet and I felt for him when he liked korra and just wanted a happy life. I didn't really like Rolf or Nok, but I understand that people react differently when it comes to survival. This book was interesting from the very beginning and paced well to keep the story flowing. I am definitely looking forward to the next book. ( )

Fast paced story with some interesting twists, particularly in the last 50 pages! ( )

"Taken, Trapped, Falling"... Wow this book was so good! I skipped eating again. LOL Everything Megan Shepherd has written I've absolutely loved. It's a lot different from her retelling series though but she nailed this one too. Basically, several teenagers wake-up in the desert with no idea how they got there or why...
 
And that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to give it away. : ) It's really better if you just experience this one without any prior influence or knowledge going in. I will say though it's like a cross between Alive, The 5th Wave and Salt & Stone but if you get the book, don't even read the synopsis! : )
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