Stolen Review

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Publisher: The Chicken House

Release date: May 1, 2010

Source: Publisher

Gemma, 16, is on layover at Bangkok Airport, en route with her parents to a vacation in Vietnam. She steps away for just a second, to get a cup of coffee. Ty--rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar--pays for Gemma's drink. And drugs it. They talk. Their hands touch. And before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty takes her. Steals her away. The unknowing object of a long obsession, Gemma has been kidnapped by her stalker and brought to the desolate Australian Outback. STOLEN is her gripping story of survival, of how she has to come to terms with her living nightmare--or die trying to fight it.

Review:

Stolen has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a long time... and I don't know why! It was an intense, powerful, and beautifully written debut that will have readers on the edge of their seat until the very last word.

Stolen is going to be difficult to review because I was feeling so much while reading it. Anger, sadness, horror, and anxiety. This book was a whirlwind of emotions and it took me a few days to read mainly because I just needed to absorb everything that was happening. The entire novel is Gemma's letter to her a captor, Ty. It was heart breaking reading about Gemma's abduction and how she dealt with being alone in the Australian outback with a man she feared might kill her.

From the first page I was gripping the book, anxious to see what was going to happen to Gemma and how she was going to survive this nightmare. Her kidnapping was not spontaneous- it was planned by a man who had been stalking her for years. Gemma's reactions to what was happening were believable and heart wrenching. Some days she stayed in bed- home sick and refusing to eat. While on others she acted out, becoming violent and screaming at Ty to release her. I feel like I would react in a similar way, so she became that much more real to me. Gemma was a city girl, with parents, a home, a life. She was someone who I understood and wanted to save. Even when her worst sides came out, her determination and stubbornness shone throughout.

Going into the novel I felt certain I would hate Ty with a burning passion. How could someone, a kidnapper, be understood? Even liked? The more I read, the more I could understand his motives and I realized he truly cared for Gemma and only wanted, what he thought was, the best for her. Gemma's parents may have been cold and demanding at times, and her friends rude and uncaring, but Gemma did have a life and Ty didn't have any right to steal her away. By the end, Ty's past is revealed, and I felt for him, and what he'd been through. He especially loved and cared for nature- living in the Outback was his dream. Away from people, buildings, pollution.. you could see why he thought the home he had built for Gemma and himself was the safest and best place to be.

The plot was well developed and captivating. By the last pages I had a hard time putting this down. I had to find out what happened to Gemma and Ty. The ending is sad and brought tears to my eyes, but I know it was for the best. Lucy Christopher is a truly phenomenal writer and I can't wait to read what she releases next.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars