Review: Taken By Storm

Taken By Storm

By Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Published: May 22, 2012

My review:

When it appears that a Rabid has been attacking people, a Senate meeting is called and Bryn finds out that the Rabid may be a female teenager and someone she knows. The idea of a female Were on the loose is too much for the male Alphas to pass up and now it is a race for time as Bryn tries to get to her old friend first and try to save her-whether she is innocent or not.

Taken By Storm is action packed and emotional at the same time. Bryn has grown into her position as Cedar Ridge Alpha though her human state continues to be a weakness in the eyes of the other Alphas. She is still reeling from the difficult decisions she has had to make and the loss that resulted. In this book she faces even more difficult choices and situations. Bryn has definitely become a leader but she is still at a disadvantage when dealing with the other Alphas. She is also questioning herself more because of what she considers her failures and she is working on growing into a better leader and stronger person. 

There is a strange plot twist in this one that I didn't quite like involving the main mystery. I did figure out some things early on about the Rabid but there were some unexpected surprises too. While that part of the book was weaker I do think that the parts involving the Senate and Shay were excellent. This may not have been the best book of the series but it certainly brought the suspense and emotion to a head and wrapped things up with an unexpected finish.  

Overall I'd say this is a wonderful series and though I wish this final book hadn't had its flaws (and that there was a sequel) I am satisfied with how things ended and think this is the best YA werewolf series I've read so far. I appreciated the growth of Bryn's character, her strengths and flaws, and the secondary characters were appealing too. The romance is there without ever overwhelming the plot. The suspense always had me turning the pages too. This would be a good series for fans of Richelle Mead, Andrea Cremer, or Sophie Jordan.