The Taking of Jake Livingston was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, simply based on the cover. That cover art is to die for! So spooky, I was eagerly awaiting a dark and creepy atmospheric tale of possession and madness. What I got instead was totally different. That's not the fault of anyone, more just my own assumptions based on the hype I built inside my own head.
I feel like The Taking of Jake Livingston has a great spooky cover and synopsis but the actual book is more just about emotional trauma. The atmosphere is dark and creeping but it's definitely more about the horrors of growing up misunderstood with mental illness, without parental support, about having to lie about who you really are inside to avoid domestic violence.
The parallels between Jake and Sawyer were a nice touch. I would have liked to have gotten more background on Jake's family history of magic and the supernatural, there was room in the book for more development there as it's a relatively short read.
I listened to the audiobook and would recommend it as well read with an engaging voice/reader.
I feel like The Taking of Jake Livingston has a great spooky cover and synopsis but the actual book is more just about emotional trauma. The atmosphere is dark and creeping but it's definitely more about the horrors of growing up misunderstood with mental illness, without parental support, about having to lie about who you really are inside to avoid domestic violence.
The parallels between Jake and Sawyer were a nice touch. I would have liked to have gotten more background on Jake's family history of magic and the supernatural, there was room in the book for more development there as it's a relatively short read.
I listened to the audiobook and would recommend it as well read with an engaging voice/reader.