Stolen - Lucy Christopher

Stolen - Lucy Christopher

This book. After a few days of having completed it, it still sticks in my mind. This book deals with a serious topic and Lucy Christopher wrote it brilliantly. It was disturbing yet gripping, and not in the least bit disappointing. Truly, it's one of those books that stay with you long after you've finished. The characters were believable, the story was haunting yet also believable, and I'm running out of proper words to do this book justice.

Gemma is drugged and kidnapped from an airport and taken to the Australian Outback. For as far as the eye can see is desert, in a desolate landscape that makes escape harder than ever. Over the course of a few months, Gemma struggles and finds herself unwillingly learning about her captor: Ty. Ty loves Gemma and wants to keep her at his side forever. Will learning about his past bring him and Gemma together or will it give her even more ammunition to be free?

The writing and pacing in this book were both splendid. The author did a swell job in describing everything beautifully from the setting to each character's past histories. The writing was very raw and full of feeling, and I won't soon forget it. I also really enjoyed how the book was written as a letter to Ty. Brilliant, just brilliant.

As far as pacing, there were a few parts that read a bit slowly for me, but not in an obnoxious way that really deterred me.

The characters were quite obviously the best part of the book. They were both so dynamic and powerful, that I was in awe of them throughout the entire novel. First, Gemma was a vulnerable yet powerful lead female, and I really liked seeing her fight for her freedom. She developed beautifully in her time with Ty, and I went through so many emotions just reading about her journey. I believe that Lucy Christopher wrote her brilliantly. Gemma went through many emotions and portrayed what I believe a captive person would feel like. There was despair and desperation and then subtle understanding, and it was all so emotionally charged that I eagerly flipped the pages desperate myself to know what happened to her. Not to mention how strong she had to be to keep fighting for her freedom. Gemma was a true hero.

Next, Ty; our male lead. He was a bit twisted but also beautifully deep in his own respect. There was a lot to Ty's character that we discover later on in the novel that give you a lot to think about. While the fact that he kidnaps Gemma clearly isn't okay, we do get some other information that help us sympathize with him in even the slightest of ways. He had depth, which was something that I enjoyed about his character. He was passionate about many things, including Gemma, and was mainly trying to show her other beauties in the world. Now I'll say it about Ty, Lucy Christopher wrote him brilliantly. 

Overall, Stolen was a brilliant and touching novel that will leave you thinking about it several days after you've read the last page. I know that I use the word brilliant too often in this review, but it really is the correct word to summarize this book. Lucy Christopher is a wonderful writer who does a fantastic job in detailing a tragic event. Emotions were prevalent all throughout this book, and were written in a raw and beautiful way. This book is really powerful, and I can almost guarantee that you'll walk away from it feeling something. 

I feel like I could gush for days about this book, but I'll stop here. I see that Lucy Christopher has a few other books out that I will most definitely check out. She's now on my watch list.

☆☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you want to read a powerful story with a strong female lead.