Book Review
Title: Taken Away
Author: Cyn Bermudez
Genre: Middle Grade/Family
Rating: *****
Review: So all I can gather from the synopsis is that this novel is about Victor, Isaac, Vanessa, and Sara who have been taken away from their mother. They’ve been forced to leave behind their home, school, friends, and worst of all, each other. Vanessa and Sara have been placed in the same foster home, but Victor and Isaac have been separated from their younger siblings and each other. However, I had some doubts as the hardcover of this book is only 88 pages long.
So, this story is told entirely through emails between the siblings and how they are adjusting to their new lives apart. We know their mother was arrested and put in jail, but we don’t know why exactly. Isaac is the softer of the two brothers, but Victor keeps him in check especially on the subject of foster parents or foster keepers as Victor calls them.
We see the boys have gone to two different homes, Isaac is with a nice couple who try to treat him like a son, but he refuses to get close to them thinking it will make him forget his own family despite them telling him otherwise. He also struggles to make friends since many know about his mother and they often make fun of him causing him to get into fights. We learn that after their dad died, they struggled for money, so their mother stole money and expensive items from the homes she was cleaning and got caught.
Victor, on the other hand, lives with an elderly woman who treats her foster kids like paychecks and the second Victor gets into trouble she gets him moved. Both brothers are called into a meeting although separately and they miss the chance to see each other although Isaac’s foster parents are open to a visit, Victor gets moved to a new home where the couple now has 6 foster children, but they seem a lot nicer than his previous caretaker.
Overall, I really loved the relationship between the brothers and the journey they take. I would have like to have heard from the two sisters as well and I can’t wait to read the next book in order to see whether the brothers actually get to meet each other again.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
I received this review copy from NetGalley
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