ARC Review: Hover (The Taking #2) by Melissa West

Hover by Melissa West
Series: The Taking #2
Published by Entangled Teen on August 13, 2013
Pages: 233
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Add to your Goodreads TBR shelf.
Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted.

The weight of a whole new world lies on Ari’s shoulders.

If you haven’t read Gravity, the first book in this blockbuster series, you can check out my review here.

Looking for a fun Summer series that leaves you feeling like you just came out of an action-packed Sci-Fi film? Then search no more, because The Taking series by Melissa West fits the bill. In Hover (The Taking #2), we join Ari on her new planet, Loge. At the end of Gravity, Jackson, Ari, and Cybil make an intense exodus from Earth to escape the deadly neurotoxins that were released to kill all Ancients, and those who have been healed by Ancients. Ari and Cybil could either stay, and die, or leave and chance their survival on Jackson’s home planet. When Ari wakes up in Panacea, the Ancients version of a hospital on Loge, things do not go as smoothly as she had hoped.

In Hover, Melissa immerses the reader in the surroundings and customs of a new planet. The world she has created is an intriguing blend of an alien-like environment,  with a hint of New-Age-esque supernatural qualities. We are introduced to several new characters on Loge that will play a vital role in Ari’s experience on this alien planet. My favorite of these new characters was Emmy. She’s like the cookie-lady from the Matrix. She has a warm and generous demeanor, and proves to be an ally in Ari’s corner. The knowledge and information she provides Ari with in this book proves to be priceless.

In Gravity, Melissa’s description of Zeus gave me chills. In Hover, he gave me nightmares.  Ari is on a mission to bring down Zeus once she finds out that his corruptible and psychopathic ways have brought Loge and Earth to the brink of war. I loved the development of Zeus’s character and finding out more about what makes him “tick”. His character added an extra-creepy element to this story, and Zeus proves to be more diabolical than Ari could have ever imagined.

I fell in love with Jackson all over again in Hover. In this book, we witness Ari’s struggle to trust Jackson again after learning that he is Zeus’s grandson, and was originally sent to Earth as a RES. Jackson’s gentle yet fierce personality keeps playing with Ari’s heart-strings,  and she’s left feeling confused. Her heart is telling her to trust Jackson, but her life back on Earth, and all of her training is telling her to go with her head.  Ari slowly gains insight into Jackson’s past,  and what has shaped him as a person on Loge. It’s this insight that puts to rest any doubts she has been harboring about his character.The wait to feel and witness any heat between Ari and Jackson was torturous, but once the sparks started, they set the book on fire. The romantic and emotional build up to my FAVORITE scene in this book paid off kindly.

Melissa infused Hover with as much action, emotion, and intensity as Gravity. Ari and Jackson are brought together by what originally tore them apart, and they are challenged with new responsibilities to their comrades and each other. The plot thickens, and Ari realizes she’s no longer the child that was trained by her father on Earth. She is a woman on a mission, and will use all that is special about her to save the ones she cares about. She will be their salvation.

It seems like the next book in this series  is worlds away. Check out my interview with Melissa West here. Collide (The Taking #3) will be out in 2014. I’ll be waiting patiently, like an RES, to get my hands on it. 🙂