Books are more than a words

Sep 17, 2015

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher



Stolen: A Letter to My Captor
My Rating: 5 stars
Summary:
Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? 
The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.


*****

I read this book a few weeks ago when a friend came to town and let me borrow her copy. It’s always been in my “mental TBR pile” because I don’t remember if I ever add it to GoodReads or talked with someone about it, but as soon as I read the first page, I knew this book was a gem.
I don’t know what I was expecting; I guess something like Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher, which is the only book about kidnap that I’ve read. But Stolen was so much more different, so well written and… THE FEELINGS!!!!
I’ve read a few books by Aussie authors, so I know they put some kind of magic in their words, their characters, their settings.
Stolen is “a letter to Gemma’s captor” and I really believed it was a letter because the writing was SIMPLE and at the same time it was stunning and elegant.
You know from the beginning that you’ll feel sympathy for Ty, the captor, but it’s not a blind sympathy, it’s something inevitable. What I didn’t expect at all was how much I loved the setting.
The setting became like a third main character. It’s so magical and beautiful, it’s like you can see through Gemma’s eyes and felt in love with every part of it.
I love that I enjoyed this book so much even if it was only Gemma and Ty the whole book together. It shows that it isn’t necessary a lot of characters to make a story memorable. It shows that a book doesn’t need a colossal forbidden romance to make a story romantic.
Okay, I might not make sense; I’m literally translating my thoughts.
What I’m trying to say is that I felt in love with Stolen. It’s such a powerful story that deserves every compliment I can think of.
So, if you are reading this and still haven’t read Stolen: do it soon, my friend, you won’t be disappointed.

 
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2 comments:

  1. Ahhh. I have heard how great this book is for years but I have never been able to bring myself to read it. Abducted children stories just get to me. Maybe someday...
    Jen @ YA Romantics

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    Replies
    1. You should try it, Jen. It's so good!

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