Review: The Reckoning by Alma Katsu (The Taker #2)

The Reckoning (The Taker Trilogy #2)
Alma Katsu
Published: June 19, 2012 (Gallery Books)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Please note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will contain references to the first book in the series The Taker.

The Reckoning picks up a couple of months after the end of The Taker. Luke and Lanore are in London viewing Lanny’s previously acquired antiques, which were anonymously donated to various museums around the world. While viewing her old artifacts, Lanny feels the connection to Adair flare to life again. That little thread that always thrummed in the back of her brain letting her know he was there. Well, he’s back and he’s not too happy with Lanny.

While I did enjoy the book, it is definitely the “middle book.” The anticipation of Adair and Lanny’s reunion is the main driving force behind The Reckoning. There were a few mysterious things introduced, but the main theme of redemption and forgiveness will have to be solved in the final book The Descent.

The Reckoning, following the same pattern of switching between the past and the present as the first book, has the majority of the action taking place in the present. Adair, for me, was one of the most richly developed characters in The Taker. He’s lived such a long life and it was even more interesting seeing him try to navigate the present but still try to maintain the control and authority he had nearly 200 years ago. Lanny, for her part, basically takes readers on a reintroduction of characters from the first book. She shows us what their lives are like now while also introducing us to Savva, who is one of Adair’s people we didn’t meet before.

I did enjoy the glimpses into the past. Alma Katsu’s storytelling is so vivid and she did a good job of relating the history to the present. We learn more of Lanny’s travels after leaving Adair’s house. We also get Adair’s history from the physic’s side rather than the peasant.

Overall I liked the different perspectives and learning, for example, that what Lanny may take as truth may be someone else’s lie. By the end of The Reckoning perceptions are ambiguous enough it’s difficult to know who’s good and who’s evil. I think we’ll have to wait for The Descent to see where everyone falls on the scale.

Sexual content: Sex, rape