Taken By Storm By Angela Morrison
Rating
Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Razorbill; First Printing edition (March 5, 2009) Source: Author
Synopsis - Leesie and Michael couldn’t be more different: his dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above. Leesie wants to save Michael from drowning in tragedy—but when she starts to fall for him, who will save her?
Thoughts - Taken By Storm follows the story of Michael whose parents like himself have an affinity for diving. On a dive gone wrong due to a hurricane both are lost to him and when survival instincts take over his life is spared. From then on everything goes downhill. I have to be honest, Michael I'm assuming before all of this came across very arrogant, he is a good looking boy not only does he know it but he is very cocky about it. He almost uses girls but then again what boy doesn't? What makes him stand out to me is this ruthlessness about him, how cruel he can be. Michael has lost his mother and father so it is only normal for him to be hurting. That is until he meets Leesie.
After their death he is sent to live with his grandmother who seems like a lovely lady with a good heart. Once he starts school all the girls have their eye on him, not only is he great eye candy but he has the bad boy attitude to make them swoon.
In between all of this is good girl Leesie a religious Mormon, when it comes to rules her life is full of them to the extent that her faith and rules are her life. She can not date, Kiss, behave inappropriately with a boy as it is seen as a sin. At first she reaches out to Michael because she wants to take his pain away and comfort him. Leesie is a good person, she may not always make the best of choices but her intentions are good. Michael however I had to think a lot more about. Personally I found him very manipulating. For example; when he would mess up and Leesie would walk of. To get her back he would say that he didn't know what he would do if she left him, that he needed her. Knowing what she was like he knew she would come to him under those words. I felt as though if he was a real man he would firstly man and grow up and genuinely apologise and talk her though what he was feeling and make it work.
I didn't like that he was practically begging her to sleep with him. Why do you have to have sex to love someone? I was completely with her on that. Just because sleeping around wasn't a big deal to him didn't mean it wasn't to her. I wished that he was a little more understanding of her situation. He also would say something to make up with Leesie and then indicate to the reader that he was just saying what she wanted to hear which didn't go down well in my book. Does the fact that you lost your parents make it okay to be cruel and manipulative?.. some may say yes others no, but I'm not so sure. Is he damaged, hurting , sure.
The more Leesie fights of doing the deed the more persistent he becomes. He feels like he has nothing to loose, but he fails not notice she has everything to loose. I have to say Kudos to Angela in portraying a young boy so well, how she gets into the head of not only a boy becoming a man but a troubled boy dealing with loss and makes him so believable is beyond me but she does it extremely well.
Here was a problem for me. I wasn't sure I believed in what they had. Her intentions for getting close to him may have been good but they were also wrong. She wanted to care for him, but she cared out of pity. Knowing Michael it's the last thing he would want. When she later starts to realise that he wants one thing why not walk away right then before getting in to deep?
A lot of what they have seemed to be about lust and comfort. They both crave it, they click and that makes it feel all the more right. Love? Is going too far for me.I think what makes this novel so great is how realistic Leesie and Michael are to us. Angela doesn't give us a fairytale and I'm glad for that because that's not what I wanted with this book. I wanted a story in it's rawest form which would make me think. She succeeded. I haven't had to think on the MC of a book for a long time, normally I'm decided.
Although I may not have agreed with the characters at times I can't deny I wanted something realistic and I found it with them. They are full of flaws and that to me made them real. No one is perfect so I feel it's okay for a character to not be good and have the best of intentions at all times. As humans we don't like everyone right.. so why is it wrong to not like a character? I like how Angela leaves that choice up to the reader.
The ending surprisingly left me very sad leaving me contemplating if I had somewhere along the line become fond of the thought of the two of them and perhaps even of them both. The ending revolves around new beginnings and hope, it made me grateful for the fact that there is indeed a sequel which I will without a doubt be picking up! Aside from her writing Leesie poetry or should I say Angela's is just beautiful. Her poems are so personal and special that through them you get to know a whole lot about Leesie. I thoroughly enjoyed them. One thing I have to say although the book is hardly graphic since it sticks to kissing and perhaps a little more *grins* it's enough to make a girl blush! The sexual tension is just swoon worthy!! Keep a fan on you at all times you will need it!
Thank you for providing me a copy for review Angela!
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