“You saw me before I saw you. You had that look in your eyes, as though you wanted something from me, as though you’d wanted it for a long time. You drew me towards to, and you stole me away.” Stolen is a book of jaw-dropping, page-turning, emotional, events; a story of freedom, love, and finding what you mean to the world. Gemma is an average, sixteen-year-old, London girl who is stolen by a mysterious, rugged, familiar face. Her whole life is flipped upside down in an instant, and suddenly, she no longer belongs to society, she belongs to him. He takes her to complete solitude in the desert with no one to see but him. Gemma is faced with the realization she will never go home and she needs him to survive. Stolen is pure genius and filled with emotions.

Lucy Christopher develops the characters in such a way that you fall in love and by the end of the book, you are gripped by the emotions of their fate. I could hardly bare to read the last pages because I was so overcome with emotion. The imagery is impeccable and is based on a real place, so it is even easier to determine settings. She also finds a way to relate this cruel kidnapping to the events of the bigger picture. Gemma faces many real struggles that teenagers face today. It is a gripping tale of survival, falling in love, and finding yourself.

Stolen is written for any audiences, but you have to be open-minded enough to accept her struggle. Teenage girls and mothers may find it more relatable because of how heart-wrenching it was. Gemma is faced with a power-struggle between her parents and herself, which many of us face. It also deals with psychological problems that develop after being in solitude. If you do not find yourself emotional at one part of this book, you are not reading it. Lucy Christopher writes to suck you in, but also to guide you on Gemma’s journey. When reading, you feel absorbed by it, and can almost picture the hot desert, sandstorms, and the cool-summer nights: you feel like you can stick your hands in the sand and be in Gemma’s position. She uses amazing descriptions and shows everything that is happening without telling you. To get the full-effect, you have to read between the lines to understand her struggle.

I would recommend Stolen to anyone who wants a love story, but it is better than Twilight. I also recommend it to any teenage girl who is dealing with teenage angst with her parents and is trying to find herself. Stolen is so raw and full of emotion, that it almost helps you heal as you read. As Gemma finds her way, she helps you find yours. It is too mature for younger audiences just because of the events that occur, but for the right age group, it is life-changing. Lucy Christopher has truly written a book that speaks the words many authors are scared to say. In the word of James Marsden, author of the Tomorrow series, “All the tension of lightning, all the terror of thunder,” and this truly describes the entire journey and the emotions of being Stolen.