Review – Taking Back Forever

I just got and finished reading the third and “final” book in the series when I realized I didn’t post a review for the last one so… here it is! 🙂

TITLE: Taking Back Forever

SERIES: The Kindrily (#2)

SYNOPSIS: Forever is worth the fight.

Maryah erased all memory of her past lives, but she couldn’t erase her soul mate Nathan, or his undying love. Now, Maryah and Nathan have a second chance at a future together, but first Maryah must remember the person she used to be and embrace her supernatural gifts—more than one kindrily member’s life depends on it.

Maryah’s power is Harmony’s best hope of finding her kidnapped soul mate, Gregory. But Harmony isn’t big on asking anyone for help, and she’s tired of waiting, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. Heaven help anyone who stands in her way.

REVIEW: For those of you who haven’t read the first book in the Kindrily series, Grasping at Eternity, don’t read any further – there will be spoilers for the first book. You have been warned.

Taking Back Forever takes place where Grasping at Eternity leaves off. Maryah has learned about the Kindrily and her supposed powers, but is still struggling to process the idea that she is a supernatural being and learn how to use her abilities again. There is also the constant mystery of why Maryah erased in the first place. In addition to all that, Taking Back Forever also focuses on finding Gregory and locating Dedrick.

I thought Taking Back Forever was an interesting read. It switches between the point of view of Maryah and Harmony. I really enjoyed reading from Harmony’s POV, as well as learning more about her history with Gregory. In fact, I enjoyed learning about the history and connections of all the kindrily members. Maryah and Harmony’s POVs contrasted each other and through them, I was able to get a better understanding of both of them (mostly Harmony). Besides the two of them, I was able to connect to a lot of the other characters, like Carson and Krista. I think everything I learned in this novel, about the kindrily, the characters, and everything in between was kind of enlightening. There were a lot of connecting-the-dots moments and I really liked that.

As for romance, I was kind of disappointed regarding this aspect in the beginning. One of the reasons I enjoy reading books with soul mates is that they typically showcase a “cute, adorable” love and also tend to have more smooth sailing relationships (once the characters get together). At the beginning of Taking Back Forever, it seems liked things were going a bit too smoothly more Maryah and Nathaniel… awkward. On the bright side, they reverted back to cuddly love later in the novel.

Plot wise, all I have to say is that this book keeps all the characters in it super, duper busy. When we left them, they had so much to do and accomplish. They took this novel as a chance to attempt to check off some of the items of their to do lists. There were suspenseful moments where all I wanted to do was crawl under my blankets and bite my fingernails (which I never do, and you really shouldn’t do). There were lovefulled where all I wanted to was go “Awwwww!” (and of course make my brother think I’m psycho).

In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading Taking Back Forever. I think I liked it as much, if not more, than I liked Grasping at Eternity (which is saying something, I really liked Grasping at Eternity. The dual POV of Maryah and Harmony allowed me to not only gather more information on the world of the kindrily, but also to connect and become more empathetic towards the characters, especially Harmony. The romance had a rocky start, but we got through it. There was action, suspense, mystery, romance – what more could you ask for?