Stolen:A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

So, a scarred dude kidnaps a young chick and takes her to some unknown location in the Australian outback. Now, use your imagination, put on your Phantom tinted glasses and that sounds really familiar doesn’t it.

But of course, it isn’t a Phantom story exactly. It is set in modern day and Ty (our Phantom) isn’t scared physically but emotionally and there isn't any music either, but I think you can forgive me for seeing this as a Phantomy book. It has abduction and Ty wanting feelings from Gemma that she just isn't prepared to give. 

And without further ado…

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.

Wow, this is deep! I still have 100 pages to go but I felt like writing a little bit about it now and then I'll finish this once I have completed the book.

Ty has kidnapped Gemma from a busy airport and taken her deep into the Australian outback where her only way to survive is to stick with him. She has no idea where she is and no idea where to find help.

This book is slightly disturbing to hear Ty talk the way he does. He does not see himself as a bad guy. Or even a kidnapper. The way he sees it is this way - he has rescued Gemma from the life that she was living. (Thats just weird right there isn't it).We learn about the life that he lived before meeting Gemma and after meeting Gemma. This guy is damaged! He has been keeping an eye on Gemma from when she was 10 years old because he was curious and then when she was around 14 (from what I could figure out) his view of her changed (from whatever that view was) to him wanting to 'rescue' her.

But this is where the freaky mind trick comes in. At times he is a really nice guy. He does care about Gemma on some kind of level, although he isn't going to be letting her go anytime soon - or ever.

The book has been pretty graphic at points - which I suppose has added a sense of reality to it. I mean, there hasn't been anything blood-guts-and-gore just sickie stuff like throwing up and bile (lots of bile). And swearing. The language is pretty static, sticking with the same curses but I find it unnecessary. This is a good book because of the story line but the language does put me off quite a little bit.

Deep, deep, deep, minding bending stuff!

Right all finished. 

Sheesh, what to say, what to say...

I have read some reviews where they have said that they have fallen for Ty and that Gemma should have stayed with him etc, etc, etc. Well...I don't know if I agree. This guy had some serious issues. I mean, I would love to read a sequel don't get me wrong but he absolutely went about everything the wrong way. It is the same way that I am torn in the Christine/Erik relationship from the original novel. I would have loved for them to be together and still living happily ever after in a kingdom of music deep beneath the Opera house, but then a larger part of me screams that Erik was anything but stable and any kind of relationship would have been fraught with emotional strain...

It is an interesting read from the point of view of Gemma getting used to her situation. And you start to wonder if she really did have Stockholm Syndrome...But that is how this book screws with your head.

We don't see anything of Gemma's parents through the book other than what we are told until the very end. I found them...irritating. They weren't 3D enough to be maybe that was because I had just spent nearly 300 pages with only Ty and Gemma that they were the only ones who seemed 'Real'.

It was pretty cool that there were no chapters. This is a letter, so of course there would be no chapters. So that was pretty funky.

Ok. Bad bits....

Think, think, think.

It is only really what I pointed out at the beginning of the post. Language and graphic-iness. I think actually that a 'not suitable for younger readers' tag on the back would have been fitting. Theres nothing HEAVY but just...yeah. If you have read this you might know what I mean.

Good read though and I would love a sequel. (SPOILER) to see just what happens? Was Ty put in jail? What was his sentence? What will happen when he gets out?

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So  what so you think. Slightly Phantomy I think...

Next up will be Frankenstein.