Have you ever read a book, and then struggled to decide if you liked it? After all, people died horribly and unimaginable suffering was visited upon the protagonists. You can't really walk away with a, "well that was fun!" And yet, you are glad you read the book...more than that, you are grateful. It reached down inside of you and forced you to deal with ideas and emotions you hope will never see the light of day outside the pages of a book. You come away stronger, more aware of yourself, your world, and your beliefs.

Captives was one of those books. It isn't a fun Sunday afternoon read. It isn't a book you go around summarizing easily. You remember trying to explain Hunger Games to someone the first time? "It's a book about a bunch of kids getting put into an arena to kill each other. Which they do." On the surface, the plot leaves you reeling. But of course, we're talking about the surface. The part that allows the real plot to function.

Captives is a hard book that doesn't really belong in the hands of younger readers. But because it is a hard story, it is a great story. So don't hand it to the ten year old who loved the Blood of Kings Trilogy. Read it yourself and grow from it. And look forward to someday working through it with a teenager who is asking the questions Captives makes you answer. How far is too far? Will having everything make me happy? Does the end justify the means? Can I save humanity if the price is my family?

My thanks to Jill Williamson for providing me with an ARC of Captives in return for my honest opinion of the book. For more about Captives and my full review of the book, check out my other internet home, http://lytherus.com/ where Jill is participating in the author spotlight feature with a giveaway, an interview, and a guest post.