The Gone Trilogy

I absolutely loved reading this trilogy! But let me start off with why only four stars. The set needs a strong amount of editing. Missing words, misspelled words. If a reader finds them, then why not the editor or author? An otherwise great storyline that's not properly edited is one of my biggest pet peeves. Authors: please don't do that to your (paying) audience!

I became engrossed in the series from page one. Poor Macy, at only 15 and not allowed to date yet, sneaks out of the house to meet Jared. Only she quickly finds out Jared isn't who she thinks he is. Thus begins her nightmare. And her family and the police think she's run away. They keep thinking she'll return but soon they must face a parent's worst nightmare: kidnapping.

The author did a great job of building the characters. I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn't reading. The storyline was also well done. Maybe one too many attempts at escaping, only to be pulled back in. And one or two other slightly implausible events, but nothing so outrageous as to make the book completely unbelievable. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

So often books about this subject would have been too horrific for me to read. For me it was suspenseful but not horrific. The end comes in months not years. Good mystery w/o being too unsettling.

While this book was engrossing and interesting and held my attention through most of it, by about 1/2 way through it, I was starting to get antsy as it was dragging on and on and on. And the twists by that time, I was like, "really?" and "what are the odds?" and "let's be done already". It was as if the author had a goal of a really long book and no matter how much extra stuff needed to be added to the story, it started to fall apart once they left the cult part. In fact, I found myself skipping past parts, more skimming pages to move the book along faster. Wanting to get back to Macey's side of things vs what was going on with her parents and brother (which his relationship with Zoey and the ensuing pregnancy didn't add to the story and could've/should've been left out. As well as the lady that kept following the dad...that seemed a little unrealistic, especially considering what he was going through.

And then towards the end, there was all this buildup and a total let down when it came to a head. Heather and Macey winding up together for a short part, was just silly. The likelihood of something like that happening. I wish it had happened differently. It was hard to take the author seriously after that and the ending was very anti-climatic and very disappointing. Also a lot of editing issues. I doubt I will read anything else by this author, as I just can't trust her to write something that doesn't feel like I was strung a long on a really long and pointless ride. I felt cheated by the end.

I'm surprised this has so many five star ratings. I skipped many paragraphs and several chapters related to some of the characters, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. There was a lot of redundancy, rambling thoughts, and moments where I shook my head. When I finished, I looked to see if this was in the YA category, but no. If written differently, this could have been a gripping page turner.

As a parent, I believe this book has truly opened my eyes and was able to present me with one of my biggest fears! This is a heart breaking story, parts of it, will completely gut you and make you stop what you are doing to reinforce to your children the real dangers in the world! But it will also show you to never give up hope! I personally was not a fan of Macy's mom and as terrible as it is to judge a person without being in their shoes, I seriously wanted to throw my device across the room and smack this women! But otherwise, minus the pure rage I felt towards several characters in this story, it was a great trilogy with a great outcome!

While this book was engrossing and interesting and held my attention through most of it, by about 1/2 way through it, I was starting to get antsy as it was dragging on and on and on. And the twists by that time, I was like, "really?" and "what are the odds?" and "let's be done already". It was as if the author had a goal of a really long book and no matter how much extra stuff needed to be added to the story, it started to fall apart once they left the cult part. In fact, I found myself skipping past parts, more skimming pages to move the book along faster. Wanting to get back to Macey's side of things vs what was going on with her parents and brother (which his relationship with Zoey and the ensuing pregnancy didn't add to the story and could've/should've been left out. As well as the lady that kept following the dad...that seemed a little unrealistic, especially considering what he was going through.

And then towards the end, there was all this buildup and a total let down when it came to a head. Heather and Macey winding up together for a short part, was just silly. The likelihood of something like that happening. I wish it had happened differently. It was hard to take the author seriously after that and the ending was very anti-climatic and very disappointing. Also a lot of editing issues. I doubt I will read anything else by this author, as I just can't trust her to write something that doesn't feel like I was strung a long on a really long and pointless ride. I felt cheated by the end.

I'm surprised this has so many five star ratings. I skipped many paragraphs and several chapters related to some of the characters, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. There was a lot of redundancy, rambling thoughts, and moments where I shook my head. When I finished, I looked to see if this was in the YA category, but no. If written differently, this could have been a gripping page turner.

As a parent, I believe this book has truly opened my eyes and was able to present me with one of my biggest fears! This is a heart breaking story, parts of it, will completely gut you and make you stop what you are doing to reinforce to your children the real dangers in the world! But it will also show you to never give up hope! I personally was not a fan of Macy's mom and as terrible as it is to judge a person without being in their shoes, I seriously wanted to throw my device across the room and smack this women! But otherwise, minus the pure rage I felt towards several characters in this story, it was a great trilogy with a great outcome!

This story had serious potential, then the author would interfere with unbelievable incidents. I almost feel like this story was meant for young teens. It was okay since I bought it on sale. Target audience should be young teens, not adults.

This is a Psychological Thriller trilogy with Young Adult undertone.

Gone:

The first of the trilogy focuses on how Macy Mercer goes missing and how her kidnapper conditions her.

Held:

The second of the trilogy which shares where Macy was taken after her kidnapper conditioned her.

Over

The last of the trilogy focuses on Macy's attempts to gain freedom for her kidnapper's torments.

To be honest, this story scared me with how realistic it was. I mean I could picture the events in my mind's eye as if they were really happening. It made me cringe at times and tell myself it is only a book.

Warning: While Young Adults can learn lessons from these stories, I highly recommend it be read with a parent or guardian present in case of nightmares.

I was iffy about accepting this book, raising two teenage daughters I was not sure if I could handle reading about Macy being kidnapped and her family and friends having to deal with it. Stacy Claflin not only wrote about it in a tender and heart shattering way, but in a way that made it real.

I found myself relating to the parents and how they didn’t know how to proceed with their lives. Every time the police called I held my breath hoping that they would have a clue that would lead to putting Macy back home. Not knowing a lot about the family’s history, I enjoyed learning about them. Learning how there was so much distance and unhappiness before Macy’s kidnapping, yet being able to pull together and support each other in this horrific time. I know there is more coming about this family, but I have the definite feeling that this family will come out on top and closer than ever.

Macy is courageous. Knowing that she put herself into this position and that she needs to remember her family and how they love her, she keeps strong and takes note of all the things around her trying to help herself escape. She also is so smart. She works hard to realize what will keep Chester from punishing her and keep herself as safe as possible. I admire her for holding herself together and doing what she has to.

This is not an easy book. It is a tough subject that Stacy Claflin handles with great care. I am anxious for the next book in this series to be released. Definitely pick this book up and read it.

While I continued reading the entire trilogy to see how the storyline resolved, I was constantly disappointed with the lack of editing and childish writing style. I did not purchase from the store but rather on my iBooks account and read them on my phone. I found many typos, missing words, and grammatical errors. It made me glad I only paid a few bucks for books that someone wasn't even willing to proofread.

Pros:
The storyline is interesting and the way the chapters are written are suspenseful; making you want to keep reading.
There isn't much profanity in the books so they're probably good for kids.
While there is a teen pregnancy, the books do address the complications and in the end provide a good lesson. Again, good for kids.
The characters and their descriptions are a bit juvenile but you do come to appreciate them and their interactions.

Another well written, suspense filled novel about a kidnapping of a 15-year-old girl and the efforts that went into the search for her. From the beginning of the book, the words just flowed quickly and the reader just can't put down the book on this horrible topic. Unfortunately, there's two more books before the end of the story.

Dean's List - Dean's List - A well written, suspense story about Lydia and Dean, two characters from another novel Gone, and is set a year later. There is adultery, a control freak, a possible serial killer and the lives a gaggle of friends share facing intrigue and suspense. Most of the characters are from the Gone Trilogy neighborhood. I contacted the author to review her book.

I really enjoyed the book... Initially. Even towards the end, but I started dreading the back stories of the mom and dad and Alex and Zoey. The last few chapters I literally just passed through to get to macy's story. Though even her story took a turn when the whole psychiatric hospital came into play. It became completely unbelievable and frustrating as to why she was making certain decisions. I like the characters and will keep reading, but felt a lot if this could have been cleaned up.... It seemed the storyline was being stretched.

This subject is almost too horrible to contemplate if you're a parent. And an author with different leanings could have made it much more graphic and gory. But Stacy Claflin does an amazing job of creating a horrifying tale without the graphic and gory details that would haunt your dreams. That being said, these books will grab you and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I highly recommend reading them.

I bought Gone first, not realizing it was a series. As soon as I finished it, I came back to the store and bought the whole series because it is so good. Stacy Claflin has written a very suspenseful thriller. I would think I knew what was coming next only to discover I was completely wrong. If you want a series that will completely draw you in, you should read these.

I did find the story line interesting. However, it didn’t ring true on lots of points and there we SO many errors that I was upset that I paid for it. I read the entire trilogy so it did keep my interest hence the three stars.

I downloaded this book and completed it in a single day. Overall I suspect I probably read all three books in just about a week.

I thoroughly enjoyed the final chapter of Macy's horrible experience because the finale was the right one. I must admit however to some disappointment in that I felt the resolution of Chester's eventual outcome was fulfilling. I wanted to know more about what became of him. I did feel that all of the other characters' storylines were completed.

I will be actively seeking additional books by Stacy Claflin.

Wow! These books have had me gripped from beginning to end. I literally couldn't put them down, I've had sleepless nights because I've stayed up reading them. I can't get over how much they make you feel like you're part of the story too. Experiencing all of the emotions and willing Macy on, hoping and praying that Chester got his just desserts. Absolutely fabulous from beginning to end. Can't recommend it enough!!

With each book you get pulled into the story more and more. Parents & their teenagers should all read these books as a warning about the internet. I grew up with the saying "don't talk to strangers" but now you have to say so much more as a parent in today's world. This story could & does happen almost everyday in the internet world. I am excited to read the books coming forth telling more about some of the characters in the trilogy. Fantastic modern story telling by the author!

I absolutely loved this series. It was full of surprises and twists. I was glued to each page, I had a hard time putting the book down. I​ am actually kind of sad that the series is over but I do plan on reading more books by Stacy Claflin. She is an amazing writer.

From the very first sentence to the last word, this series gripped me!! The suspense & need to know what happens next?! As a parent, this book scared me, to know that this stuff happens all the time is just sad.. It will definitely open your eyes, & keep you thinking long after it ends.. I will definitely be watching for more from Ms. Claflin! There are hints that there will be continuation stories of one or more of the characters! :) Oh gosh, I am trying to be patient, but, please hurry!! ;)

Love, love, love The Gone Trilogy by Stacy Claflin. A gripping, terrifying tale of kidnapping, abuse and murder. I couldn't put the book down, turning page after page well into the night. I look forward to the spin off series hinted at in the back of the book.