The Countdown Audiobook Summary
In the concluding book in the otherworldly Taking trilogy, Kyra struggles to understand who she is as she races to save the world from complete destruction.
Ever since Kyra was abducted by aliens and then returned to earth, she has known there was something different about her. Now she knows the truth: she is an alien too. Her alien captors replaced all her human DNA with their own–gifting her with supernatural powers like incredible healing, enhanced eyesight, and telekinesis. But when she’s captured by an unexpected enemy, Kyra begins to wonder if her abilities are also a curse. And is she, as her enemies believe, meant to play some key role in helping an impending alien invasion? Is it programmed into her, something inescapable? Or can she fight that destiny?
No matter what the truth is, Kyra is sure of one thing: She just rescued the love of her life, Tyler, and she is not going to stand by and let anyone hurt him or her friends. Whatever it takes, Kyra will do everything in her power to save the world…even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.
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The Countdown Audiobook Narrator
Tavia Gilbert is the narrator of The Countdown audiobook that was written by Kimberly Derting
Kimberly Derting is the author of the Cece Loves Science series, the Body Finder series, the Pledge trilogy, and the Taking series. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where the gloomy weather is ideal for writing anything dark and creepy. Her three beautiful (and often mouthy) children serve as an endless source of inspiration and frequently find things they say buried in the pages of their mother’s books. You can visit her online at www.kimberlyderting.com.
About the Author(s) of The Countdown
Kimberly Derting is the author of The Countdown
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- Author : Kimberly Derting
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- Publisher : HarperCollins
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The Countdown Full Details
Narrator | Tavia Gilbert |
Length | 8 hours 40 minutes |
Author | Kimberly Derting |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release date | May 10, 2016 |
ISBN | 9780062448415 |
Additional info
The publisher of the The Countdown is HarperCollins. The imprint is HarperCollins. It is supplied by HarperCollins. The ISBN-13 is 9780062448415.
Global Availability
This book is only available in the United States.
Goodreads Reviews
Haley
May 26, 2016
The Countdown is the amazing finale to The Taking trilogy. It’s got action, romance and aliens. It’s perfect fro fans of the 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, Caged by Meghan Shepherd, The Rules trilogy by Stacy Kade, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Unremembered by Jessica Brody, Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza, Blackout by Robison Wells, Rush (the Game Trilogy) by Eve Silver and any other Kimberly Derting book. Pretty much anything with aliens, or teens gaining superpowers. X-file fans, Fringe fans, fans.SPOILERS AHEAD: If you haven’t read the Taking, or even it’s sequel, the Replaced, then don’t read this review. At the beginning of the book, Kyra is on the run with her father and Tyler, the only other “Replaced” (their DNA is completely alien. They’re not hybrids like the Returned). They’ve been on the road for days, and every morning at dawn Kyra hear another number in her head, like a countdown and she becomes obsessed with that number all day, seeing it everywhere. The 3 of them stop at a diner, and Kyra finally decides to tell Tyler about their past, and he walks away from her. Kyra is kidnapped by other Returned and her father, Tyler, Simon, Jett and the others have to find her. Tyler feels like he might sense her. He keeps dreaming of a map that appears to be a reverse star-chart. And this is only the beginning. Lots of awesome stuff happens in this book. This final book does things a little differently. It’s spilt into 2 parts, but I think maybe the first 2 books were too. It’s not entirely Kyra’s point of view. There are chapters that are more like intermissions because they’re not part of the chapter count. Those intermissions are in a different font (san-serif) and are Simon’s or Tyler’s POV. I was really worried that Tyler was body-snatched at the end of the last book when he said “The Returned must die,” but were see that’s not the case and get his point of view. I like Simon, but I really was team Tyler all the way. I’m happy with how the series ended, although I was confused with what happened at first. It was a good ended. This is the second series by Kimberly Derting that I’ve completed. I gotta say she really knows how to write a series. I still haven’t read the Pledge, although a bought the whole series and had they all autographed by her. Kimberly’s a cool author. I met her three time. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. Cover Art Review: Disappointing cover. The cover just kept getting less interesting. ~Haley GMy blog:http://breathlessbookreviews.blogspot...
Lauren the Book Slayer
May 10, 2016
** spoiler alert ** The Countdown is the final book in the Taken trilogy. After the NSA attacked Blackwater Ranch in the previous book, all the returned and replaced scattered to find safety. When The Countdown begins, Kyra, Kyra’s father, and Tyler are hiding out at a campground. The trio has been bouncing from campground to campground – never staying more than one night in one place in order to stay off the NSA’s radar.Early on, Kyra is separated from her father and Tyler. She’s jumped and drugged by an unknown blonde assailant. For a while Kyra is on her own, her father and Tyler are desperately trying to find Kyra, and the rest of the Blackwater Ranch crew who made it through the attack, are trying to locate Kyra and any other potential survivors.The first third of The Countdown was a tad forgettable because it was mostly recap and slow buildup. However, once that 100 page count came and went and more of the taken and replaced joined up again the story really exploded! We got some badass-power-wielding Kyra, deceptions and twists, and some swoony romance – all the elements that made me love this series so much in the first place!I said it in my review for book two and I’ll say it again, the romance between Simon and Kyra was too forced. Maybe Simon had feelings for Kyra, but I never once felt like Kyra showed any romantic nor sexual feelings towards Simon. All Kyra can think about is Tyler. Even though I think it unnecessarily dragged the entirety of books two and three, I’m glad that this weird triangle was resolved by the end of The Countdown.When I started reading The Countdown I thought I had everything figured out, but then towards the middle of the book a slew of hidden agendas and lies were divulged and I had no idea what to think anymore. Thank you Derting for pulling the rug out! It’s exactly what this last book needed!I was initially worried that Derting had made the overall story too big for just three books but by the end of The Countdown I was satisfied with how she tied things up.I’m sad to see the Taken trilogy end, but the story and characters ran their course. I’ll miss Kyra and her feistiness but I’m sure Derting is hard at work on another stellar book that you can bet I’ll be reading!
Andrea
September 09, 2017
Awesome ending to one of my favorite sci-fi trilogies! (Next to Megan Shepherds Caged series!)Five glittery stars for a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommend!
Jacklyn (ReadingBliss)
February 15, 2017
4.5 starsAfter what seemed like a long journey, I am fully satisfied (thank goodness because there were a few scares) with this series. Also, I am relieved- relieved, I say!- that I did not have to endure reading this trilogy in yearly segments! I don't know of too many things that would have made this reading experience worse, besides the second book, except for having to read it slowly over three years. However, this book was great! It seemed like I had a lot of *nail biting* moments where the author dragged out the suspense and sometimes lingered in other parts, but I'm a long-haul type of girl. The ending (that I want) with the right results (that matter to me) are really what are most important and since I got all that I desired in the end, my fulfillment is really my focus for this review. With that said, I haven't read too many alien oriented stories yet and I thought this was pretty good, but still hold firm from my opinion in the first book: the plot is good and all, but it's Tyler who is the glue.
Lisa
February 06, 2017
I really liked the way the author wrapped everything up! Full review to come on Lisa Loves Literature soon!
Jennifer
August 04, 2016
A great end to the series. As always, there were a few threads that weren't quite tied up and some things that were a bit confusing but all in all it was a good finale with a satisfying ending.
Kendra
June 09, 2017
I actually liked this better than I expected, what with the mediocre previous book. It had a pretty solid ending, and the plentiful action and fast pace were very engaging.There are a few twists in this book, but there was a particular one about the message that caught me pleasantly off guard (which was a good thing). The other plot twists I'd sort of vaguely predicted/suspected, but I had no idea this one was what it was. I'm glad the author was able to surprise me that way.Okay, about that pretty solid ending...I like how the characters turned out to be, and the few chapters before the epilogue were satisfyingly full of emotions that made the scenes more raw and breathtaking. The epilogue left off with an almost nostalgic feeling, which left quite an impression. However, the rest of the characters seem to have just stopped existing after the third-to-last chapter (counting the epilogue)...I get that technically (view spoiler)[they're not part of Kyra and Tyler's lives anymore (hide spoiler)], but I still would've liked to see at least one of them attempt to contact them or something, just to fully end their stories. I still have so many questions about them that are probably never going to be answered, and that makes me a bit sad because they've grown on me. Besides that, though, the ending was a good one.One major problem I had with the previous book was that love triangle. In this book, it didn't fully dissipate until towards the end. In the beginning, it strongly seemed like Kyra was settling for one guy, but later she had some thoughts about the other guy that suggested she still liked the other guy. But then her thoughts bounced back to the first guy, and then she almost kissed the other guy, etc., etc. It was very frustrating to read, but I had a feeling about one of the guys that he would be the one to win, and I was right (though I did strongly doubt my feeling at some points). I personally think the whole series would've been better off without the love triangle and if Kyra stuck to one guy so she would seem more serious about him--none of the unnecessary angst would be there, and nor would my slight sadness for the guy that lost. That's my opinion.Yes, I would recommend this book and this series. It's nicely action-packed with a thoughtful romance, plus a few twists. If you enjoy science fiction, urban fantasy, or anything along those categories, and especially if you don't mind a love triangle, chances are you'll enjoy this series.
Andrea
July 29, 2017
This is a great conclusion to this series. Now don't get me wrong, it isn't flawless. There are several super annoying things, highest among them was the epilogue. The plot was quick. The revelations pretty amazing. The resolution wonderful. The epilogue.... that was the lame part.Parts that were amazing:Throughout the course of the novel, Kyra learns some new things about herself, gets some kick butt new powers, and learns something about her DNA. There is some super creepy alien communication. YIKES! Kyra, Simon, and Griffin get to find out who betrayed them and find an old friend. We find some new details out about Kyra's dad. We get to meet another secret branch of the government. Alien technology..... planes that can fly and "jump" locations. Finally, Adam is super cool. He ended up taking the story in a direction I totally didn't see coming. Awesome!Seriously annoying things:Love triangle..... yes another one. There was a small one in the first book. And the end of the second created another which turned into a full blown thing in the third novel. Seriously!!! Just because the main character is a strong independent kick butt girl doesn't mean every boy will fall in love with her but apparently all young adult novelists seem to think so!!! Let's try to include some realistic love patterns in our literature. Next, the alien technology. I will give more details later on in the spoiler part but let's just say it didn't feel original enough. Finally the epilogue was totally a cop-out. In fact the more I think about it the madder it makes me. I almost hate the book for how horrible it is.PG -13 Tons of violence. A girl is tortured. Several people are shot in the head. There is tons more violence than that. There is a ton of bad language in this book which was very different from the forest two. There is kissing. (view spoiler)[ Ok the alien technology makes me a little bit mad. It will not work without the presence of an alien. Seriously this is Independence Day. Also Kyra flies the airplane up to the mother ship.... also Independence Day. Having all of the replaced go back to being human at the end of the novel was ultra LAME! It is like getting to the end of a story and the author saying and then they woke up. It is a cheating way to finish a novel when the author doesn't know how to. She was trying to wrap everything up onto this nice tidy box but life is messier than that!! I feel like she did a huge disservice to her readers with this epilogue.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]
sh(e)reader
September 21, 2017
It can be a little tricky coming back to book series when there has been a big break between books (which is why I generally try to just wait until a series is complete before starting!) As I began this book, I had vague memories of events from book one, but I really couldn't recall book 2 at all. I went to look up my review on GoodReads and ... I hadn't written one. In fact I hadn't marked the book as read. I could have sworn I had, but this lead me to think I'd been mistaken. I was able to get an immediate digital download from my library luckily ... and my Kindle memory took me to the end of the book, and there was a highlight or two. So HAD I read it? SO confused.Maybe I lost my memory ... like Tyler. I reread book 2 and then picked up book 3 again. I'd downloaded the audio edition and wasn't caring for it. The narrator had been one of another series I hadn't loved, and I think that was impacting me. Unfortunately, my library didn't carry the Kindle edition, so audio it was.I did like this book. I wasn't sure how things would wrap up here in the final book, but they did and I was pretty satisfied with it all. I'd recommend the trilogy.Parental Perspective - the is some proFantity
Louise
May 31, 2017
Good conclusion to the trilogyI can't remember when I read the Replaced and so I couldn't remember all of the details although I did recall the general idea of the plot and what had happened so far. I was really grateful for the plot summary at the beginning of the Countdown as it reminded me of certain characters, although there were still one or two names that I could not remember who they were and how they fit into the plot. The Countdown had a compelling plot and at times was tense. However, I did find the ending a bit predictable and cliche.Overall, The Taking trilogy offers an interesting take on science fiction and UFOs. I give its final novel 4/5 as opposed to 5/5 like the first two books partly because of its predictable ending but partly because it had been so long since I read The Replaced. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy sci-fi novels but I would recommend reading these books close together as you may find it difficult to recall what happens if you leave it too long between books.
Jenn
April 18, 2018
4.5 stars*OMG this was good. It was exciting with the twists and truths. I like it was revealed why everyone was being taking. *I did like that Simon and Tyler got little POV’s in the book.*Kyra don’t need you boys to save her, she can do it...just ask the people who captured her...oh wait you can’t lol*Her gifts are unbelievable. She has better control and it’s awesome.*I thought it weird that an enemy was all the sudden on their team. Like how does that happen??*There was a sad moment with her dad :( Nice what he did for them but it was sad. *There was a question at the very end on how the aliens accomplished it because I don’t see how...it almost felt like a quick fix and I didn’t like that. Just let things stay how it was throughout the whole series.Overall, I thought it was a really good series. I found them exciting.
Briana
May 28, 2018
Holy crap that ending.I absolutely LOVED this series. I loved the characters, the plot, and the way Derting portrayed aliens. However, as much as I loved it, I had a few problems with the series:1. Tyler's memory loss.I hate memory loss in any book. But the only real purpose it served was to make it seem as though Simon and Kyra had a chance (which, let's be real, they never did.)2.The some-what love triangleI feel as though it wasn't really necessary to make Simon a GIANT pushover on Kyra. Like, Simon knows she has a boyfriend, but he always tries to make his move (which is a super douchy move in my opinion). And the fact that Kyra had a few feeling for him... UGH! No Kyra, STOP IT!But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. As a mega fan of the Lux series, its cool to see aliens in a sci-fi and paranormal light portrayed in such different but amazing ways.
Kim
June 02, 2018
The perfect ending for this trilogy! It was good to finally finish this series and find out what the fate would be for Kiera, Simon and his gang and Tyler. Also, the return of Kiera's nemesis, Agent Truman.So Kiera and Tyler know they've been returned much different from the others. They are not really returned, but kind of replicas of their former selves, 100% alien with the memories of their former bodies. Each have "powers" the others don't, and now they'll need them more than ever if they're going to hide from the NSA, Agent Truman and others they aren't even aware of that are looking for their specific kind of returned.Loved the action in this story and the way it ended. Probably the best alien trilogy I've read. No, definitely!
Jennifer
October 17, 2017
Noo!! Why did it end that way?! Not that it wasn't complete, I just was a little disappointed with her and the gang and her dad and how they all turned out! I love Kyra and Tyler as a couple. I wasn't sure how I felt about Simon but I thought it worked out in the end. Especially them realizing who they ACTUALLY had feelings for and not just wondering. This was a fast-paced read. Pages would fly by and I didn't realize I had read so many until I looked down.I really enjoy this author's books and can't wait to read another! (I actually won an ebook by her so that wait won't be too long!! :-) )
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