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Alien: Taken - Human Test Subject
~Brestille of Aiyrn~
They’ve been raiding our planet for generations, but I didn’t believe the rumors about twins being bad luck – at least not until the day Gvynette and I were taken. The Terrans snatched us from our home world, brought us to this remote planet, and turned us into guinea pigs, poking and prodding us for their own purposes. I know now that we can never go home. I might have just given up if it hadn’t been for the strange new alien I met here. There’s something that intrigues me about him. The connection we share is special – that much was clear from the moment we met – or else the scientists are up to more dirty tricks and all of this is just simulated. I don’t know who to trust anymore.
~Derresch of Belor~
I wasn’t supposed to be taken. I should be fighting the Terrans – in a year’s time I would have finished my training and been off to war. But now I’m trapped here on this XenoStation with all of the primitive races that are usually the ones being subjected to this kind of inhumane experimentation. I was ready to go down in a blaze of glory, to take as many Terrans with me as I could, but then I met this tough little Aiyurna girl – naïve as you please but strong, defiant even – who made me feel oddly protective. I don’t know if I can help her – or if she’ll even want me once she finds out what I really am, but she’s made me want to go on living, and for now that’s enough.
In the last chapter you will encounter the biggest twist yet. All the buildup of the previous two chapters will come to a jaw-dropping end.
♥ WARNING: Alien: Taken is a standalone 60K+ novel with no cliffhangers. However, it also contains adult-level sexiness and some intense action scenes and is meant for mature readers only. Enjoy!
BONUS ★★★★★ 5+ Surprise Bonus Stories included!
* * * Introductory Price * * * LIMITED TIME ONLY!
GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!
They’ve been raiding our planet for generations, but I didn’t believe the rumors about twins being bad luck – at least not until the day Gvynette and I were taken. The Terrans snatched us from our home world, brought us to this remote planet, and turned us into guinea pigs, poking and prodding us for their own purposes. I know now that we can never go home. I might have just given up if it hadn’t been for the strange new alien I met here. There’s something that intrigues me about him. The connection we share is special – that much was clear from the moment we met – or else the scientists are up to more dirty tricks and all of this is just simulated. I don’t know who to trust anymore.
~Derresch of Belor~
I wasn’t supposed to be taken. I should be fighting the Terrans – in a year’s time I would have finished my training and been off to war. But now I’m trapped here on this XenoStation with all of the primitive races that are usually the ones being subjected to this kind of inhumane experimentation. I was ready to go down in a blaze of glory, to take as many Terrans with me as I could, but then I met this tough little Aiyurna girl – naïve as you please but strong, defiant even – who made me feel oddly protective. I don’t know if I can help her – or if she’ll even want me once she finds out what I really am, but she’s made me want to go on living, and for now that’s enough.
In the last chapter you will encounter the biggest twist yet. All the buildup of the previous two chapters will come to a jaw-dropping end.
♥ WARNING: Alien: Taken is a standalone 60K+ novel with no cliffhangers. However, it also contains adult-level sexiness and some intense action scenes and is meant for mature readers only. Enjoy!
BONUS ★★★★★ 5+ Surprise Bonus Stories included!
* * * Introductory Price * * * LIMITED TIME ONLY!
GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!
- GenresAliensScience Fiction
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2016
18 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 9, 2016
Who can you trust when all is not what it seems??
**I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.**
Alien – Taken is the first book I have read by Ms. Tobin as I just recently discovered her work. I enjoy a good sci-fi adventure once in awhile and I must say that this story was a nice change of pace.
The story centers around sisters Brestille and Gvynette, a pair of telepathic, identical twins from Airyn who are taken along with several other members of their community by the Terrans. It seems the Terrans have been raiding their planet for many generations due to the fact that twin females were their preference for test subjects and are quite common on Airyn. Once taken, they are never seen or heard from again.
The sisters heard the various stories about the Terran warriors growing up and Brestille believed that the tales passed down had become so exaggerated that it sounded more like gossip to her. Well, she soon finds out this is not the case as the book opens with her spending the day on Mt. Astamorr with Ariyo, her childhood friend and lover, when the Terrans attack.
During the raid, Brestille tries desperately to find her sister Gvynette telepathically and as soon as Brestille makes the mental connection, everything goes dark. When she comes to, she finds herself on a Terran transport ship next to her sister. They will soon find themselves at the Xenostation on Alexander Prime. It is one of many science posts established throughout the galaxy by the Terrans for genetic research. A devastating toxin has affected female fertility on Earth , so the Terran’s mission is to harvest compatible eggs from alien females in hopes of producing viable fetuses, thus ensuring the continuation of the human race. Their second objective, expose the female subjects to the same toxin to see if they are affected as well.
From here the story takes the reader on a journey through the “Pen” as the two sisters reconnect with each other while trying to find out what happen to Ariyo. Along the way, the sisters meet and befriend some interesting characters such as Doey and her friend Saarlen. Doey is responsible for helping the “Subs” settle in to the Pen. Derresch is a young warrior from Belor who becomes attracted to one of the sisters, Mäerschti & Tulnatsua who explain how the Pen works, and finally Grier, an older woman who runs a bar called “Grier’s Place.”
Clara Tobin has created a fascinating world where members of different alien races learn to live together under extraordinary circumstances while managing to establish a functioning society. Brestille and Gvynette adjust to their new life and home, but all is not what is seems. They learn about “SIMS” artificial people who look and act like real humans. The only way to tell the difference is to cut one open. They live among the people in the Pen and their job is to maintain order and report back to the Terrans.
I enjoyed this book for many reasons, the descriptive world-building, the plot twists, the mysterious characters, and the eerie feeling that is subtlety woven into the storyline. What happened to Ariyo after he was taken? Will Brestille find him and will he be the same young man she knew? Who can the twins really trust when SIMS live among them and are any of their new friends one? Are love, happiness, and a future in the cards for Brestille, Gvynette, and Ariyo, and Derresch?
I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something unique and different in sci-fi romance where the story isn’t all about sex and the world created isn’t full of far-fetched ideas that the reader can’t imagine in the not too distant future. I am looking forward to reading more of Clara Tobin’s work and if you haven’t read any of her stories, Alien – Taken is a great place to start!!
**I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.**
Alien – Taken is the first book I have read by Ms. Tobin as I just recently discovered her work. I enjoy a good sci-fi adventure once in awhile and I must say that this story was a nice change of pace.
The story centers around sisters Brestille and Gvynette, a pair of telepathic, identical twins from Airyn who are taken along with several other members of their community by the Terrans. It seems the Terrans have been raiding their planet for many generations due to the fact that twin females were their preference for test subjects and are quite common on Airyn. Once taken, they are never seen or heard from again.
The sisters heard the various stories about the Terran warriors growing up and Brestille believed that the tales passed down had become so exaggerated that it sounded more like gossip to her. Well, she soon finds out this is not the case as the book opens with her spending the day on Mt. Astamorr with Ariyo, her childhood friend and lover, when the Terrans attack.
During the raid, Brestille tries desperately to find her sister Gvynette telepathically and as soon as Brestille makes the mental connection, everything goes dark. When she comes to, she finds herself on a Terran transport ship next to her sister. They will soon find themselves at the Xenostation on Alexander Prime. It is one of many science posts established throughout the galaxy by the Terrans for genetic research. A devastating toxin has affected female fertility on Earth , so the Terran’s mission is to harvest compatible eggs from alien females in hopes of producing viable fetuses, thus ensuring the continuation of the human race. Their second objective, expose the female subjects to the same toxin to see if they are affected as well.
From here the story takes the reader on a journey through the “Pen” as the two sisters reconnect with each other while trying to find out what happen to Ariyo. Along the way, the sisters meet and befriend some interesting characters such as Doey and her friend Saarlen. Doey is responsible for helping the “Subs” settle in to the Pen. Derresch is a young warrior from Belor who becomes attracted to one of the sisters, Mäerschti & Tulnatsua who explain how the Pen works, and finally Grier, an older woman who runs a bar called “Grier’s Place.”
Clara Tobin has created a fascinating world where members of different alien races learn to live together under extraordinary circumstances while managing to establish a functioning society. Brestille and Gvynette adjust to their new life and home, but all is not what is seems. They learn about “SIMS” artificial people who look and act like real humans. The only way to tell the difference is to cut one open. They live among the people in the Pen and their job is to maintain order and report back to the Terrans.
I enjoyed this book for many reasons, the descriptive world-building, the plot twists, the mysterious characters, and the eerie feeling that is subtlety woven into the storyline. What happened to Ariyo after he was taken? Will Brestille find him and will he be the same young man she knew? Who can the twins really trust when SIMS live among them and are any of their new friends one? Are love, happiness, and a future in the cards for Brestille, Gvynette, and Ariyo, and Derresch?
I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something unique and different in sci-fi romance where the story isn’t all about sex and the world created isn’t full of far-fetched ideas that the reader can’t imagine in the not too distant future. I am looking forward to reading more of Clara Tobin’s work and if you haven’t read any of her stories, Alien – Taken is a great place to start!!
June 17, 2016
Tries too hard
I liked the fresh take that those from Earth were the villain but the story was underdeveloped all the way around. The author tries too hard with the plot twist and overall the end is wholly unsatisfying. I tried one bonus short story and was also disappointed. I don't recommend this book or author.
I liked the fresh take that those from Earth were the villain but the story was underdeveloped all the way around. The author tries too hard with the plot twist and overall the end is wholly unsatisfying. I tried one bonus short story and was also disappointed. I don't recommend this book or author.
June 22, 2016
I liked this one ok but there were some issues. I wished the characters had been described more initially... and the way it was written was slightly confusing at first but after a while u get used to it. I found myself being more frustrated with the story than anything else and somewhat relieved when it was over.
March 8, 2023
Once I finished this book I decided the author probably should have broken it up into two different books. There were too many things going on and too many characters, and a lot of it was boring.
Originally I was intrigued by this book since in this case the aliens were the ones being kidnapped by the humans. Their eggs were harvested, and they were experimented on, and then made to live in communes in case the humans wanted to use them later on for some other experiment. According to this book the humans had been doing it for years. Interesting premise.
Twins, Gvinette and Bristelle were abducted along with Bristelle's boyfriend. Once they have been experimented on, the boyfriend disappears. Apparently the whole story was supposed to be about where he went? This is why it should have been only Bristelle's story and not adding another storyline for Gvinette and others.
I won't say the book redeemed itself for me, the ending was interesting and I saw the overall plan, but along the way it was pretty boring and there were a lot of things that could have been left out, or split into two different books. I did, however, finish it, which is more than I can say for other books I've read this year.
Originally I was intrigued by this book since in this case the aliens were the ones being kidnapped by the humans. Their eggs were harvested, and they were experimented on, and then made to live in communes in case the humans wanted to use them later on for some other experiment. According to this book the humans had been doing it for years. Interesting premise.
Twins, Gvinette and Bristelle were abducted along with Bristelle's boyfriend. Once they have been experimented on, the boyfriend disappears. Apparently the whole story was supposed to be about where he went? This is why it should have been only Bristelle's story and not adding another storyline for Gvinette and others.
I won't say the book redeemed itself for me, the ending was interesting and I saw the overall plan, but along the way it was pretty boring and there were a lot of things that could have been left out, or split into two different books. I did, however, finish it, which is more than I can say for other books I've read this year.
September 12, 2016
Disappointing
While I liked the concept of the storyline, I thought this would be so much better by the synopsis. It had so much potential, it just didn’t follow through. The story just didn't hold my attention. The story was okay. Not bad, not good. Just okay.
While this is not an in depth complicated story, for a book that is almost 6 hours long the writing should not feel disjointed. A little more in depth story and information would have gone a long way. Your kidnapped by Aliens, experimented on, put into "Dome's" to live, you find out there are other "Dome's" there are hundreds of more people just like you and you just accept it. The story would have been more interesting if the subjects had more of a backbone. I kept waiting for something "more" to happen.
This is listed as a standalone book with no cliffhanger. If I had purchased the book I would have returned it. With so many others books out there, I would pass on this one. I really hate to put down an author's work but this is an unbiased review.
Addison Spear does the narration for this book. She does a good job. She has a very distinct voice you recognize immediately. Good character voices.
This audiobook was provided by author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.com
While I liked the concept of the storyline, I thought this would be so much better by the synopsis. It had so much potential, it just didn’t follow through. The story just didn't hold my attention. The story was okay. Not bad, not good. Just okay.
While this is not an in depth complicated story, for a book that is almost 6 hours long the writing should not feel disjointed. A little more in depth story and information would have gone a long way. Your kidnapped by Aliens, experimented on, put into "Dome's" to live, you find out there are other "Dome's" there are hundreds of more people just like you and you just accept it. The story would have been more interesting if the subjects had more of a backbone. I kept waiting for something "more" to happen.
This is listed as a standalone book with no cliffhanger. If I had purchased the book I would have returned it. With so many others books out there, I would pass on this one. I really hate to put down an author's work but this is an unbiased review.
Addison Spear does the narration for this book. She does a good job. She has a very distinct voice you recognize immediately. Good character voices.
This audiobook was provided by author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.com
October 16, 2016
Alien Kidnapping..
The story is mainly about the twin sisters Brestille and Gvynette.
It seems the Terrans aliens have been raiding their planet for many years.
When they are attacked, Brestille was on the Astamorr Mountain with Ariyo, her
special friend.
Brestille tries to find her sister Gvynette telepathically and as they connect, they lose
consciousness.
They awake to a new world and Brestille wants to find out what happened to Ariyo.
This book is full of Suspense, a bit of Romance and several Twists and Turns making
it an interesting and a highly entertaining read or listen.
Addison Spear did well with the narration.
Note:
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."
August 22, 2016
I received this audiobook free for an honest review. My first book by Ms. Tobin and I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't an indepth book. It was pretty superficial. I could guess the ending not too far into the book. It had an interesting story, but I believe the story could have gotten a bit more involved. There really wasn't any suspense or thrill, or even heavy romance. I'm not sure what kind of book it is other than sci-fi. With so many books to choose from, I'm not sure I will read another Clara Tobin book. The narrator did a good job. I was able to distinguish between the characters, except for the twins and I guess that is to be expected.
September 15, 2016
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.
Unfortunately, the story seemed very anti-climatic the entire time. When the Tarrons come and abduct her (and her boyfriend and sister), you'd think there would be some excitement. Maybe some resistance, some anger, some crying, pounding on your cell. Instead, she has the "I was captured and experimented on. Oh well" attitude which comes off a bit boring. Maybe I'm just used to the YA excitement of rebellious characters.
The narrator did a great job, but she couldn't really save the story.
Unfortunately, the story seemed very anti-climatic the entire time. When the Tarrons come and abduct her (and her boyfriend and sister), you'd think there would be some excitement. Maybe some resistance, some anger, some crying, pounding on your cell. Instead, she has the "I was captured and experimented on. Oh well" attitude which comes off a bit boring. Maybe I'm just used to the YA excitement of rebellious characters.
The narrator did a great job, but she couldn't really save the story.
June 14, 2016
I'm not sure what I was expecting, other than to say "more." I feel like this book had the potential to have a great story line and was thinking along the lines of Anne McCaffrey's Freedom series, but it felt like things were either rushed or too easily accepted. I definitely hated the Terrans, which is reasonable based on the characterization in the book, but overall I didn't particularly love any character which is disappointing. It wasn't a bad read, it just didn't have the depth I was hoping for. It's somewhere between elements of a scifi romance and the start of a scifi adventure.
February 22, 2016
This was my first book by Clara Tobin and I would read her books again. This was a good sci-fi story with aliens being taken for experiments and having to work together for the greater good, and finding love through it all. The story flowed well and it wrapped up nicely. If you like sci-fi and romance then give this story a try. I won this on Library Thing and did not receive any compensation for my review.
August 17, 2016
Great Storyline
I really enjoy the way this author developes her characters. I've read several of her books. It is really easy to get involved in the lives of her characters. The world is different than any I have read about. It is so easy for authors to get into a rut. This storyline is totally unique and very fun to read.
I really enjoy the way this author developes her characters. I've read several of her books. It is really easy to get involved in the lives of her characters. The world is different than any I have read about. It is so easy for authors to get into a rut. This storyline is totally unique and very fun to read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews