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The first pulse-pounding, action-packed novel in the Sienna Nealon series, from million-selling author Robert J. Crane. Sienna Nealon was a 17 year-old girl who had been held prisoner in her own house by her mother for twelve years. Then one day her mother vanished, and Sienna woke up to find two strange men in her home. On the run, unsure of who to turn to and discovering she possesses mysterious powers, Sienna finds herself pursued by a shadowy agency known as the Directorate and hunted by a vicious, bloodthirsty psychopath named Wolfe, each of which is determined to capture her for their own purposes...
180 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2012
11145 people are currently reading
7708 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Crane
191 books1,169 followersRobert J. Crane was born and raised on Florida's Space Coast before moving to the upper midwest in search of cooler climates and more palatable beer. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Creative Writing. He worked for a year as a substitute teacher and worked in the financial services field for seven years while writing in his spare time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,089 reviews
November 23, 2012
What I expected:
What I got:
Full review to come.
What I got:
Full review to come.
January 24, 2014
Alone, was unfortunately, a rather disappointing read, which in my honest opinion has very little going for it.
It features a very one dimensional plot (the rivalry with Wolfe), dull side characters and a MC that is not only unlikable but unbelievable.
Sienna, the MC of this book has spent the last twelve years without ever leaving her house. The only human contact she has had is with her mother, who has broken her to the point where she never even steps foot outside the house (she couldn't even recognise her prison from the outside). That's all well and good, but the Sienna we are presented with is totally incongruent with someone who has been subjected to this.
The Sienna we are given is cavalier to the point she makes Tony Stark seem humble. For example, one (of the many times) she is about to be strangled to death, she wishes that she could think of something witty to say, but laments that she can't due to the fact she is seconds away from being suffocated to death.Really? It flat out does not add up.
And why is Sienna such a raging b*$#!
"A clever strategy, by the way," Adriadne added.
"A desperate one that bought me all of thirty seconds before he reaffirmed his desire to rape and kill me," I raged back at her.
(I should mention that the only reason Wolfe has it in for her is because she was an idiot earlier [in the process of which she got 8 people killed for no good reason, which she isn't remorseful for])
--------
"Let's check your injury."
"Don't you mean injuries?" I said it with a bitterness that welled up deep inside.
--------
"How do you feel?"
"Like I've been kicked, punched, gutted, slapped and stomped on ... So basically like you look all the time."
--------
I stared back at them, defiant. Yeah, I screwed up. But good luck getting me to admit it in public.
You got eight people killed because of your raging idiocy, you $#@#$%!#@
There are plenty more examples thoughout the book, and they left me wishing that Wolfe would win. The second she finds out she is some badass meta, every normal person suddenly becomes subhuman to her. Urgh.
Alone seems to draw inspiration from things such as X-Men , we have the "meta's" who are basically badass humans that boast superior strength and the like, and sometimes special abilities. Sounds good so far, right? Well, unfortunately something went horribly wrong with the execution. The most prominent of which is Sienna's power,
Regrettably, the whole book can be boiled down to,
Wolfe attacks Sienna, she escapes, barely surviving.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
She hides from Wolfe, while he kills hundreds (yep, hundreds) of people until she decides to come out from hiding.
Finally she wins.
Almost nothing was explained throughout the entire duration of the book. What happens to the other meta she meets at the start? What's going on with the faction Wolfe works for. Why does Old Man Winter want her so much that he is willing to sacrifice so damn much for her? What's up with that pulse gun thingo? And why is there only one of them? What happened to her mother? Why does her mother do absolutely nothing to prepare her for the real world? She was almost 18 and she has been given no useful information to help her survive, she doesn't know who to trust, has no money and so on.
You'd think as she reached adulthood, her mother would have started to prepare her more for the world outside. Unless we are meant to believe that she was going to keep her cooped up inside the house forever.
In summary, don't bother with this book. There is potential, if only the MC was believable and likable, the side characters weren't so hopelessly irrelevant and one dimensional; and the plot was spiced up.
Sienna, the MC of this book has spent the last twelve years without ever leaving her house. The only human contact she has had is with her mother, who has broken her to the point where she never even steps foot outside the house (she couldn't even recognise her prison from the outside). That's all well and good, but the Sienna we are presented with is totally incongruent with someone who has been subjected to this.
The Sienna we are given is cavalier to the point she makes Tony Stark seem humble. For example, one (of the many times) she is about to be strangled to death, she wishes that she could think of something witty to say, but laments that she can't due to the fact she is seconds away from being suffocated to death.Really? It flat out does not add up.
And why is Sienna such a raging b*$#!
"A clever strategy, by the way," Adriadne added.
"A desperate one that bought me all of thirty seconds before he reaffirmed his desire to rape and kill me," I raged back at her.
(I should mention that the only reason Wolfe has it in for her is because she was an idiot earlier [in the process of which she got 8 people killed for no good reason, which she isn't remorseful for])
--------
"Let's check your injury."
"Don't you mean injuries?" I said it with a bitterness that welled up deep inside.
--------
"How do you feel?"
"Like I've been kicked, punched, gutted, slapped and stomped on ... So basically like you look all the time."
--------
I stared back at them, defiant. Yeah, I screwed up. But good luck getting me to admit it in public.
You got eight people killed because of your raging idiocy, you $#@#$%!#@
There are plenty more examples thoughout the book, and they left me wishing that Wolfe would win. The second she finds out she is some badass meta, every normal person suddenly becomes subhuman to her. Urgh.
Alone seems to draw inspiration from things such as X-Men , we have the "meta's" who are basically badass humans that boast superior strength and the like, and sometimes special abilities. Sounds good so far, right? Well, unfortunately something went horribly wrong with the execution. The most prominent of which is Sienna's power,
Regrettably, the whole book can be boiled down to,
Wolfe attacks Sienna, she escapes, barely surviving.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
She hides from Wolfe, while he kills hundreds (yep, hundreds) of people until she decides to come out from hiding.
Finally she wins.
Almost nothing was explained throughout the entire duration of the book. What happens to the other meta she meets at the start? What's going on with the faction Wolfe works for. Why does Old Man Winter want her so much that he is willing to sacrifice so damn much for her? What's up with that pulse gun thingo? And why is there only one of them? What happened to her mother? Why does her mother do absolutely nothing to prepare her for the real world? She was almost 18 and she has been given no useful information to help her survive, she doesn't know who to trust, has no money and so on.
You'd think as she reached adulthood, her mother would have started to prepare her more for the world outside. Unless we are meant to believe that she was going to keep her cooped up inside the house forever.
In summary, don't bother with this book. There is potential, if only the MC was believable and likable, the side characters weren't so hopelessly irrelevant and one dimensional; and the plot was spiced up.
September 26, 2012
I'm never exactly sure what I'll find when I select a new title to read and/or review. That was the case this time. What is also true is that even after reading this really well written tale, I'm still not sure what to expect. For starters, the story isn't yet done. But what I have read so far is totally in a world of its own and the characters are solid and believable. I found my attitude even changing about one or two of them as the time passed. I'll give you warning, don't pick this book up unless you have the time to read it all in one sitting. That's how good it is.
December 29, 2012
This was a well written story in most part. However.. Yeah I'm gonna be honest.
The author needed to research real life long-term captivity and abuse scenarios more. Speaking from experience this character had zero signs she had ever lived through what she supposedly lived through. She wouldn't communicate as well, wouldn't function as well. Nothing added up. I would have scratched that entire idea -- and the whole box issue and discussion in the cafeteria... what the heck happened to that young agent anyway??? Never came back. Hello? Where did he go?
What happened to all the characters that hated her? Literally they entire compound. She came back and wanted to stay? What the heck? Stay where hated? Like REALLY hated? What was up with that insane hate too?? The whole killing spree was kinda ill placed/shoved into the story too. Would have scratched that also.
It really dragged in the middle there. Could the M-Squad be mentioned anymore in that middle time-frame. M-Squad this and M-Squad that.. you must wait for M-Squad. Wow. Hair-pulling-moment. Please stay, let us protect you. Then... NO M-Squad!!!!! Never mentioned again, never saw them, never heard about them. Nothing.
Now for the biggie.
It felt heavily ripped from RMeads The Vampire Academy and succubus (tossed in at the end, wtf??). Not so much the storyline but the structure and many details. It's not a boarding school but a compound for 'betas' --- they aren't guardians but beta agents --- RMead characters Adrian, etc met in dreams... then to suddenly toss in succubus at the end. Wow. Weird. Then Rose... RMeads main character... this main character might as well have been her. Same quips, same body description, same attitude... everything. Might just tweet the author a link to this story..
So yeah. I ripped this one up, but I think with good meaning. It needed more editing, better storyline... less ripping off other popular authors/more originality (yes, the readers will know it when you do it)
July 21, 2014
I am not going to review each and every book in the series (9 so far out of 10) because not only is that a waste of my time and yours, but it would extremely repetitive.
As mentioned in my earlier review of the box set of books 1 -3 they were freebies - that said I enjoyed them that much, I went straight out and brought all 6 of the others!
I get the feeling that they are targeted at the so-called 'Young Adult' market, however, I will admit that each book has had me yearning for more and I will be very upset when the series finishes!
The heroine is a VERY feisty young lady aged between 17 - 19 (depending on what books you are reading) with a childhood that I'm pretty sure the NSPCC should have known about!
The characters are very well drawn out and are very well fleshed out - I found it very easy to visualise the players in this book. It is faintly reminiscent of X-Men but only in the way that most of the characters in the book are 'meta-humans', which means they have super strength, speed etc and some form of ingrown extra power (telepathy, empathy, control of fire/water/wind etc).
In short, Mr Crane has constructed a world in which I really want to spend lots more of my time and for a nice change his Kindle books are a decent length too - which is more than I can say for a lot of other authors!
I highly recommend these books as I've thoroughly enjoyed them
As mentioned in my earlier review of the box set of books 1 -3 they were freebies - that said I enjoyed them that much, I went straight out and brought all 6 of the others!
I get the feeling that they are targeted at the so-called 'Young Adult' market, however, I will admit that each book has had me yearning for more and I will be very upset when the series finishes!
The heroine is a VERY feisty young lady aged between 17 - 19 (depending on what books you are reading) with a childhood that I'm pretty sure the NSPCC should have known about!
The characters are very well drawn out and are very well fleshed out - I found it very easy to visualise the players in this book. It is faintly reminiscent of X-Men but only in the way that most of the characters in the book are 'meta-humans', which means they have super strength, speed etc and some form of ingrown extra power (telepathy, empathy, control of fire/water/wind etc).
In short, Mr Crane has constructed a world in which I really want to spend lots more of my time and for a nice change his Kindle books are a decent length too - which is more than I can say for a lot of other authors!
I highly recommend these books as I've thoroughly enjoyed them
December 21, 2018
Couldn't finish this one. The plot was intriguing and I wanted to keep going, but the main character's personality really irked me. A bit to bizarre for my taste.
February 10, 2017
....what did I just read?
November 9, 2012
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Sienna is an interesting main character. I like her independence and how she can defend herself against the big bad wolf. She is feisty, loving, and refreshing, especially compared to the weak female leads that are out there in plenty of books. She defies the notion of a damsel in distress, because even though she is in danger, she is the only one who can protect her. She is self-sufficient, but also a little boy crazy. But hey! She has never before laid her eyes on a real boy in the flesh before. The only reason why her character is not getting five stars is her never ending saucy tongue. She never stopped making fun of people and being rude. I found her to be the ultimate mean girl and I mentally distanced myself from her. Her attitude kept me from really getting close to her and identifying with her as well. 3 out of 5 stars
2. Strong Minor Characters: I found all the minor characters really boring and uninteresting, except old man Winter. Other than that, they all seemed like bad guys to me. I do not think that that was the author’s intention, but that is how I interpreted it. 1 out of 5 stars
3. The Setting: The setting in this book is not all that interesting or intriguing. I did not enjoy the places or the descriptions. It was a let down from the previous books that I have recently read that were very good, when it came to the setting. Every author has redeeming qualities; however, nothing really redeems this book in my eyes, when every page I read, I encountered a problem. 1 out of 5 stars
4. The Plot: Is it just me or does this book contain zero plot whatsoever? I could not for the life of me find a plot in this book. Sienna just does a lot of things, comments about the two boys’ hawtness that she has met, defeats the bad guy, discusses before said hawtness, and the end. There was not much substance, except in the blood and gore. Two things that made this novel worth reading for the fight scenes; otherwise, there was not much action or much plot. I think the no action of it contributed to the no plot aspect. It seems like I only have negative things to say, but I cannot really think of anything good about it, never mind great. 2 out of 5 stars
5. The Artwork: The cover is not ugly, but it is not exactly eye-catching either. The title is what got me to read the story and buy it. 2 out of 5 stars
6. The Writing: It has been a long while since I have read a book as poorly edited as this one. There were so many grammatical mistakes that it literally drove me insane to the point where I would have to take breaks from this book, in order to avoid smashing my kindle fire to smithereens. There were places where instead of a #, there would be a random 3 hanging in there, not centered or anything. Minor words like “the”, “a”, “or”, and “and“ were missing all the time. The misspelling of names that were spelt right, and then wrong were everywhere. The writing style was definitely unique and stuck out to me for all the wrong reasons. I was too distracted by all of the mistakes (some missing periods as well) to enjoy the story, which did not seem like much of a story. Maybe, I was too distracted to tell or no longer cared, whatever is the case, I did not find the writing enjoyable whatsoever and this book was supposed to be a fun read for me. 1 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: …I do not know how to put this delicately, but the dialogue was really stilted and boring to me. The only interesting part that soon got annoying is the saucy language from Sienna…but then she never stopped talking that way and it seriously irked me. With the big bad wolf, the language was very crude and sexual. There should be a warning in this book about mature content, especially since this might appeal to a younger audience. 2 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give this book a 1.7, so I will round it up to a two. Might read the second book, if it was for free to see how the story ends, but otherwise, I am not interested.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Sienna is an interesting main character. I like her independence and how she can defend herself against the big bad wolf. She is feisty, loving, and refreshing, especially compared to the weak female leads that are out there in plenty of books. She defies the notion of a damsel in distress, because even though she is in danger, she is the only one who can protect her. She is self-sufficient, but also a little boy crazy. But hey! She has never before laid her eyes on a real boy in the flesh before. The only reason why her character is not getting five stars is her never ending saucy tongue. She never stopped making fun of people and being rude. I found her to be the ultimate mean girl and I mentally distanced myself from her. Her attitude kept me from really getting close to her and identifying with her as well. 3 out of 5 stars
2. Strong Minor Characters: I found all the minor characters really boring and uninteresting, except old man Winter. Other than that, they all seemed like bad guys to me. I do not think that that was the author’s intention, but that is how I interpreted it. 1 out of 5 stars
3. The Setting: The setting in this book is not all that interesting or intriguing. I did not enjoy the places or the descriptions. It was a let down from the previous books that I have recently read that were very good, when it came to the setting. Every author has redeeming qualities; however, nothing really redeems this book in my eyes, when every page I read, I encountered a problem. 1 out of 5 stars
4. The Plot: Is it just me or does this book contain zero plot whatsoever? I could not for the life of me find a plot in this book. Sienna just does a lot of things, comments about the two boys’ hawtness that she has met, defeats the bad guy, discusses before said hawtness, and the end. There was not much substance, except in the blood and gore. Two things that made this novel worth reading for the fight scenes; otherwise, there was not much action or much plot. I think the no action of it contributed to the no plot aspect. It seems like I only have negative things to say, but I cannot really think of anything good about it, never mind great. 2 out of 5 stars
5. The Artwork: The cover is not ugly, but it is not exactly eye-catching either. The title is what got me to read the story and buy it. 2 out of 5 stars
6. The Writing: It has been a long while since I have read a book as poorly edited as this one. There were so many grammatical mistakes that it literally drove me insane to the point where I would have to take breaks from this book, in order to avoid smashing my kindle fire to smithereens. There were places where instead of a #, there would be a random 3 hanging in there, not centered or anything. Minor words like “the”, “a”, “or”, and “and“ were missing all the time. The misspelling of names that were spelt right, and then wrong were everywhere. The writing style was definitely unique and stuck out to me for all the wrong reasons. I was too distracted by all of the mistakes (some missing periods as well) to enjoy the story, which did not seem like much of a story. Maybe, I was too distracted to tell or no longer cared, whatever is the case, I did not find the writing enjoyable whatsoever and this book was supposed to be a fun read for me. 1 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: …I do not know how to put this delicately, but the dialogue was really stilted and boring to me. The only interesting part that soon got annoying is the saucy language from Sienna…but then she never stopped talking that way and it seriously irked me. With the big bad wolf, the language was very crude and sexual. There should be a warning in this book about mature content, especially since this might appeal to a younger audience. 2 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give this book a 1.7, so I will round it up to a two. Might read the second book, if it was for free to see how the story ends, but otherwise, I am not interested.
September 20, 2012
I'm giving this book 3.5 stars for effort, plot twist, good writing, and character voice. I didn't like a long list of things though.
I thought this book sounded epic and it was free so I downloaded it to read one afternoon.
I couldn't get past the first twenty pages despite the good writing and seemingly kick-butt heroine.
I was sure that this book was going to be a train wreck. So I put it down.
And when I got back to it after several days I still felt like Captain Jack Sparrow.
I'm still not sure about the so called "good" or are they "bad" guys? Either way they are flat and I really didn't like them.
I didn't feel any sympathy for any other side character and I'm convinced that Zack is evil. I plowed through it though and felt thankful that they didn't include a ton of descriptions of all the hot guys. I could have dealt with all the reminder of how good looking Zach was though.
About halfway through we start to learn more backstory, but I still felt confused.
Some dude is after her, but we don't know WHY??? UGHHHHHH!!!I throw books when I'm mad. Sadly I was reading this on my computer and I couldn't throw it or else it would have been thrown. The author just says he is evil and he expects me to buy it? Nu-uh. I want to know why this guy is evil. Grrrr....give me a Loki/Hercules type villain. Not a Jafar who is just after Sienna for cruel and sickening reasons. Yeah, I get that he's creepy. You've said that. BUT WHY DOES HE WANT TO KILL HER? WHY IS HE A PSYCHO OR A MONSTER? MAKE ME BELIEVE IT! And I don't mean a tragic backstory or something, I mean I want a good solid reason for a wolf-mutant person wait he doesn't deserve to be called a person, he's a monster so he's technically a wolf-mutant-monster-thing ANYHOW, I want a solid reason for a wolf-mutant-monster-thing to want a teenage girl. UGH.
At around the 65% mark I realized I was almost over. So I was dancing like a maniac inside.
The plot started getting epic and I thought it would wrap up around the 85% mark when we hit a plot twist and everything changed.
And a couple pages later it ended. Just. Like. That. Hey, I get you want me to pay $5.00 for the sequel, but don't leave me hanging like that with no back story, a broken female main character (FMC) and absolutely no detail because you will have one really annoyed gal over here.
After reading this book I'm royally confused.What happened to her parents? Why does Wolf want her? I. Don't. Get. It.
This book isn't everyone's cup of tea and I'm still on the fence about it. I'm still debating if I'll read the sequel or not. Don't get me wrong, Sienna has a great character voice and I felt like I was there. Her emotion was real and I REALLY felt for her....I hate the way it ended and I hate the plot.
Once again I don't get WHY Wolf wanted her. Ugh. It still baffles me.
All the language drew me out of the book and the almost-rape scene had me squirming even though it was well written for that type of thing.
The author did a great job writing a teen girl. I wasn't sure how a guy would write a teen girl, but you know what? He nailed her. I loved how tough Sienna was and I felt myself relating with her even though sometimes I just wanted to shake her.
I just wish the author had changed somethings. I didn't feel like I was in a sci-fi world. I get that Sienna has never been outside, but I wanted more detail. What it looks like from her view. It was too fast paced with not enough detail for me.
I thought this book sounded epic and it was free so I downloaded it to read one afternoon.
I couldn't get past the first twenty pages despite the good writing and seemingly kick-butt heroine.
I was sure that this book was going to be a train wreck. So I put it down.
And when I got back to it after several days I still felt like Captain Jack Sparrow.
I'm still not sure about the so called "good" or are they "bad" guys? Either way they are flat and I really didn't like them.
I didn't feel any sympathy for any other side character and I'm convinced that Zack is evil. I plowed through it though and felt thankful that they didn't include a ton of descriptions of all the hot guys. I could have dealt with all the reminder of how good looking Zach was though.
About halfway through we start to learn more backstory, but I still felt confused.
Some dude is after her, but we don't know WHY??? UGHHHHHH!!!I throw books when I'm mad. Sadly I was reading this on my computer and I couldn't throw it or else it would have been thrown. The author just says he is evil and he expects me to buy it? Nu-uh. I want to know why this guy is evil. Grrrr....give me a Loki/Hercules type villain. Not a Jafar who is just after Sienna for cruel and sickening reasons. Yeah, I get that he's creepy. You've said that. BUT WHY DOES HE WANT TO KILL HER? WHY IS HE A PSYCHO OR A MONSTER? MAKE ME BELIEVE IT! And I don't mean a tragic backstory or something, I mean I want a good solid reason for a wolf-mutant person wait he doesn't deserve to be called a person, he's a monster so he's technically a wolf-mutant-monster-thing ANYHOW, I want a solid reason for a wolf-mutant-monster-thing to want a teenage girl. UGH.
At around the 65% mark I realized I was almost over. So I was dancing like a maniac inside.
The plot started getting epic and I thought it would wrap up around the 85% mark when we hit a plot twist and everything changed.
And a couple pages later it ended. Just. Like. That. Hey, I get you want me to pay $5.00 for the sequel, but don't leave me hanging like that with no back story, a broken female main character (FMC) and absolutely no detail because you will have one really annoyed gal over here.
After reading this book I'm royally confused.What happened to her parents? Why does Wolf want her? I. Don't. Get. It.
This book isn't everyone's cup of tea and I'm still on the fence about it. I'm still debating if I'll read the sequel or not. Don't get me wrong, Sienna has a great character voice and I felt like I was there. Her emotion was real and I REALLY felt for her....I hate the way it ended and I hate the plot.
Once again I don't get WHY Wolf wanted her. Ugh. It still baffles me.
All the language drew me out of the book and the almost-rape scene had me squirming even though it was well written for that type of thing.
The author did a great job writing a teen girl. I wasn't sure how a guy would write a teen girl, but you know what? He nailed her. I loved how tough Sienna was and I felt myself relating with her even though sometimes I just wanted to shake her.
I just wish the author had changed somethings. I didn't feel like I was in a sci-fi world. I get that Sienna has never been outside, but I wanted more detail. What it looks like from her view. It was too fast paced with not enough detail for me.
December 20, 2015
I was expecting more from this book, the few surprises didn't surprised me that much and a lot of things stayed complitly unfinish. Some misteries that we wanted to discover since the beginning of the book are still covered because there wasn't really a lot happenig. I only gave 4* because of the character that I loved so much, Sienna is, for me, one of the best female heroines after this first book.
November 15, 2014
2.5 rating
I found the concept interesting and pace was quite good but there was so much wrong with this book that I couldn't give a better rating. To be fair it was a free ebook so I wasn't expecting it to be that great.
It was honestly poorly written in places, the start made little sense. Why did they go to the supermarket? Why didn't they talk about what was going on in the car? Who the hell is Reed? We never find out.
Sienna has lived in a long abusive relationship with her mother and shows very little normal signs of it according to another reviewer and I would agree with them.
Her arrogance throughout seems bizarre when you consider her history. Her mother was constantly beating her down in their training but she still has this belief at the start that she can beat Wolfe who had previously immobilized her. I understand that her arrogance is her "character flaw" but arrogance doesn't fit a girl who has been locked up her whole life, brutally punished by her mother and has only just discovered her special abilities.
I also really dislike how everyone on the campus treats her especially when she is locked in the basement for her safety. The all despise her, which in some ways is understandable but none of them seem sympathetic at all. She seventeen for christ sakes. They even send her messages guilting her into meeting the psychopathic Wolfe. They bully a seventeen year old girl into choosing rape and death because of the destruction Wolfe is causing.
The love interests were frankly confusing. Reed, we see very rarely throughout the book and learn next to nothing about him. Sienna trusts him for some inexplicable reason. Zack, is a "hottie" and is understanding but she doesn't trust him completely. His continued friendship with her after she makes a fairly large mistake which kills his colleagues is confusing. He shows no grief or anger over their deaths. Sienna even notices that but frankly its a little too strange to be a decent plot twist.
The one thing I do like about her love interests is none of them are overpowering to her emotions which is quite refreshing, I get sick of the uncontrollable desire for the love interest especially when the main character is a very controlled person like Sienna.
In all honesty it isn't the worst book I've ever read and had an interesting concept but unfortunately it had some fairly frustrating aspects that made me dislike the book.
I found the concept interesting and pace was quite good but there was so much wrong with this book that I couldn't give a better rating. To be fair it was a free ebook so I wasn't expecting it to be that great.
It was honestly poorly written in places, the start made little sense. Why did they go to the supermarket? Why didn't they talk about what was going on in the car? Who the hell is Reed? We never find out.
Sienna has lived in a long abusive relationship with her mother and shows very little normal signs of it according to another reviewer and I would agree with them.
Her arrogance throughout seems bizarre when you consider her history. Her mother was constantly beating her down in their training but she still has this belief at the start that she can beat Wolfe who had previously immobilized her. I understand that her arrogance is her "character flaw" but arrogance doesn't fit a girl who has been locked up her whole life, brutally punished by her mother and has only just discovered her special abilities.
I also really dislike how everyone on the campus treats her especially when she is locked in the basement for her safety. The all despise her, which in some ways is understandable but none of them seem sympathetic at all. She seventeen for christ sakes. They even send her messages guilting her into meeting the psychopathic Wolfe. They bully a seventeen year old girl into choosing rape and death because of the destruction Wolfe is causing.
The love interests were frankly confusing. Reed, we see very rarely throughout the book and learn next to nothing about him. Sienna trusts him for some inexplicable reason. Zack, is a "hottie" and is understanding but she doesn't trust him completely. His continued friendship with her after she makes a fairly large mistake which kills his colleagues is confusing. He shows no grief or anger over their deaths. Sienna even notices that but frankly its a little too strange to be a decent plot twist.
The one thing I do like about her love interests is none of them are overpowering to her emotions which is quite refreshing, I get sick of the uncontrollable desire for the love interest especially when the main character is a very controlled person like Sienna.
In all honesty it isn't the worst book I've ever read and had an interesting concept but unfortunately it had some fairly frustrating aspects that made me dislike the book.
August 12, 2014
This is a completely new genre for Crane and I have to say that his venture from epic fantasy into the supernatural sci-fi world is very good.
Not one iota reminds the reader of where the author has once trodden upon the paths of trolls and magicians. Often it is hard to leap from a genre one is comfortable in. Instead it is as if he was never anywhere other than in the mind of this meta human girl.
A young hybrid with extraordinary skills and unknown dimensions of abilities yet to be discovered. She has been kept hidden away in a house, by her mother, for her entire existence. One day her mother doesn't return home and she is introduced to a world of unimaginable monsters and people who want to treat her like a guinea pig.
The story is fast paced and gritty with a balanced proportion of Sci-Fi and supernatural, without the usual suspects one tends to finds in books of this genre.
I found it engrossing, perhaps because the main character wasn't your typical little girl please feel sorry for me type. Instead she was tough with a smart-alec attitude, but still managed to act with the carelessness of an inexperienced youth.
I thought the end was brilliant, so much so that it made a shiver run down the back of my neck. I look forward to reading where the author will take that cliffhanger.
I received a complimentary copy of this book courtesy of the author.
Not one iota reminds the reader of where the author has once trodden upon the paths of trolls and magicians. Often it is hard to leap from a genre one is comfortable in. Instead it is as if he was never anywhere other than in the mind of this meta human girl.
A young hybrid with extraordinary skills and unknown dimensions of abilities yet to be discovered. She has been kept hidden away in a house, by her mother, for her entire existence. One day her mother doesn't return home and she is introduced to a world of unimaginable monsters and people who want to treat her like a guinea pig.
The story is fast paced and gritty with a balanced proportion of Sci-Fi and supernatural, without the usual suspects one tends to finds in books of this genre.
I found it engrossing, perhaps because the main character wasn't your typical little girl please feel sorry for me type. Instead she was tough with a smart-alec attitude, but still managed to act with the carelessness of an inexperienced youth.
I thought the end was brilliant, so much so that it made a shiver run down the back of my neck. I look forward to reading where the author will take that cliffhanger.
I received a complimentary copy of this book courtesy of the author.
November 6, 2012
I really really enjoyed that book. Sienna is a smart girl and she can fight. I love girls who fight. She's strong and can take care of herself. At first I felt sorry for the life she had (she was locked up in her house by her mother with plenty of rules like, always stay fully clothed, never talk about the outside world, etc, etc. She was basically a prisonner) but then I realised that those things moulded her into the person she is now. This book is also full of action and I liked the fact that Robert did not put much emphasis on her feelings about Zack. The girl's a fighter, survival comes first, and he stuck to that. Why 4 stars though, is because of the lack of information about why Wolfe and his employers needed her, and the fact that Wolfe kept showing up unexpectedly everywhere annoyed and bored me at times. And also because we know practically nothing about her mother and where she's disappeared to, what she was up to and stuff like that. But apart from that, this book is really nice and is kinda fast and throws you directly in the plot from the beginning itself. READ IT.
August 26, 2016
Q:
“Even among the bizarre, I’m bizarre.”
(c)
“Even among the bizarre, I’m bizarre.”
(c)
January 4, 2025
I thought it was an interesting and easy read but something just didn’t do it for me to want to read more of the series. I felt like Sienna was really mean and in really unjustifiable ways. I thought that most of the other characters were one dimensional as well.
March 1, 2017
Difficult to rate this book. It's a small book, you can finish reading in a couple of hours, if you are one those fast readers which I'm not. But I too could complete reading it in a day. The reading speed doesn't matter, the book compels you to read it and read it in one go. I am no fan of this genre, call it paranormal/supranormal sci fi whatever... but having started I could not stop. Strangely there is no story so far really. whatever has happened can be described in a paragraph......ok in a page... but i read it. And like any good serial on tv, he has stopped at a place which will force me to read the next, not immediately though.
The 3 marks out of 5 is for it's readability. For story it can't be given more than 1. At least for this volume.
The 3 marks out of 5 is for it's readability. For story it can't be given more than 1. At least for this volume.
April 18, 2012
This book is insanely good! Sienna is wicked funny but this isn't a comedy. It's more of a dark thriller with a sci/fi twist to it! It is just a great book and I am going to recommend this book to all of my friends.
I am in fact going to make my husband read it this weekend! He will love it too!
I have a more complete review of it at www.readtomyhearts.blogspot.com
You should definitely put this on your to read list if you like stories with strong feminine characters who can kick butt, are super smart, and have super human strength, among other abilities.
It's a great book for guys and girls.
I am in fact going to make my husband read it this weekend! He will love it too!
I have a more complete review of it at www.readtomyhearts.blogspot.com
You should definitely put this on your to read list if you like stories with strong feminine characters who can kick butt, are super smart, and have super human strength, among other abilities.
It's a great book for guys and girls.
February 17, 2019
If I had paid attention to the fact that the author is a man, the fact that this book is so bad would've been self-explanatory from page one
November 5, 2024
“𝐖𝐞 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.”
A quick, easy read. I would have eaten this up when I was a teenager. If I come to find the time to read more in the series, I most likely will. 3 stars solely because teenage Maddie would have loved this - it definitely has 2012-2014 fiction vibes for sure. Nothing groundbreaking but a decent book that you can fly through within a couple hours.
A quick, easy read. I would have eaten this up when I was a teenager. If I come to find the time to read more in the series, I most likely will. 3 stars solely because teenage Maddie would have loved this - it definitely has 2012-2014 fiction vibes for sure. Nothing groundbreaking but a decent book that you can fly through within a couple hours.
December 21, 2012
ALONE is the first novel in The Girl In The Box series, detailing the adventures of Sienna Nealon, a 17-year-old girl who has been kept inside her house for a dozen years by her mother. Sienna has a number of rules she must live by, rules drilled into her by her mother. Among others, she is never to go outside the house, or even look outside the house.
Everything changes when Sienna's mother fails to return to the house, and Sienna finds two strange men in her home. Years of martial arts training enable her to survive, but in the process she finds herself outside the safety of those walls, and suddenly she's the target of a number of groups, each of which has their own agenda for capturing Sienna.
Sienna learns that she is a meta-human, a person born with exceptional speed, quickness, agility, and healing capabilities - the last of these being one that gets heavy usage throughout the story - who are targeted by a group called the Directorate. Competing organizations also want her, for they all believe her to be unusually gifted, even among the gifted meta-humans. Each meta-human develops a unique special ability, and no one - not even Sienna - knows yet what hers is.
A competing faction to the Directorate sends a crazed, dog-like killer named Wolfe to capture her from the Directorate, but when Sienna refuses to come quietly, Wolfe takes it personally - and he's no longer interested in capturing her. He wants her dead, in the slowest, most painful manner possible, and has his own methods of getting Sienna to come to him.
Will Sienna finally go to Wolfe? What is her special gift? And who is "Old Man Winter," the mysterious leader of the Directorate? You'll just have to read the book to find out, and I think you'll enjoy the read immensely.
Everything changes when Sienna's mother fails to return to the house, and Sienna finds two strange men in her home. Years of martial arts training enable her to survive, but in the process she finds herself outside the safety of those walls, and suddenly she's the target of a number of groups, each of which has their own agenda for capturing Sienna.
Sienna learns that she is a meta-human, a person born with exceptional speed, quickness, agility, and healing capabilities - the last of these being one that gets heavy usage throughout the story - who are targeted by a group called the Directorate. Competing organizations also want her, for they all believe her to be unusually gifted, even among the gifted meta-humans. Each meta-human develops a unique special ability, and no one - not even Sienna - knows yet what hers is.
A competing faction to the Directorate sends a crazed, dog-like killer named Wolfe to capture her from the Directorate, but when Sienna refuses to come quietly, Wolfe takes it personally - and he's no longer interested in capturing her. He wants her dead, in the slowest, most painful manner possible, and has his own methods of getting Sienna to come to him.
Will Sienna finally go to Wolfe? What is her special gift? And who is "Old Man Winter," the mysterious leader of the Directorate? You'll just have to read the book to find out, and I think you'll enjoy the read immensely.
February 22, 2013
Ugh, this is a tricky one. I did enjoy it for most of it. There were some pretty good ideas. I liked the whole isolation thing, the baddie was pretty fun if a bit one dimensional. The protagonist had pretty cutting wit and good banter which i always enjoy...
But that also annoyed me. I mean, this girl hasn't spoken to anyone except her weirdly distant mother in like 15 years or something, and ok she watches an hour of tv a day- but how the hell is she so socially cool? Yeah she's clever and does talk about her awkwardness but that whole transition just didn't feel realistic.
I did enjoy the whole killing lots of people guilt trip though- that was a good addition.
Also, I can just see the dreaded love triangle arising. There are two boys she thinks are 'hot' on two different sides. It's not exactly a big leap, or original.
I'm sort of hoping there's some curve ball there- that other strong guy with powers from the cafeteria who clearly hates her- that would be interesting. I'm not betting on it though.
I really don't feel any particular inclination to buy the next books, which is a shame. This series has a lot of potential it doesn't get anywhere near.
But that also annoyed me. I mean, this girl hasn't spoken to anyone except her weirdly distant mother in like 15 years or something, and ok she watches an hour of tv a day- but how the hell is she so socially cool? Yeah she's clever and does talk about her awkwardness but that whole transition just didn't feel realistic.
I did enjoy the whole killing lots of people guilt trip though- that was a good addition.
Also, I can just see the dreaded love triangle arising. There are two boys she thinks are 'hot' on two different sides. It's not exactly a big leap, or original.
I'm sort of hoping there's some curve ball there- that other strong guy with powers from the cafeteria who clearly hates her- that would be interesting. I'm not betting on it though.
I really don't feel any particular inclination to buy the next books, which is a shame. This series has a lot of potential it doesn't get anywhere near.
April 23, 2013
3.5 stars
Not sure how I would classify this one - sort of Urban Fantasy?
Sienna's mother has kept her isolated and house-bound her entire life with no explanation other than, "It's dangerous out there." And one day, Mom leaves and doesn't come back. Instead, 18 year-old Sienna is left on her own facing 2 intruders who've broken into her house with the intention of retrieving her.
So begins the mystery of who and 'what' Sienna is, and discovering that there are 'Meta-Humans' (humans with super-hero powers/skills, etc) out there, and she is one of them.
My thoughts? Well, it was difficult to like Sienna. She was fairly immature, but smart-ass at the same time. Her decision-making skills left a bit to be desired. On the other hand, I guess that would be fairly realistic when you consider that her mother was the only human contact she'd ever had prior.
The story moved fairly quickly, the action was well-paced. I do wish that it had been a bit longer, in order to flesh out the world-building a bit better.
Oh, and for those who know me - the technical aspects (grammar/editing) were totally fine. :)
Not sure how I would classify this one - sort of Urban Fantasy?
Sienna's mother has kept her isolated and house-bound her entire life with no explanation other than, "It's dangerous out there." And one day, Mom leaves and doesn't come back. Instead, 18 year-old Sienna is left on her own facing 2 intruders who've broken into her house with the intention of retrieving her.
So begins the mystery of who and 'what' Sienna is, and discovering that there are 'Meta-Humans' (humans with super-hero powers/skills, etc) out there, and she is one of them.
My thoughts? Well, it was difficult to like Sienna. She was fairly immature, but smart-ass at the same time. Her decision-making skills left a bit to be desired. On the other hand, I guess that would be fairly realistic when you consider that her mother was the only human contact she'd ever had prior.
The story moved fairly quickly, the action was well-paced. I do wish that it had been a bit longer, in order to flesh out the world-building a bit better.
Oh, and for those who know me - the technical aspects (grammar/editing) were totally fine. :)
November 6, 2020
The Girl in the Box- Alone is an intense story with lots of action and even more emotion. We meet the girl in the box. Get introduced to her isolated, lonely, harsh existence.
It is told sparsely without being heavy-handed to force feelings and lacks the word vomiting most authors use to explain the backstory. A lot is left mysterious and is better for it. This style builds tension and uncertainty which is wonderful to experience as a reader.
It was a powerful story. I got the feels for sure. We meet powerful meta-humans, or those beyond human. It is a fun perspective sci-fi myth type take on lore. It provides a more "evolved" explanations for things such as werewolves and frost giants etc. It is an introduction to a long series. Even though there were lots of hints as to the outcome, the reveal is still cool. Crane is really good at building suspense and a reader's intrigue. I look forward to the next book and hope that it will be as desolate and glorious as the first.
It is told sparsely without being heavy-handed to force feelings and lacks the word vomiting most authors use to explain the backstory. A lot is left mysterious and is better for it. This style builds tension and uncertainty which is wonderful to experience as a reader.
It was a powerful story. I got the feels for sure. We meet powerful meta-humans, or those beyond human. It is a fun perspective sci-fi myth type take on lore. It provides a more "evolved" explanations for things such as werewolves and frost giants etc. It is an introduction to a long series. Even though there were lots of hints as to the outcome, the reveal is still cool. Crane is really good at building suspense and a reader's intrigue. I look forward to the next book and hope that it will be as desolate and glorious as the first.
June 28, 2013
Not as bad as a lot of the reviews made it out to be. Sure, this is a total X-Men ripoff in theory, but since the mysterious M-Squad is never around, it's more a mutant origin story. I think the biggest weakness of the book is the character herself. How amazingly angsty and cutting she is for someone who was basically a beaten down prisoner. It wasn't believable.
The book is just a setup, though, and for that it did a fine job. We have a sense of who the main character is now, and how she came to be such a complex creature. It's almost enough to make me want to read the next one. Almost.
The book is just a setup, though, and for that it did a fine job. We have a sense of who the main character is now, and how she came to be such a complex creature. It's almost enough to make me want to read the next one. Almost.
March 26, 2018
Action-packed, dramatic, and mysterious with a great cast of characters. I love the direction the story headed and the questions that are left unanswered by the end of the book while also having a conclusion of sorts to feel some sort of closure about the story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this series!
May 8, 2016
THIS BOOK IS SO SCARY AND DARK!
Very entertaining, but very scary! I would've given it five stars, but it's so horrifying I HAVE to give it one star. I don't hate it, I fear it! I don't want anything to do with this series!
Very entertaining, but very scary! I would've given it five stars, but it's so horrifying I HAVE to give it one star. I don't hate it, I fear it! I don't want anything to do with this series!
February 3, 2020
Wow, this is a very action packed book lol for how short it is compared to most books I read, it covered a lot without being too jumpy, usually not too into scifi kinda books but gave this one a try and though Im unsure if i'll read the 30some other books in this series lol I might keep it mind for when I want a short, but very fast paced reads. Better than expected and I liked the mc for the most part too, thought shed be different from the other comments ive read of this book lol
March 17, 2015
Most people are trapped in their towns, or their jobs, or their way of life. We go through life in our little boxes until we find ourselves in the last one, buried in the ground.Absolutely unbearable is how I would summarise Alone.
The plot is very one-dimensional. The entirety of the plot is focussed around the battle between the Metas (a group of powerful beings whom the main character becomes one of) and Wolfe, the evil, murderous and super-powerful antagonist. That is all it is. It is repetitive fighting scenes over and over, interspersed with some healing and more thinking about the antagonist.
The main character is absolutely infuriating. In spite of clearly being subject to abuse at the hands of her mother - plus in the beginning of the story she hasn't stepped outside of her house for years and years - Sienna shows no signs of this having any effect on her, which is just absurd. That aside, she is obnoxious and her 'wit' and sarcastic comments are not really either of those at all, they are completely unnecessary, unfounded comments of spite and malice. Not humour, cruelty. She isn't being funny or witty, she's being annoying and self-centred. Even in situations that should scare her, she turns to arrogance and pretty much asks for all she gets, all the time. Not only that, but it's yet another 'special snowflake' sort of situation, where she joins the Metas and, of course, proves to be way more powerful than anybody else with no good explanation as to why this is.
The writing itself is not poor, and has a number of particularly good moments, but it's completely dragged down by everything else.
February 12, 2015
This was the first book in an anthology that I have of various urban fantasy novels. I really enjoyed it and will probably be (eventually) getting the rest in the series, or at least attempting to continue the series. It was a quick read, and I really liked Sienna's voice through the story -- she seemed fairly "real" compared to a lot of teenage female heroines, and I liked that her hormones didn't run her life. ;)
The story arc was very interesting too -- and the ending was definitely something that I did not foresee. If you like books with super-human themes and don't mind a little gore, then this would be a pretty good book for you to pick up.
Also, I really enjoyed Sienna's cutting sarcasm. Sometimes I wish I were as good (and as quick!) with comebacks as she is. Although admittedly, for someone that's been locked in her house for almost her entire life, she's a lot better with sarcasm and interpersonal interactions than I would expect her to be. That's really the one downfall of the book; that although her time spent locked in her house, not allowed to go outside, was emphasized -- at the same time, it didn't really seem to have an effect on her awkwardness around other people, including some of the "hot" men that she ran into.
If the thirteen other books in this anthology are as good as this one was, then I will definitely have gotten more than my money's worth! ($0.99 cents for the entire anthology...) *crosses fingers*
The story arc was very interesting too -- and the ending was definitely something that I did not foresee. If you like books with super-human themes and don't mind a little gore, then this would be a pretty good book for you to pick up.
Also, I really enjoyed Sienna's cutting sarcasm. Sometimes I wish I were as good (and as quick!) with comebacks as she is. Although admittedly, for someone that's been locked in her house for almost her entire life, she's a lot better with sarcasm and interpersonal interactions than I would expect her to be. That's really the one downfall of the book; that although her time spent locked in her house, not allowed to go outside, was emphasized -- at the same time, it didn't really seem to have an effect on her awkwardness around other people, including some of the "hot" men that she ran into.
If the thirteen other books in this anthology are as good as this one was, then I will definitely have gotten more than my money's worth! ($0.99 cents for the entire anthology...) *crosses fingers*
March 25, 2013
I really enjoyed Alone(The Girl in the Box) by Robert Crane. I never read anything by this author before but he has a new fan now. I would give this book 4.3 stars. The writing style was fabulous and the story line well though out. I had a hard time putting the book down. I would recommend reading book all in one shot because it's so good. The story is about a girl, Sienna who has superior strength and intelligence, along with other abilities, that has lived her entire existence in a house which she has never left. Her mother has been very strict with her and has told her she is to be fully clothed at all times and is to where gloves on her hands. Her mother has trained her in martial arts and home schooled her. One day her mother does not return home and her house is broken into by men from the Directorate who want to take her and help her. Sienna eventually learns that she is a meta-human, a person born with exceptional speed, quickness, agility, and healing capabilities. However, each meta human has other capabilities, which the Directorate wants to test her for and find out what those qualities could be. There are other people(organizations)after Sienna also. The book is fast paced and action packed. It has some twists and turns and is just a fabulous read. Can't wait to read the next book,Untouched(Girl in the Box #2).
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