REVIEW: Soulless by Robert J. Crane

Title: Soulless
Author: Robert J. Crane
Series: The Girl in the Box #3
Other Reviews: Alone (#1), Untouched (#2)
Pages: 152
Publisher: Self-Published
Date Published: August 23, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Received from Author for Honest Review

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After six months of intense training with the Directorate, Sienna Nealon finds herself on her first assignment - tracking a dangerous meta across the upper midwest. With Scott Byerly and Kat Forrest at her side, she'll face new enemies and receive help from unlikely allies as she stumbles across the truth behind the shadowy organization known only as Omega.

*May Contain Minor Spoilers for Books #1 & #2 in this series!*

Soulless picks up about 6 months after the end of Untouched.  Sienna is now in the Directorate training program, along with Scott and Kat.  Of course, she's up against a brand new enemy in Soulless, but she's beginning to understand that it all leads back to the mysterious Omega.  She doesn't know why, but Omega wants her.

Soulless is definitely the best book in this series so far.  Sienna, Scott and Kat are being treated more like allies of the Directorate and are sent on missions.  This book is packed with the action and adventure that we've come to expect in this series, and Crane does an amazing job with the fight scenes once again.  I'm always amazed at the beatings Sienna can take and still keep fighting.  In Soulless she is placed in some very difficult situations, and she must make some extremely difficult decisions.  If there's one thing Sienna's good at it's making bad decisions.  We are once again led to question the loyalties of so many people, and we get to meet a few new people.

Soulless is an excellent addition to The Girl in the Box series.  The series has quickly become an addiction for me, and I love that Crane is quickly feeding my habit! 

REVIEW: Untouched (The Girl in the Box #2) by Robert J. Crane

Title: Untouched
Author: Robert J. Crane
Series: The Girl in the Box (#2)
My Other Series Reviews: Alone (#1)
Pages: 206
Publisher: Self-Published
Date Published: April 21, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Received from Author for Honest Review

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Still haunted by her last encounter with Wolfe and searching for her mother, Sienna Nealon must put aside her personal struggles when a new threat emerges – Aleksandr Gavrikov, a metahuman so powerful, he could destroy entire cities – and he's focused on bringing the Directorate to its knees.

My Thoughts:
*May contain minor spoilers for Alone (#1)*

Untouched is the second book in The Girl in the Box series.  I am a huge fan of this author, and every Girl in the Box story just makes me love him more.  Once again the story is told from Sienna's point of view.  I love Sienna!  She is such a smart-ass, and I love her attitude.  I also enjoy getting to see inside her head.  She's so tough on the outside and refuses to show any weakness.  But inside her head you see her worries and insecurities.  She still hasn't decided who she can trust or who has ulterior motives.  Honestly, I'm still not sure who she can trust!  There are still a lot of unanswered questions and I just know we are going to see some major twists and turns in this series.

In Untouched, Sienna is working on adjusting to her new meta powers.  She has discovered that she is a succubus, a meta that has the ability to suck the life out of someone with only a touch.  Unfortunately, there are some negative side effects.  I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I'll just say that suddenly things have gotten very complicated for Sienna.  We also get to meet lots of new characters in Untouched, including the M-Squad, super powerful metas that work for the Directorate.  We are also introduced to Dr. Zollers, a psychiatrist for the Agency.  I love that he manages to get Sienna to open up about her past.  He seems totally genuine in his acceptance of her, and it seems to help her fit in in her new world.  I think maybe she could learn to trust him.

In Untouched, Sienna is still looking for her mom, meanwhile she's being pursued by a whole new set of dangers.  This time she's playing with fire.  Crane has filled Untouched with action packed fighting scenes, drama and adventure.  We're getting bits and pieces of the big story while filling in the blanks with one disaster after another.  There is also a little romance added to the mix, which brings a bit of quiet to the major action and drama.  I'm not sure where this is going, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

I am thoroughly enjoying this series.  Crane has an amazing storytelling ability, and this series can only get better from here.

2012 Wrap-Up

It's hard to believe that 2012 has come to an end!  What an amazing year this has been for me and for Silver Wings Reviews.  I started this blog in April, simply as a place for me to put my thoughts into words, and to have an outlet to connect with others that love reading as much as I do.  I  never really expected to fall in love with blogging the way I have.  I have made many new friends, and I've had so much fun this year.  Not to mention, I've read some amazing books!!  Here are a few of the highlights of my amazing year:

First of all, I'm amazed to say that in only a few short months SWR went from being a brand new baby blog to a blog with a following of over 500!  I find that astounding, and I want to thank each and every one of you!  Knowing that there are people out there that actually care what I think...that's quite humbling.

If there is one thing I've discovered this year, it's that Indie authors totally rock!  I've had the opportunity to connect with several Indies that I find utterly amazing!  If you haven't already, you should be sure to put these at the top of your reading list for 2013.  And yes, I realize some of these are now traditionally published, but when I read them they were still considered Indie. 

Colleen Hoover has managed to wiggle her way into my heart, and her books have touched me like no others.  I had the opportunity to meet Colleen at the Decatur Book Festival in August, and this was absolutely the highlight of my blogging year!  I got signed copies of Slammed (my review) and Point of Retreat (my review), and I even got a hug.  Colleen is not only an amazing writer, but a crazy sweet person.  Her newest release, Hopeless, is still with me a week after finishing it.  I haven't written the review for it yet because I simply cannot find the words.  It was THAT good.   

I also got to meet Abbi Glines at the Festival and got signed copies of Breathe, Because of Low and While it Last.  I hadn't actually read the books yet at the time, and I kick myself now.  I wish I'd known what an amazing author she was while I was standing there chit chatting with Colleen!  While I haven't gotten the reviews on the blog yet, I can tell you that this series is wonderful...along with the newest, Just For Now!!  And I won't even get started on her sexy Vincent Boys Series...holy moly.  Read them all!!  You won't be sorry! 

While we haven't met in person, Claudia Carozza and I have become great friends.  Her books, The Twenty (my review) and The Forgotten (my review), should definitely be added to the top of your to-be-read pile, especially if you're a fan of dystopian!  This girl can write!

Other great Indies that I've read this year:  Jessica Park, Jamie McGuire, Robert J. Crane, Nyrae Dawn, Tammara Webber, Tracey Garvis Graves, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Katja Millay, Jessica Sorensen...the list goes on and on!   

I read 109 books this year!  There is no way I could ever choose a Top 10, but I have to give you a list of the books that I absolutely adored.  Some of them may not have reviews on the blog yet, but I promise, if they are on this list, the gushing review is coming soon!  In no particular order,

My Faves of 2012:

Medusa Girls Series (Sweet Venom and Sweet Shadows) by Tera Lynn Childs
The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Barronlands Trilogy (The Twenty and The Forgotten) by Claudia Carozza
Easy by Tammara Webber
The Girl in the Box Series (Alone, Untouched, Soulless and Family) by Robert J. Crane
Tiger's Destiny by Colleen Houck
Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
What a Boy Wants and What a Boy Needs by Nyrae Dawn
Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines
Sea Breeze Series (Breathe, Because of Low, While it Lasts, and Just for Now) by Abbi Glines
Lux Series (Obsidian, Shadows, Onyx and Opal) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

Ok, that's it for my year!  I can't wait to see what wonderful reads 2013 brings us!

 

Happy New Year!!

REVIEW: Alone by Robert J. Crane

Title: Alone
Author: Robert J. Crane
Series: The Girl in the Box
Pages: 182
Publisher: Self-Published
Date Published: April 16, 2012
Source: Received from Author for Honest Review

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.

I didn't really put too much into my expectations of Alone.  Sci-Fi/Fantasy isn't usually my go-to genre.  It was recommended to me by my good (real life!) friend, Amy, over at Read to My Heart's Content.  She emailed me just gushing over this amazing self-published author she found and how great his books were.  While we have very similar tastes in books and authors, Amy's much more into Sci-Fi/Fantasy than I am, but I agreed to give them a try.  If there's one thing Amy's good at, it's making me explore outside of my comfort genres, and I'm nearly always thankful for her recommendations.  Alone is the perfect example of such a book.    

  

Sienna Nealon is 17 years old, and she's basically been a prisoner in her own home for years.  Her mother is extremely strict with her:  she never lets her leave, makes her wear long sleeves and gloves at all times and makes her train to fight for hours every day.  When her mother doesn't come home one night Sienna knows that something is terribly wrong.  When strangers break into her home with the intention of kidnapping her for a strange organization called the Directorate, Sienna wonders if it has anything to do with her mother's disappearance.  She has lots of unanswered questions, and the answers she does get only confuse her more.  But, with a a savage beast, Wolfe, hunting her, she knows she needs help from somewhere, even if she can't fully trust them.

 

Sienna is a great, well written character.  She's amazingly tough!  Her mother's taught her to fight, and she's good at it, beating the crap out of anyone that gets in her way.  I love heroines like this.  She's placed into an extremely difficult situation, and she has no idea who she can trust.  Everyone seems to have ulterior motives.  My favorite thing about Sienna is her snarky nature.  Some of her comebacks had me seriously cracking up.  I'm impressed that Crane was able to give such a perfectly snotty teenage personality to Sienna.   

 

The story is written from Sienna's point-of-view, so she's the only character I have a real feel for so far.  We also have a mysterious man, Reed, who keeps turning up at the strangest times.  I don't know yet who he is or what his intentions are, but I find myself drawn to him.  I want to know how he always seems to stay one step ahead and how he knows who Sienna is.  He's not very forthcoming on the answers to these, or any, questions!  We also have Zack, who works for the Directorate.  He's taken a special interest in Sienna, but I'm not sure yet if I trust him.  Wolfe is another character that is extremely well written.  Honestly, he scares the Hell out of me.  He's not just a wolf-man out to get the girl.  He's a psychopath Hell bent on torturing her just for the fun of it.  He longs to hear her scream.  He single handedly wipes out entire squads of agents, and kills people just to hurt Sienna.  He's scary...very realistically so.

 

Alone is a dark story with an interesting twist.  While comedic quips are tossed about, at it's core Alone is mostly terrifying.  Sienna has had a horribly twisted childhood, which is enough to give anyone nightmares.  But the real nightmare is still out there waiting to get his claws into her.  Sienna is placed into many brutal situations, and at times I found it hard to read.  Wolfe is one seriously scary guy.  Alone is mysterious, thrilling and ultimately a great read for any fan of a good exciting adventure.  This is a great beginning to what will certainly be an amazing series!