Rating: Summary: Stole-Bitten Review: I enjoyed Bitten emensely and Stolen held my attention equally well with the exception of Paige. I found her character utterly weak and pathetic. I tend to like strong female characters and Paige certainly wasn't that. The love-hate relationship that Clay and Elena have in Bitten is wonderful even the progression of their relationship in Stolen is good. I won't be reading any of the following books in the series unless Elena is a main character. There is so much more to be explored in her world and that of the pack. It was a huge gamble to switch from werewolves to witches and, frankly, I believe Dimestore magic and industrial magic to be a waste of kelly armstrong's talents. Especially, when they are centered around a rather weak character. But I am biased. I like werewolves better then witches any day. So if you like witches read on but the wonderful werewolves of Kelly Armstrong stop here for now.
Rating: Summary: Copies other, better stories Review: I generally enjoyed Bitten, Ms. Armstrong's first novel, though I thought it eventually devolved into a long chase scene. I was more disappointed by Stolen. Its basic plot structures, i.e. the banding together of beings with special or supernatural abilities and a plot to capture such people and keep them in an underground lab for study/amusement, are taken directly from the X-Men and Buffy the Vampire Slayer respectively. The author even makes reference to both these shows/movies/comics in the book itself. This attempt at a knowing nod rings hollow when so much of the central ideas of the book are not further developed beyond their predecessors. Also, the new characters are given very little back story or explanation to draw the reader into their world. One can't just drop "half-demons" on us with out more explanation about demons. Like Bitten, over half the book ends up being an action/escape scene that's not particularly gripping. I wish that Ms. Armstrong had further developed Elena's struggles with her dual nature and her relationship with both the pack (in which she is a unique individual) and with Clay. As the author is leaving werewolves behind in the next series, I don't imagine this is going to happen later on in her writings. I also wish she had done more with developing this "otherworld" to make it more compelling.
Rating: Summary: Just as good as Bitten Review: I have to admit, I liked Bitten so much I ordered Stolen from Amazon Canada to get it a few months earlier. I wasn't disappointed. Elena is asked to meet two witches in Pittsburgh. Apparently a billionaire is kidnapping supernatural creatures and experimenting on them. They want to hold a meeting to decide what to do about it. During the course of the meetings, Elena herself is taken and has to find a way to rescue herself and the others.I really enjoyed this novel. Even though the characters are mythical, they seem very real. I enjoyed the addition of demons, sorcerers, vampires, and the like to the story. And of course, Elena, Clay and Jeremy are three of my favourite characters.
Rating: Summary: Interpersonal Dynamics make this book worth reading Review: I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that Stolen immediately jumped into other supernatural beings when the main characters from Bitten are more than enough to sustain several more books. Both Bitten and Stolen are worth reading for the relationship between Elana and Clayton -- probably the most complicated and fascinating relationship to hit fiction. I hope Ms Armstrong decides to continue to delve into their relationship in the future instead of spinning off to other supernatural characters -- no spin-off character in Stolen has any of the impact of Elana and Clayton, they keep you thinking of them long after you have set down the book.
Rating: Summary: absoulutly fantastic Review: i have to say this is the best sequal to a book i have ever read i bought the first book bitten when i was in a local airport and loved reading every bit of it the tension the attention to detail was amazing it had me waiting to see what happen's next it took me all of five hours to read this book thats how good i found it i just couldn't put it down after reading the first book i just had to have the second and i'm even more delighted to hear that the third book is out in the uk this year although it isn't following the main werewolf pack which i would of liked it to i still look forward to reading it and i hope kelley armstrong writes many more novels to do with elena and clay and her pack i would recamend this book to anyone who is intrested in the idea of werewolves and also anyone who enjoys a good story
Rating: Summary: Not very interesting Review: I loved Bitten. Bitten was a book about werewolves that was also a book about a young professional coming to terms with her wild side. It was lushly written and crossed genres gracefully. This book... not so much. This book does not say anything interesting about her character or Clay's character or even Winslow's character in that way. At worst it is a weak imitation of BTVS's 4th season, a comparison which it even mentions. At best, it is the continuing adventures of three characters who are still likable but no longer dynamic. I would have liked to see Elena grow further. Perhaps in this book she could have come to terms with her femininity, or her relationship with Clay, or anything to make it as relavant as the last one. It simply was not.
Rating: Summary: LOVE IT! Review: I loved the first book, Bitten, but did not expect much from the sequel, since most sequels pretty much suck. I was surprised by this one. I loved it just as much as the first if not more. Most likely because I loved the character Xavier. Don't ask, I have a thing for demonic guys. He should have a book for himself. The plot line kept me going an had an unexpected twist at the end which I did not see coming at all. If you loved Bitten then get the sequel and read it! You won't be disappointed! While you're at it, buy her other two books Dime Store Magic and Indutrial Magic. They follow Paige Winterbourne, the witch.
Rating: Summary: I shouldn't like this book. Review: I really shouldn't have enjoyed this book as much as I did. I don't like mysteries, I'm not into mystical/paranormal stories, and violence pretty much squicks me out. But, I _loved_ this book. Sure, its a bit of a mystery, there's paranormal activity out the wazoo, and lots of violence. But the characters are so compelling that this book is impossible to put down. I devoured this book in just about three and a half hours, and I was sad to see it end - I wanted to know more about Clayton and the other characters. I recommend this book to just about anyone - the relationships are compelling, and you feel like you are _in_ the book.
Rating: Summary: Stolen Review: I think that Stolen is a great book. It has everything that you could want in it! I think that readers aged 9-50 would like it better because (no offence to the Grandparents!) it is around now that supernatural beings have really come into the spotlight. Elena is a smart woman who wants a normal life. She had a bad background and was sent to nearly 30 or more foster homes before they gave up trying to send her anywhere (She was sent back for having nightmares). It is only when she is in college however that she meets the love/bane of her life. Her new boyfriend - Clayton Danvers - turns her into a werewolf to stop her leaving him. That was the first book. In the second book, after Elena's given up trying to run away, she is kidnapped by a group of scientists that want to promote drastic improvements to humanity. Elena is kidnapped and while dodging scientists who want to study her - is chased around by a megalomaniac, Tortured by 2 handpicked guards, and forced to nurse a half crazy wannabe werewolf! Can Elena survive this? Buy and read to find out! P.S I hope you enjoy it!
Rating: Summary: Wonderful. Review: I waited a long time to get hold of this sequel to BITTEN, and having just put it down not an hour ago, I can quite honestly say it lived up to its predecessor and then some. On its own, it's an outstanding book - but I will add that many elements of character interaction and history will make so much more sense if you have previously read BITTEN. We have our heroine, Elena - woman, werewolf, and very human. Having given up the majority of her attempts at fitting into a human world, she now works as an investigator for her werewolf Pack, hunting down rumours of werewolf attacks and dealing with the offender if he's bringing undue attention to their species. Elena is drawn to meet a hereditary witch, who in turn opens a world to her of vampires, demons, sorcerers - no more believeable to her than werewolves are to the average human. They have a problem - they are being hunted and imprisoned, for the study and extrication of the very thing that makes them - and they want the werewolves to help them. Enter Tyrone Winsloe, the man who has created his empire with computer games, and now has created his own living role play - and when his people have finished studying the various mystical beings he captures, he sets them loose and hunts them. It's kismet that Elena would be captured - but it's the only single predictable thing in this novel. There are magical elements, and yet they remain strangely mundane. No showmanship, no dramatics or fancy costumes, no deep and brooding history. Just a witch who can bust locks and a half-demon who incinerates doors by accident.... This is a genuinely good book. It will take your attention and keep it right through to the last page. It's well-written, interesting, and I can't praise it high enough. Five stars. It's worth it.
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