Book Review: Soulless by Robert J. Crane {Book 3: The Girl in the Box Series}

Title: Soulless
Series: The Girl in the Box
Author: Robert J. Crane
Publisher: Self
Date of Publication: August 23, 2012
My Format: ebook for Kindle
Source: received from author for honest review
Get your copy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Summary:
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.


My Thoughts:

Let me just tell you how hard it is to do a review on the third book in a series without spoilers...it is darn near impossible!!  I am going to try my best to but just in case.....

WARNING: COULD CONTAIN SPOILERS

Now I feel much better that I put that there.

In Soulless we see a very different side of Sienna.  A more immature side, in my opinion.  I wasn't happy with the way she acted, especially concerning the bar scene.  I just felt like this was something not on par with what I expected of Sienna.  And it of course made me dislike Scott...again.  

The plot in this third book seems to be more focused on love: the emotional as well as the physical aspects.  I thought Sienna was a little too obsessed with the physical components of a relationship, but then again being a succubus, I guess the hormones get even more out of the way for her.  

In this area, it didn't feel like Sienna for me.  I guess I am used to her being in life or death situations so much, it was a little hard to get used to her being a teenager/young adult just trying to cope with family problems, sexual urges, and responsibilities.  

Some parts of the mystery were easily figured out while others I was shaking my head that Crane was able to draw  me in so completely never knowing what was going to happen.  

I love love love the fact that Reed is in this book more than just a couple of pages!!  Do you know how much I adore Reed?  We get to actually learn a little more about Reed and I am secretly rooting for Sienna to open her eyes to his charm. 

And of course in true Crane fashion, we meet some very dark characters that make you shudder in fear, but this time, he disguises the villains so well you will definitely be guessing till the very end.  I know I was.  

The ending was phenomenal; probably Crane's best one yet!  The middle tended to get on my nerves though with the mistakes Sienna made and her experiments with alcohol.  

I have to admit this was the hardest review I have ever had to write.  I loved the characters, love the plot, and jumped up and down in excitement at the ending, but there were parts that just made me really mad about Sienna.  But in a way, that is the qualities of a good writer to show us things about the characters we may not want to believe or see.  It makes the characters seem even more realistic(even if they do have super powers) and easier to relate with, making us look deeper inside ourselves to look at our qualities both good and bad.  

At first, I was afraid I wasn't going to be happy with Soulless, but after all the plot lines come together, I realize this was the best book I read so far, with  a very important message for any young person out there (superhero or not): accept yourself.  

I gave it five hearts!

My Review of Spellbound by Kodilynn Calhoun

Spellbound

Kodilynn Calhoun

Published: March 12, 2012

I received Spellbound as a complimentary book in exchange for my honest review of it.  

I have read another of Kodilynn Calhoun's works before and I had my breath took away with such descriptive words that painted beautiful worlds, I didn't know if she could pull it off again.  But she did and even better!  

Spellbound is a strong story about love, fate, and redemption.  Our main characters, Wylde and Kascien, are as different as the moon and sun, and yet as we always learn opposites will attract.  

The story begins with Wylde's father, King of the Wyverns(dragon people) decreeing that she must pick a suitor or he will pick one for her.  She is furious and shifts into a beautiful dragon and roams the sky in an attempt to release her heartbreak at this news.  

Flying too close to the Shining Cities( like the modern cities of our world) she senses another of Dragon blood.  This is where Wylde comes in contact with a drakehound mutated with dragon blood inside it dying in the forest.  Wylde reads it's mind and realizes that the drakehound has been forced to fight it's entire life; she swears vengeance on the one that has did this.

Sneaking upon Kascien, the slave bound human in charge of the drakehounds, Wylde discovers she cannot kill him because he is as much as a slave as the drakehounds are.  She promises him salvation if he will help her release the animals into freedom.  

Kascien knows his decision will put his life in danger but he cannot say no to the princess.  As they make their way to the Kennels, everything they believe and know will be put to a test.   

It is an epic journey that they have to go through find what they want most in this world.  

There aren't many young adult stories about dragon shifters so this was a welcoming change.  

Calhoun creates beautiful pictures with her words, painting intense images inside your head as you read her stories.  I felt like I was really there in the Shining Cities with the magi, or walking in the red desert near Vanla.  

Another interesting factor in this story is how Calhoun took our modern devices and worked it into this story when speaking of the Shining Cities, and  combining it with a very medieval type feel with the dragons.  

There is so much going on with this story it was hard for me to put it down.  Yes, it has romance, but the romance isn't overpowering in the story to take away from anything else.  There is also mystery, magic, and some very serious fight scenes that any action hero could sit up and take note of.  

This is a story that both guys and girls could read and truly enjoy.  I actually came away learning something from Spellbound; you should always stand up for what you believe in, even when the odds are against you.  Wylde definitely does this and doesn't run away when things get scary.  She is a powerful, strong, and courageous female.  

Spellbound is an easy read that moves very quickly.  It has complex characters and writing that will blow your mind away with creativeness.  

I cannot wait to see what Kodilynn Calhoun has in store for us next.  

If you are interested in Spellbound to read on the Kindle, please click below:

You can also find it at Barnes and Nobles and Smashwords