Stolen: Number 2 in series (Otherworld, #2)

by Kelley Armstrong

A taut, sensual thriller that grips from the first page. Elena Michaels is at once sublime and sympathetic, a modern heroine who shows that real women bite back' Karin Slaughter, author of BLINDSIGHTED and KISSCUT It's time to bite back...Elena Michaels is a wanted woman. She hasn't done anything wrong. Well, not recently, anyway. But ten years ago her lover turned her into a werewolf: the only female werewolf in the world, in fact. And now, just as she's finally coming to terms with this rather startling situation, a group of scientists learns of her existence. They're hunting her down, and Elena is about to run straight into their trap. But they haven't reckoned on Elena's adoptive family, her Pack, who will stop at nothing to get her back. They haven't reckoned on Elena herself, either, and that's a big mistake...Breathtakingly thrilling, hip and funny, STOLEN is another page-turning triumph from an author who is going from strength to strength.

• ISBN10: 1841493546
• ISBN13: 9781841493541
• Publish Date: 22 April 2004 (first published 26 May 2003)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 5 March 2012
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Paperback (A-Format (178x111 mm))
• Pages: 544
• Language: English

Reviews

[Chelsea]

I kind of feel a little bad for those of you who read quite a few of my reviews because when I read anything by Kelley Armstrong it’s just a huge mess. I can’t help it. I’m in love. Every single thing this women writes in on my all time favorites list. She just really knows how to play with my emotions and write the perfect book.

I love that we get to read about Elena again. She’s the best heroine I have ever come across. She’s basically perfect. She’s strong, independent and actually thinks for herself. If I could be any character from any book I’d be her. I love that even though she’s the main character, she’s not perfect. She struggles being a werewolf and is still unsure of herself but the way she hand;es everything is really incredible. She’s a really inspiring character. It’s not only Elena I love, I love all the characters. Clay is fantastic because if he were any other person you’d hate him but because he’s Clay you love him.

I LOVED the plot in this book. I was expecting some romance between Elena and Clay but it didn’t really happen because Elena is stuck in a prison for most of the book. I wasn’t even upset about it because the plot was incredible. I loved everything about it. I love how Kelley introduces new characters in this book. Every person mentioned plays a really important part in the story. I love how everything comes together in the end but at the same time the ending starts off the other books. This was a perfect second book and I couldn’t ask for anything better.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

You might remember that I was forced into reading this series. Tatum bought me Bitten for my birthday because she loved it after Lauren made her read it last year. I was hesitant about it, and I had a few issues with the book after reading, but I really enjoyed Bitten. So, obviously, I had to read Stolen so I could get more Elena.


E-L-E-N-AAAAAAAAA. Oh my god, I love her. Probably even more so in this book, because she’s started to deal with the issues that were made apparent in Bitten. Her storyline is absolutely brilliant, and I’m loving her character growth in this series.

And I am so sorry, Lauren, but I still can’t ship Elena with Clay. I feel like I’m failing all the books fans with this, but Elena/Jeremy is where it’s at. Clay by himself is great. A little angry and hot headed, but great. But when it comes to Elena he gets all possessive and it grosses me out. I know that he’s a werewolf, and he’s more ~wild than the others, but I really don’t want to read about a guy who follows his girlfriend around everywhere she goes.

And it doesn’t matter (to me) that Elena doesn’t listen to Clay when he tries to tell her what to do, it’s the fact that he tries. Those are just my feelings, I know everyone else loves them, but Clay/Elena makes me want to bash my head against the wall. Very hard.

This instalment was approximately 60% less info-dumpy than the first book. My main problem with Bitten was the extreme amount of information that was told in one go. Stolen was paced so much better, and it was a thrilling ride. There were fewer long, draining paragraphs taking away from the story.

What I really liked about Stolen was the introduction of the new characters and supernatural creatures, with the demons being the most exciting to me, of course. Stolen is a great set up for the rest of the series in this respect, since other female characters start to take the lead in the following Women of the Otherworld books.

Most importantly for now, Stolen introduces Paige, who is the protagonist of the next two books in the series. While I didn’t love her straight away, I thought she was a really interesting character and I was looking forward seeing more of her and the witch stuff. However, I was quite hesitant to continue with the series because I didn’t want to leave Elena. Because Elena is AMAZING.

I’m now on book five of Women of the Otherworld, and I’m loving it. If you are hesitant about continuing with the series then I would suggest carrying on, because it gets so much better after Bitten!

[Hixxup]

there was a lot in this book. I admire the fact that Armstrong took the time to have everything explained and well paved, instead of rushing it and missing key points of the book.

[celinenyx]

I really like Elena. She's one kick-ass werewolf. She doesn't whine when she has to kill a person or two or... around twenty (and that's a very optimistic count).
Ah well, she's used to it.

[empressbrooke]

Although I rated them both 4 stars, I enjoyed [book: Bitten] better than this sequel, Stolen. Although they both follow Elena the werewolf, they're very different books - Bitten was about Elena's werewolf pack, and Stolen suddenly introduces a wide range of supernatural characters, from witches to vampires to half demons. I preferred the werewolf characters to the new ones, and was disappointed that Elena is separated from her pack for most a good 2/3 of the book. Also, stories where someone is being held captive always put me in a slightly panicked mood, so I wasn't thrilled that Elena spends most of the book captured by a wacky millionaire who wants his video games to come to life.

Aside from that, it was still an enjoyable enough read for me to finish it in one sitting. I already have book #3 on reserve at the library, although I'm reluctant to read a [author: Kelley Armstrong] book about someone other than Elena.