Stolen (An Otherworld Novel Book 2)

I found this book leaving me wanting more. I was almost disappointed it ended although I had a hard time putting it down. This is another series I am quickly adding to my reading list. I love the Elena Michaels character and cannot wait to read the next volume.

While i enjoyed Bitten, and gave it 4 stars, it didnt have that special something which made me go 'wow.'

Stolen did.

While some parts of the book were weird, like a zillionaire with a strange video game obsession, the rest of the book was fun fun fun.

I went through this book in a few days with its frantic and action packed movie pacing. The short chapters of Armstrong are some of my favorite for thier pacing. They arent long winded with a lot of usesless dialogue...

And thankfully, there is a lot less of Elena/Clay getting it on.

I didnt enjoy those animalistic parts that were heavy in Bitten so thats a good thing that there were less of them.

Stolen is also the book which introduces her witches, which i like better than her wolves...

Paige and Savanna are always funny to read and the butt kicking Adam and Leah are also here for the first time.

All of those characters are extremely intresting and really get better in the later books.

All in all, i loved this book and think Armstrong gets better with each successing novel. I cant wait for her latest, Haunted...

This novel was truly excellent, but it was not a quick read. I felt as if I was reading this novel for several months, which grew tiresome after a bit. The plot was delicious and the characters divine. I would have eaten them with a spoon if it were possible. I found the plot to be fabulous, and other than the speed issues, I adored it!

I highly recommend Armstrong's Women of the Other World series.

I absolutely loved Kelley Armstrong's first book "bitten" and after reading so many other novels I couldn't get into, I decided to buy the whole series. Sigh. A great writer, I think the plot momentum to this 2nd book in the series, somehow lost its way.
Mel

I was all set to really enjoy this book - and the reviews of other readers ensured me that I would.

They were wrong.

The plot was okay, I suppose, but I was extremely disappointed. The writing is and self-conscious and plodding. This should have been a short story, not a novel.

Bad plot

Bad characterization

Lazy writing

unbelievable storyline

I felt cheated and really wanted to return the book for a refund. This is the last book that I will purchase from Kelly Armstrong.

Horrifying and fascinating!

Second in the Women of the Otherworld urban fantasy series and revolving around Elena Michaels, a reluctant werewolf and journalist.

My Take
Geez. This is bad. No, the writing is great, it’s the premise that is so awful. “Conducting serious scientific research”? Yeah, right.

I can't believe the delusions these antagonists embrace. Do they really think calling their prisoners "guests" is gonna make it all better? Puh-lease. These bad guys are bored and self-obsessed. All dropouts from humanity. And I’m talkin’ the concept of compassion for others. That’s the theme, a reversed compassion with the supernaturals — the “horror” that has “us” all shaking in our boots — as the true humanitarians as we observe (and quiver in disgust!!) at so-called humans who are true evil. It’s one theme I keep reading over and over (in a lot of other books) that it’s humans who are the true “brutes, as we’re the only ones who routinely and purposely hurt others for our own advancement.

Think about it. How many animals have you seen declaring war on each other? Gassing their own? Committing rape and murder? Yeah…

Thankfully, Armstrong includes some humor, I especially enjoyed the bit about Clay trying to be less controlling, overprotective, and possessive. It is funnier now, as I’ve read the whole series. I’d forgotten about having read Stolen. I thought it was a new book…sigh… And it does make me want to go through and do a re-read!

“Other parents warn their kids not to talk to strangers. I had to warn mine not to eat them.”

More crack ups include Ruth’s claims that werewolves see mutts as inferior, but those superior ones, the witches, see witches outside a coven as merely “poor misguided souls in need of protection and conversion.” Yeah. Right.

Poor Elena. It was fascinating how well Armstrong projects Elena’s attempts to “slide in”, to “cozy up” to her captors, er, her hosts. Geez, this whole attitude on the part of the antagonists... How can anyone be that stupid? Idiotic? What am I saying? They're vicious, nasty cruel people so self-obsessed with their own desires...I want to kill 'em.

“If I was a very good girl, I too could kidnap and torture my fellow supernatural beings.”

Bauer is so condescending. Jesus. All the things she “despises” about Elena are what she hates about herself. Why’s she in this? She’s bored. She wants power. She needs some “excitement”. Oh, yeah, baby. She gets her excitement all right. And then…blame the messenger. Idiot. Of course, Paige doesn't impress me either. It seems she isn't impressing her aunt much either, lol. Ruth knows that girl too well *more laughter*

Writers should take note on how well Armstrong has avoided the dreaded info dump with the backstories Armstrong includes on Elena’s childhood and her parents’ deaths; Jeremy’s hateful father; a wee dab of Clay surviving in the bayous; and, a hint that werewolves were once part of something bigger. Hmmm…

I know it’s not a spoiler, otherwise we wouldn’t keep going in the series! But y’all’ll LOVE the ending. Well, okay, you have to be fine with violence and, um, stuff. But talk about comeuppance. Oh yeah, baby!!

The Story
Cocky, and believing herself unbeatable, Elena sets out to investigate an Internet posting about werewolves, only to find herself kidnapped by a group with mixed interests funded by an Internet billionaire.

Those interests are about paranormals — witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves. Discovering the how. Having the power…to torture, control, “play” their perverse reality video game.

Only to find that Elena Michaels is not one to sit back. After all, she’s a werewolf.

The Characters
Elena "Andrews" Michaels is, so far, the only female werewolf. Has been for 12 years. She’s a journalist also tasked with monitoring the Internet for mutt activity. Jeremy Danvers is the Alpha of her pack; he checks newspaper accounts of maulings, etc. Professor Clayton Danvers is his adopted son, bodyguard, second-in-command, and Elena’s lover. Career-wise, he’s a research-based anthropologist who does occasional lecture series to stay in touch with his contacts and maintain that career. The rest of the pack includes Antonio Sorrentino and his son, Nick. Karl Marsten is a mutt, but one with territory. Malcolm had been Jeremy’s vicious father.

Ruth Winterbourne is a witch and leader of her coven; Paige is her “great-niece” and a professional computer programmer who can hack. Adam Vasic is a fire half-demon; his sire is an Exustio demon. His stepfather is a Tempestras half-demon and supposedly an expert on demonology.

Cassandra is a vampire, extremely self-interested but will put herself out for a “good” reason. She was 46 when she was turned, in seventeenth-century Europe. Aaron is another, angry, vampire. Kenneth is a shaman.

The “research center”
The perverse, controlling Tyrone “Ty” Winsloe, a computer geek (his company, Promethean Fire, is world famous) is a billionaire bankrolling the entire project; he’s in it for the fun of it. Sondra Bauer is a rich woman who heads up a corporation. But they won’t listen to her…*pout*… Dr Lawrence Matasumi is a renowned parapsychology researcher who believes werewolves and other supernaturals evolved, and he has a reputation for skirting the code of research ethics. No kidding... Tess is his research assistant. Dr Carmichael is the chief, well, only, medic. Isaac Katzen is a sorcerer. And sorcerers hate witches.

Colonel R.J. Tucker is the head guard with a questionable past. One of the guards, Xavier “Houdini” Reese, is a half-demon who can teleport short distances; Evandius was his sire. Former Corporal Paul Ryman and Cliff Joliffe are the guards who most enjoy abusing the priso…er, capt…I mean, "guests". Pierce, Peters and Lewis are more guards.

Prisoners
Savannah Levine is twelve years old and the daughter of a former Coven witch, Eve (she's actually half demon and half-witch). Dr Armen Haig, a psychiatrist and half-demon, is a human chameleon. Curtis Zaid, is the depressed and not-very-powerful vodoun priest. Leah O’Donnell, a deputy sheriff in Wisconsin who is the daughter of an Agito demon, has telekinetic powers. Qiona is an ayami, the spirit who guides Roger, a shaman. Patrick Lake is a mutt, a drifter and man-eater whom Clay beat some time ago.

Mutts are non-pack werewolves, shifters who can’t be bothered fighting the urge. The Legacy is the Pack history book.

Two types of demons exist: the good are eudemons and the bad are cacodemons (and the only ones who can procreate). The children (they become half-demons) inherit qualities from the father and are always human in appearance. Igneus is another type of demon. Volos are a half-demon with the highest level of telekinetics.

The Cover and Title
The cover is spooky in its black and purple with that one bit of orange, the eye of the black wolf staring off. At first glance, Elena’s hands writhing at the back of her neck look like aetheric trails of smoke, pointing downwards from the top of the invitation to “Meet the Women of the Otherworld” — it’s a nice way to introduce the series information *grin* (all the text is in white with the author’s name in a sans-serif at the bottom). Keep going down, past the title in an elongated serif font, and just below the testimonial below that rests on the top of the back-laced corset she’s wearing — a perverse nod to Ty’s demands. In the upper right, the black and purples are used to great effect to give an impression of depth, of a long hall leading to an open doorway, to escape…

The title is the focus, on all those who are Stolen from their lives.

Reviewed by Suzanne and posted at Under The Covers Book Blog

I know I have probably said his before but… thank goodness for #rollbackweek! This month I decided to continue my journey into Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series and read book two Stolen. If you have read my review of the first book Bitten than you know I was already enjoying this series; however, Stolen blew the first book out of the water. It’s no exaggeration to say that I LOVED this book.

Stolen, much like the first book, is action packed and fast paced, but more than that Armstrong continues to build upon the world she has constructed by introducing us to a host of other paranormal races, including and not limited to; witches, demons and vampires. Much like us Elena, Clay and the Pack were oblivious to the existence of these other species of the supernatural, so we are inducted into the presence of this whole new world at the same pace as they were, thus ensuring we didn’t have an information overload.

As much fun as it was seeing Armstrong’s world expand and the Pack’s reaction to this, what I truly enjoyed about Stolen was the story. Elena has been captured by an eccentric and cruel billionaire – human of course – for nefarious purposes. This plot line really forced Elena to show herself at her best. She has to use all her wiles to survive as physical strength and agility – something she has always relied on – will not get her anywhere but dead. Seeing Elena in this locked room environment, as cliche as the story line may appear, never felt stagnant or boring. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next, how she would cope both emotionally and physically and because of this harrowing experience I felt like I knew, and liked, her a lot better by the end of the book.

But I also can’t resist a bit of romance and of course the dire situation Elena is forced into made her look at her feelings for Clay a lot closer than she would perhaps like and made her acknowledge a few truths that she’s been avoiding. Of course, I’m sure in books to come we will have more Elena and Clay related drama and I look forward to that and seeing how their relationship continues to develop.

I am really loving this series and I can’t wait to learn more about some of the new characters Armstrong has introduced us to in this book. If, like me, you are behind and haven’t started this series yet, than you need to pick it up immediately; I promise you won’t regret it!

I enjoyed the first book in this series. I didn't love it, but I didn't regret reading it. I almost didn't finish Stolen. I pretty much hated it from start to finish. Armstrong lowered herself to using TSTL stunts to put Elena in danger and move the plot alone. While in book one Elena was strong and stubborn, here she talked a big talk but just acquiesced over and over again. Even her escape wasn't really of her own doings. I have the third book in the series, but I don't think I'll bother reading it.

Note: I borrowed the book from the library. I chose to read and review it.

The second volume of the extraordinary Werewolf / Romance / Action series by international phenomenon Kelley Armstrong starts off, after an exciting introduction, by giving us an expanded set of characters. The series now boasts Werewolves, Witches, and Demons (Oh, my!). Our heroine, Elana, is on the lookout for mutts in Pittsburgh but she finds herself trapped and without assistance in an unknown and apparently hostile environment. It turns out, after some early pulse pounding excitement, that said witches are simply on the lookout for workplace allies in the fight against local gazillionaire Ty Winsloe and his goons / demons. But we learn these witches are aggressive only in their own defence. We also learn how dangerous that philosophy can be depending on the philosophy of your enemies, so it is a good thing for the witches that Elana is brought into the story so early!

Ms Armstrong's story telling abilities set the world alight with her amazing debut novel BITTEN and the sequel is just as good, if not better. Actually, its miles better. I have already discussed the extended cast of characters. The action starts nice and early and the plot flies along at breakneck speed and never lets up. The reader, of course, is dying to experience the electrifying dialogue and action scenes (read, "love scenes") between Clay and Elana; and even early on, by phone, the reader can imagine how hard they find it to keep their hands off each other. Ahhh, how sweet young love burns a hole in my heart!

The bad guys in the tale are pretty obvious but you will have to read the book yourself to find out what they want, and how determined they are to get it. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Its faster pace and larger cast make it a better book than it's prequel, and for those reasons alone i am happy to give it full marks. On top of these things the book's plot is much deeper - an early quote from Elana herself is ample proof of this. I may update this review at book's end. But i cant wait to go back to it and find out what happens next.

BFN Greggorio!

I must say that this one was a little bit of a letdown from the first book. I honestly thought it was a sequel of sorts or at the least a continuation of Elena’s story as laid out it Bitten. While this book had Elena as our ever wry witted narrator it was very much a set up for the other supernatural beings’ stories in the series. As such, this isn’t going to be a favorite for me. I freely admit that I enjoy vampires, witches, fey, demons & various other supernatural sorts in limited dose and have to be in the mood for them to really love them. I keep them far & few between in my reading, still this was not a bad read. I did like the take on all of the other supernaturals even if I’m not inclined to actually read those books in this series. I’m still all in for Elena & the Pack.

That said, I liked the beginning & Elena’s voice is still clear. I did wish there was more with Clay & Jeremy but it was good to see how Elena fared when in isolation & under duress. I admit that I didn’t really care much about the other non-Pack characters but I distinctly disliked Paige, so there’s that. I don’t know how I feel about WInslow’s “fate” but I was certainly hoping for him to have a different end. I’m going to read Broken next because that’s Elena & Pack centric & I have Frostbitten on my desk as well, so my nonfangirling over this one has no bearing on my want to continue the series. I’d recommend this one to anyone who is interested in the entire series spanning all the supernaturals but not to anyone looking for an intensive Elena/Clay story.

This book is one of the most important installments of this series in my opinion. Kelley Armstrong's world grows by tenfold with the introduction of the various preternatural characters that'll make up the Women of the Otherworld universe. Most of these werewolves, witches, demons and sorcerers get their own books or at the very least, make appearances throughout this series. Elena, my favorite female werewolf, is once again front-and-center as the narrator of this tale and the villain is the kind of guy who you just love to hate.

Elena is forced to rely on her wits and cunning after being kidnapped and separated from her pack. This bare-bones environment allows her personality to really shine through. It's refreshing to see a female character actually grow stronger as a result of being separated from her mate. Clay's awesome in his own right but Stolen proves that Elena is equally as impressive if not more so. Michaels plays mind games with her captors and fellow prisoners in order to identify ally from foe. I really enjoyed watching her mind's cogwheels turn while she pondered her best course of action. This werewolf is tested on all fronts in this novel. Her decisions sometimes go against her morals but when the prize is freedom, sacrifices need to be made.

Kelley Armstrong couldn't have picked a better way of introducing her cast of supernaturals. The various breeds are literally put on display in glass "showcases". The resident scientists are studying these abnormalities and as a result, we learn their findings as the story progresses. I found that this was a clever way of listing each preternatural's traits; instead of a dull information dump, it's entertaining and helps the story to move forward. We meet two important characters in this installment: Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine. Book three, Dime Store Magic, features the first witch while the latter makes appearances throughout this series but doesn't actually get her own story until book eleven in Waking The Witch. Re-reading these novels is allowing me to pick-up extra details that I missed the first time around. I'm falling in love with the Women of the Otherworld all over again!

Tyrone Winsloe is a rich, powerful tycoon with an ego to match but all of these traits also make him an excellent villain. He's beyond warped which made his character all the more fun to read. Just when you think that you've seen it all, Tye pulls something completely unexpected and heinous out of his bag of tricks. I was happy that he got his just deserts in the end but I enjoyed the ride all the same. Clay plays a much smaller role in this book but I couldn't write my review without mentioning him in some way. Danvers is caught between a rock and a hard place; on one side he must obey his alpha but on the other he'll do anything to get Elena back. Tough call. On a good day, Clay's not exactly the most stable person so it was interesting to watch him trying to stay cool under pressure and use his brain instead of his muscles. Even when Elena was in her darkest hour she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he would come for her. This is just one of the many reasons why I love this power duo.

Bitten and Stolen are two of my all-time favorite werewolf books. You won't find an author who's more capable of capturing the true essence of what it means to be a wolf in human clothing than Kelley Armstrong.

This book review can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).

Book Description: Elena Michaels may be the world's only female werewolf, but she's just a regular girl at heart - and she certainly doesn't believe in witches. At least not until a forceful encounter with two small, ridiculously feminine women who lure her into a carefully laid trap ...

Vampires, demons, shamans, witches - in Stolen they all exist, and they're all under attack. An obsessed tycoon with a sick curiosity is well on his way to amassing a private collection of supernaturals, and plans to harness their powers for himself - even if it means killing them. For Elena, kidnapped and imprisoned deep underground, separated from her Pack, unable to tell her friends from her enemies, choosing the right allies is a matter of life and death."

My Thoughts: Any regular readers of my blog know that I adore author Kelley Armstrong's 'Women of the Underworld' series. She's not only Canadian but the woman can write, people!! With 'Bitten' being such an amazing start to the series did I love 'Stolen' as much (even if this was the second time I'd read it?) Oh yes. Most definitely yes.

Armstrong continues her series with yet another edge-of-your-seat read with strong female characters. Stolen is also the book where Armstrong begins to introduce her readers to other supernatural races which makes the title of the series, Women of the Underworld, make much more sense. These other races will eventually take over the storylines for several books. I adore this idea of changing the protagonist every book or so. It's not that we never see past main characters but when a new protagonist picks up the reigns it keeps things fresh. While I luuurve Clay and Elena, putting them in the background for a few books makes me (without sounding too book geeky) miss them and gives the reader a fresh look into other 'races', namely witches, demons, vampires, shaman etc.

If I'm being honest I think that I enjoyed this book more than Bitten and one of the reasons is that we get a better picture of who Elena really is. Sure, she shows us her tougher side as she has to defend herself without the help of her mate, Clay. But we also see a more fragile side to her as she begins to view her bond with Clay differently.

But what really makes Elena's character more relatable and 'real' is how she reacts and feels when she's at her lowest -- dealing with the ruthless, power hungry and sadistic Ty Winslowe. Ty's dehumanizing treatment of Elena reminds her of the horrible experiences that she had as a child. The reader sees that Elena isn't always the tough werewolf and this acknowledgement makes her seem like a more believable and endearing character. You want to root for her.

If I had any negative things to say about this book is that I didn't get a strong feeling for some of the other supernaturals. Knowing that the next book is taken over by Paige I was hoping to get to know her (and like her) a lot more in Stolen. She was OK but not overly memorable or even all that likeable.

Kelley Armstrong remains one of my favourite authors and the fact that she is a fellow Canadian is the icing on the proverbial ... maple glazed donut. She is an author who expertly understands how to balance all aspects of her books: romance, action, suspense, mystery ... You cannot ask for more than that in a 'unputdownable' book. I look forward to re-reading this series over the summer and getting reacquainted with all of the Women of the Underworld.

Highly recommended.

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

So... this is book two in the Women of the Otherworld series. I found it very difficult to decide how to rate this book primarily because there were things I really liked about the book and then a few disapointments as well. I felt like there was something missing and after some thought I think the problem for me was that the entire book is written from the perspective of the heroine. Because of this I got a little tired of her constant internal dialogue. I would've liked to have spent some time in the minds and places of some of the other characters in the book that I also really liked. Because about 70% of the book is her locked away in the creepy supernatural prison we don't get much time with the rest of the pack which I found very dissapointing. It was her relationships with the pack members that I found most enjoyable in book one. However, we did get introduced to some very cool additions to this supernatural world. I was particularly fond of the half-demons. We also get to meet Paige who will be the focus of Armstrong's next book. She is set to become the new leader of the witch coven. One of my personal pet peeves is when an author takes the time to create very cool and interesting characters and just when you get to know them they get killed. I really hate that... at least let us spend a little time with the characters before you snuff them out. This happened several times. There was plenty of death, dismemberment and creepy moments in this book and by the end there were bodies everywhere and some to spare! The romance definitely takes a back seat and I have to say that I wasn't particularly fond of the circumstances around the sex scenes. They seemed ill timed and I was thinking... not romantic.
As a whole I did read the book in one sitting and I liked it for the well developed villain who was easy to hate and very creepy. The humans in the story who were heavy on the "crazy" side and people you would not want to have over for dinner. And, for the introduction of some very cool characters that I would hope to see in future books. I was really only disapointed that we got no further development with the relationship between Clay and Elena... just more same ole' same ole' and not much time with the pack. But, I will be pushing forward to book 3 which is titled "Dime Store Magic".

For starters I have to say that I never really liked the Elena Michaels character. Why they would choose her of all the characters out there I'll never know. I'm afraid that this book didn't help me like her any better either. I know that it wasn't the way that it was supposed to be, but everything that she did instead of either came off as whiny or cowardly. I mean come on in the end 2 werewolves do all this damage but she gives in to everything that they want from her for the rest of the time? Really? How about some consistency. And that's the other problem. It felt like the author had a story that she wanted to tell and stuck with it no matter what instead of letting the story progress naturally. The only reason I'm reading the next in the series is because it doesn't have the same main character.

Being the only female werewolf makes Elena a hot commodity. But in Stolen, she's not the only one being hunted. Witches, vampires, shamans, sorcerers, half-demons, and voodoo priests, are among the other supernaturals being captured and imprisoned by Tyrone Winsloe and his cohorts. Elena will need the help of her Pack and a group of supernaturals to bring down the lab and free the other captives.

In this second installment in the Women of the Otherworld series, Elena is introduced to the reality that there are other supernatural beings in the world besides werewolves. In the group Elena meets intent on eliminating the threat Ty Winsloe and his lab presents; there's Paige and Ruth the witches, Adam the half-demon, Cassandra the vampire, and Kenneth the shaman.

Just as Elena meets these people for the first time, we as readers are introduced to them as they will make future appearances throughout the series. Others in this group will take over as narrator and show things from their places in the world of the Women of the Otherworld. So we're meeting the full cast for the first time! It was kind of exciting. And what's great is that no matter who the narrator this, every character will eventually make a guest appearance, so we don't have to say goodbye to anyone!

But back to talking about Stolen. I have to say that I really enjoyed the downfall of Ty Winsloe and the lab he funded. Elena and the other captives were supposedly "guests," but they were kidnapped and locked up. The scientists thought they were all that and knew what they were talking about in regard to the different species, but in reality they knew nothing and didn't take Elena's warnings seriously. I mean, who's going to know more? The person who's actually a werewolf (or what have you) or a scientist who's just learning about them? And then there's Ty Winsloe himself. He totally disgusted me, but he was like the perfect villain. I just found it very satisfying when it all blew up in his face. Very satisfying, indeed.

I liked that Elena was more open and accepting of her feelings for Clay in this book. She doesn't lie to herself anymore about loving him. Their devotion to each other is something to be admired. Every time Clay would say "darling" I could imagine his Southern accent and it made me want to swoon every single time he said it. I don't know how Elena could push someone like Clay away. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for them, as well as everyone else we met in this book.

Now, Bitten is easily my favorite shapeshifter book, and ranks pretty highly among fantasy books overall. First and foremost, this is because it has such a strong female narrator who's story evokes empathy in a way that few others in the genre manage. Secondly, because it addresses everything associated with being a werewolf--from blood-lust to pack structure--on a very personal level. And finally, because Armstrong addresses Elena's relationships, romantic and otherwise, with so much honesty and realism. Given all of this, it might seem like Stolen has impossibly big shoes to fill. How does it measure up? SPOILERS AHEAD!

Well, as I said this book is still focused on Elena. So it has the advantage of her wit, sarcasm, toughness, and deeply buried emotions that surface unexpectedly. In the books initial chapters I thought I just might be in for a pleasant surprise, because not only did we have Elena and her fantastic supporting cast--namely Clay and Jeremy--but a whole new intriguing group of characters. Paige the witch, and her Aunt Ruth, invite the werewolves to a council of supernatural creatures to address the recent kidnappings of many of their kind. Turns out there are also half-demons, shamans, vampires, and...who knows what else. The werewolves are naturally unaccustomed to playing nice with others, and so it doesn't exactly go perfectly.

In any case, if the opening was a treat of paranormal politics and character establishment, the middle was a kind of torture. Elena is kidnapped and it quickly devolves into a capture/escape story. Which brings me to my main complaints. The kidnappers seem to want the supernatural beings in order to study them (among other things). This happens often enough in urban fantasy that I'm starting to think that Murdered by Evil Scientists in Research Related Endeavors must rank somewhere in the top 10 causes of death for supernatural creatures. For her part, Elena spends her time in captivity feeling kind of sorry for herself, meeting the researchers and other captives, and half-assedly thinking up escape plans. I was very bored by this process.

Then there's the none to subtle nod to The Most Dangerous Game . Ty Winsloe, the money behind the research operation, has a thing for hunting supernatural creatures. I had an itch in my brain telling me that I'd read something like this before and I realized that Keri Arthur did her own version of "werewolves= the most dangerous game" in her book Dangerous Games. Note: I'm fairly certain Dangerous Games was published after Stolen. Regardless of this, while I have to acknowledge that being hunted like prey (or even doing the hunting) does make for an exciting plot line, it isn't the most original thing in the world and it didn't add much to this book.

Now, I'm fairly certain that this capture/rescue research facility plot was designed to force the various supernatural creatures to work together. I can respect that and I admit that I enjoyed it. In fact, the last several chapters in which everyone's strengths and powers are utilized in a team setting is fantastically well done.

In sum, this was a book with a very strong start and a satisfying ending, but a pretty lackluster middle. It was extremely difficult to assign it a grade. It doesn't at all compare with Bitten and if I were to rate it based on that comparison it would be pretty low. It lacks all of the things that made Bitten great--the pack dynamics, the romantic conflict, all of the character development. But ignoring this comparison it actually is worth reading. All things considered I'm giving it a 3.5.

Turns out that I've actually not read this book before. I was surprised as I thought that I'd read at least the first four in the series, but I guess I was wrong. So I got to discover this book for the first time and I must say that I enjoyed it quit a bit. =^.^=

As with the first book, I found myself loving Elena and her sarcastic wit! She definitely appeared to be a stronger person in this one. There wasn't the rebelling against the pack or dominance games this time around which I think really made her standout more. Dare I say that I think I like her a lot more in this book than I did in the first? I also have to hand it to Armstrong for creating the perfect villain in Winsloe. This guy is all sorts of crazy! He's definitely not the type of guy you want to run across. ~shivers~ Another surprise character whom I couldn't get enough of was Xavier. At first I wasn't sure I'd like him, but by the end he turned out to be a truly intriguing individual.

This book went in a different direction than I would have expected. Instead of continuing off roughly where the first book left off, Stolen occurs about a year later and rather than just dealing with pack issues, Elena finds herself dealing with other paranormals instead. It's a nice mix in my opinion. Sets things up nicely for the third book in the series. And I found Armstrong's take on witches, vampires, shamans, etc., to be interesting.

So when all is said and done, I have to say that the series is definitely holding my interest and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. I'm also looking forward to watching it evolve and seeing if Elena appears in some of the future books.

What a fun book this was! I was absolutely glued to the pages, especially in the latter half. It's simply written, delightfully snarky, and full of great villains that you'll love to hate. Sure, this book is pure sugar and has all of the nutritional value of cotton candy, but who gives a care? Doesn't everyone need a thrill-filled joyride every now and then?

I loved Elena's snarky little asides and the hilarious sarcasm of all the characters. The only downside to the constant wisecracking is that the characters--especially the secondary ones--tend to blend into one bland multi-headed mega-character. It's mostly because they're there merely to provide the author's sarcastic repartee, and have little else to define them. It wasn't particularly bothersome, though, mainly because characterization really wasn't the important part of the story. Again, if you come to this book expecting War and Peace, you've come to the wrong book.

The action is fast-paced; there are several great chase scenes, fun fight scenes, and truly fun characters. The dialogue is snappy and fun, there's a great twist, and the ending is very satisfying. There's not much werewolf action, and I was actually rather unhappy about the loss of Bauer (who could have added some fascinating stories to the Bitten mythos), but hey. You take what you can get.

Unfortunately, like Bitten, it has several premises that are a little difficult to swallow. Why can't Elena comprehend that there are other races like her own after seeing them for the umpteenth time? Why was Katzen where he was? Why all the killing to begin with? What's the use of the research, which just seemed tacked on? And how about the idea that a bored billionaire spends his time capturing special races, then proceeds to hunt them down and kill them? What odd food/drink/medication combination did Armstrong consume the night before she dreamed this sucker up? It was just, well, awkward and weird. Weird-dream weird. It's really testament to Armstrong's writing ability that this works at all, much less works well.

But the most disturbing part of this book is, why was Elena so darn compliant? There were countless times that she could have just grabbed Winsloe's head and ripped it off, ending everything then and there. Yeah, she could have been shot or otherwise harmed, but this never stopped her in Bitten, did it? I felt that her reluctance to resort to violence was a poor plot device rather than true to her character. How best to put it? She was the author's tool here. She did not act; she reacted. Not a good sign!

But even though this was full of problems, I had fun. I think that's what matters overall. It's not for everyone, and I don't think I'd read it a second time, but I'd definitely suggest that you run over to the library and pick it up.

Elena has finally accepted what she is, and the fact that she loves and can't live without Clay. She is just settling in and doing her job for the Pack. She has gone off to investigate a Werewolf story. She had found an ad in the paper selling information on a Werewolf story. Jeremy checked out the story of the attacks and they were legitimate, so Elena set off to squash this story before too much exposure came to them and the pack.

Once she got there she got something very different instead. She met a very pushy young woman and a very nice old lady who knew that she was a Werewolf. Then they told her that they were a couple of witches, that claim to be part of an origination of supernatural beings that get together and discus stuff that concerns them and their secretes. But wail there, she sees some suspicious men lurking around and follows them to find that they are trying to attack or kidnap these women, so Elena steps in to help. Only to find out more of what these women had not told her.

There is a secret group of military trained men out there ordered to find and capture supernatural beings and that a Shaman and another witch have already gone missing. Once Elena tells Jeremy about this he urges them to go to this meeting and learn more. After the meeting the same military style men came to the cabin that Jeremy rented and of course Clay took care of them. But it made Jeremy very uneasy about the situation so upon returning to the meeting to see who might have snitched and gave up there location. They needed to take two cars and since Clay's natural reaction is to protect his alpha they thought it was best if Jeremy rode with Clay and Elena take the other car with the promise to stay within eyesight. But of course Elena get cocky and speeds ahead only to crash and be kidnapped.

Once awake Elena see she is in a facility that has cells for their captives with one way mirrors so they can be observed. She learns that they are keeping other supernatural beings here, a demon with telekinesis, a young witch about 12 years old, a half demon who has been helping the men get their captives, and can disappear and reappear at will, A shaman who is also helping them but nobody seems to know who he is or have ever seen him, and last but not least a mutt. Elena gets a taste of what this facility is for very quickly once they have Elena they no longer need the mutt, So the Internet Billionaire Tyrone Winsloe , the one backing this whole operation. Takes Elena out and tells her to help them make the mutt change so they can hunt him. She is appalled by the way this man is treating these captives as if they are nothing better than pets solely for his entertainment. She realizes she will have to enlist some help to get out of here and that things are going to get a lot worse before it get better, but how much worse can this get?

This book did not move as quickly for me as the first one but I loved the story line. I like the introduction to all the new supernatural beings in this series. I think there are a few new characters that will make good main characters in the coming books if they are in them. As always I loved Clay but was disappointed that he was not in this one as much as I would like to have seen him. But Elena is such a strong character that she does not need him to get through these tough situations, so I think she did well. I am still waiting for her to tell Clay how much her really means to her. I know that he knows but I want her to tell him, he deserves to hear it, with all that he has been through with her. Any way I am excited to read the next installment of this series and see who it will be about.

This is a really hard one to review. I think my opinion was skewed because of unmet expectations. I think if I gone into this book cold I would have enjoyed it a lot more. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but my opinion teeter-tottered throughout it. I finally decided on a four star grade because the end did pick up and once I was able to put aside my reasons for reading it immediately after Bitten I got caught up in it. I'd say that Bitten is a high four star while this one is a low four star.

When Bitten ended we left Clay and Elena on a hopeful note. Nothing was really worked out, but the promise that they would try was given. I was so excited to pick up this one and watch their relationship heal itself. For me, that's half the fun of reading about a couple. I don't just want to see them together, I want to watch them get together and strengthen their relationship.

When I started this book I was shocked to find out that approximately six years had passed since the last book. I was pretty pissed off about it too. All my expectations about watching them build their relationship collapsed. I was pretty surprised to see that even though she was still with the Pack and still with Clay, she wasn't really with Clay the way that a six year commitment implies to me. They're still in basically the same spot spinning their wheels. It was actually kind of sad for both of them. I guess I didn't miss as much as I originally thought...

The beginning of this book was very slow going. My attention kept wandering and I had to struggle to make myself focus. The attention is no longer focused on just the werewolves. For a good chunk of the beginning half there's barely any werewolf interaction at all. The focus is all on the new type of supernatural creatures we meet and the organization hunting them. I did enjoy learning about the different groups, but what caught me most in the first book was the feel of the "otherness" of the werewolves and their interactions together. I felt that that aspect was really toned down in this book. Yes, there were gruesome moments, but the mentality of it felt different.

Around page 200 is where the pace started to pick up for me. We were still focused on only Elena, but her personal demons started to come into play. It seemed like her captivity and isolation dug beneath her skin enough to break through her persona. We got to see the despair and the insecurities and the depression. It was great getting that raw view. I loved how Elena admitted she wasn't over her past and probably never would be.

When Elena was back with Clay I found it extremely irritating that they never talked through anything. Their mode of operation seems to be to ignore everything and move on. It drives me nuts. You'll get to see how they solved the issue of his betrayal of her 12 years ago, and you'll see why I feel that way. I don't understand how they could have been back together the last 6 years and never have sat down and talked these things through.

I loved the glimpse we got of Clay's point of view (sort of). I felt it added nice perspective for that time period. I loved Clay in this book. Even though we saw him infrequently his presence was still felt. I hear the next book is about Paige. I hope, for both her sake and mine, that she isn't as irritating in that book as she was in this. I was on Clay's side about her and I loved the nickname he gave her. Xavier and Adam seemed like interesting characters and I hope to see more of them in the series.

Stolen is one of my very favorite installments in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. It features feisty werewolf Elena as the narrator, but it opens the door to the rich world of other supernatural characters that will be the hallmark of the series.

As our story begins, Elena is going to meet someone who claims to have proof that werewolves exist. It turns out that the offer is really a ruse for a pair of witches to get in the same room with her. They want to warn her about a project that is collecting members of the supernatural community to study them. And the witches hope the pack will join up with them and others who are trying to stop the abductions. Here is where we meet Paige Winterbourne, the young 20-something witch that will narrate the next book. We start to learn about the history witches and sorcerers, shamans and half-demons, while getting to know characters of all the different varieties. It might sound like a lot to take it, but it's done rather seamlessly. Even though there is a huge influx of characters, each is distinct and easy to keep straight.

There's plenty of action in the story, as Elena is captured and held with the other prisoners. This book isn't as much of an emotional wringer, the way Bitten was for me. But the plot was so good and the characters so much fun that I think I may have liked it even more. And I can't leave out the awesome goodness of Clay Danvers here. He is such a great love interest for Elena. The guy is so utterly devoted to her and oh-my-Goodness is he hot.

I love the way Armstrong has broadened her world-building with this book. Elena will probably always be my favorite narrator, but the move to branch out really keeps the series from getting stale. A great book. 5 stars.

This second in the Women of the Otherworld series finds Elena Michaels held captive by a reclusive genius intent on studying Elena and others like her. Elena is surprised to learn of the other races that inhabit our world. Even more surprising is the fact that these races band together to protect themselves from events like this one. While investigating a potential leak in werewolf intelligence, Elena meets her first witches: Ruth and Paige Winterbourne. These two coven witches are intent on alerting the weres of the danger posed by Ty Winsloe, an internet entrepreneur who is behind a string of kidnappings amongst the races. It is the Winterbournes' hope that the weres will join with them in their attempt to overthrow Winsloe and save the others. But it's only when Elena herself falls victim to Winsloe's whims that the Pack becomes involved.

Having skipped around a bit in the series, it's interesting now to return to the beginning and see how some of these characters were introduced. I love the different races that are included in the series and am glad that Armstrong expanded beyond the werewolves alone. While Elena and her Pack are interesting, the fact that almost each installment in the series focuses on someone new and introduces new elements to the world keep the series fresh and interesting.

I was thoroughly entranced by Bitten and could not wait to devour Stolen. While I was initially hoping for more of the same, i.e., Clay, Elena and The Pack, I knew that the Were world would not be the main focus of this story. I have to admit, at first I was a bit put out. Who cares about witches, demons, vamps and the lot? I want to run, and hunt and drool over Clay! Regardless of my hopes, I sat down with Stolen and attempted to put my pre-conceived notions aside, after all, Kelley Armstrong hadn't failed me yet, and after having finished Stolen, I wondered if she ever will. It was superb!

Bitten fans be warned, Stolen is nothing like it's predecessor, I wouldn't even consider it a sequel, as Bitten was written to be a stand alone novel and it is obvious from the start that Stolen was written with the intent of it being the beginning of a series. Therefore, I offer this advice, as you read Stolen, try to think of it as the first book of a series that just so happens to include your favorite characters from Bitten. Rest assured, Clay and Jeremy are still present. There are still chemistry filled moments between Clay and Elena, their relationship still evokes butterflies and laughs, though thankfully, they have moved beyond their troubles that plagued them in Bitten. Elena continues to narrate and provide us with her snide, aloof comments and preconceived misconceptions; however, the world as Elena knew it is gone.

As Stolen opens, Elena is following a lead about a potential werewolf killing. What Elena finds; however, is an intent pair of witches desperately attempting to contact her with the hopes of enlisting the pack's assistance in tracking down a scientific group who is capturing people for an occult menagerie. Initially skeptical, Elena becomes a true believer when she herself is stalked and ultimately captured. What follows is and action filled story, overflowing with new and intriguing characters that will leave your heart racing and your adrenaline singing as you gobble up every last word.

I read Bitten five years ago and loved it. And I'd intended to look for this one when it came out, but that was before I started keeping a calendar list of what's coming out when, and I ended up forgetting about it. Argh.

Elena Michaels is the only female werewolf. Her job for the pack is to help keep the werewolves' secrecy by investigating anything online that might indicate a mutt (non-pack werewolf) getting himself noticed.

She's following a lead when she agrees to meet with Ruth and Paige Winterbourne, aunt and niece, who are selling proof that werewolves exist. When she meets them, she finds out that not only do they have proof--they know all about her, personally, and that they'd placed the ad specifically in order to meet her. The women explain that they are witches and they wanted to meet her to invite the pack to a meeting of representatives of supernatural races, convening to discuss the disappearance of supernaturals of all sorts, kidnapped by billionaire Ty Winsloe.

Elena is disbelieving, but when a stalker in fatigues who seems to know she's a wolf tries to grab her, she's a little more willing to listen. So she, the alpha Jeremy, and Clay, her lover, attend the meeting along with the witches, a vampire, a shaman, and a half-demon.

Then she's, well, Stolen--abducted after the meeting when her vehicle gets separated from the one carrying Clay and Jeremy. She's taken to an underground facility with cells housing other supernaturals who are being experimented on. Think Season 4 of Buffy, and The Initiative (which, by the way, is mentioned, making me laugh).

That's why the scientists and doctors are there, anyway. Winsloe just wants his own extreme LARP.

Stolen opens up the series by introducing other supernatural races. Witches are pretty much what you'd expect, but vampires are a little different from what I've seen elsewhere, and the half-demons, who have a variety of powers depending on their demon parentage, are quite unusual.

There's a lot of worldbuilding in this story, and the plot facilitates that--first by Ruth and Paige explaining things to a disbelieving Elena, and then by the experiments and observations of Winsloe's scientific team.

Even though the story is told from Elena's first person POV, the various characters are all unique and well-developed, including the villains, who aren't just cardboard cut-outs of Evil, and are all the more chilling because of that.

The suspense kept me turning pages, and I particularly appreciated that Armstrong skipped the cliche of the stupid villains--that most of the ways Elena tried to escape had been anticipated and prevented, and that she kept having to stretch her ingenuity.

There is, of course, less of the werewolf pack and Elena's relationship with Clay--that was done superbly in Bitten, and kudos to Armstrong again for not simply rehashing the first book. There's a bit, though, enough to keep fans happy.

I'm glad I finally remembered to get this. The third book is already in my TBR pile.

In the second book of the Women of the Otherworld series, Elena Michaels is living back with the Pack and has been following up on any leads in the media that sound like werewolf sightings or that sound as if they could be werewolf related. When she follows up on one that specifically requests media response, she is shocked to find two women claiming to be witches who know all about her and the Pack - Paige and Ruth Winterbourne. The witches say that there is a shadowy organization that has been kidnapping Others - witches, Shaman, vampires - whatever they can get their hands on - and doing experiments on them. From the sounds of the little information they have been able to gather, no one gets back out.

Elena is skeptical - and worried that anyone knows about the Pack. However, consulting with Jeremy, the decision is reached to humor the witches and go to the meeting that they have set up with members of the various Others to reach a decision - if possible - about what to do.

When the Pack is attacked twice after meeting with this group, Jeremy decides it is best that they leave. However, Elena ends up being kidnapped when the vehicle she is driving is separated from the other vehicle briefly.

The enclave where she is taken is a strange mixture of science and danger; on the one hand, Dr. Matasumi and Sondra Bauer want to study the Others to try to benefit humanity. On the other hand, it is being bankrolled by Tyrone Windsloe, who uses any excuse he can find to take the "subjects" out to the forest and hunt them - considering this to be just a live version of the computer games he is addicted to.

There is so much more to this book and the story, but I've likely told too much of it as it is. This was a terrific story - very action-packed and suspenseful, even though, as I mentioned in my review of Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1), I had already read the next two books of the series previously and had some idea of what had happened. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed reading this book. A strong recommend!

The second book in the series begins with Elena Michaels, the only living female werewolf, ultimately being lured to the secret compound of Tyrone Winsloe, an Internet billionaire. He is funding scientific investigations of other races and their supernatural powers and it is more than a bit creepy.

While Elena fell in the TSTL (too stupid to live) category on a number of occasions, she showed some skills in this story and moved up a notch in my opinion. Elena used her wits and understood when to back down when faced with a dominant personality, which was appropriate. The action was exciting and filled with tension. I had a hard time putting this book down. There are so many characters where you cannot tell if they are friend or foe, which makes it even more intriguing.

I was disappointed with the first book but this one redeemed the character in my eyes. My most favorite scenes are when she's in wolf form with Clay, allowing herself to be emotionally vulnerable to a character who has more than proven himself to her. I'm looking forward to continuing this series.

Like the first book, I loved this! Having watched the TV series, I was really curious to find out how similar it would be to the second season. I did love the show, but I'm glad this book was very different. I listened to the audiobook, and I just have to mention that I did NOT like the voice acting for this one; I'm glad the voice actress is different for the other novels.

Aside from that, I was very happy. I'm glad we got to see more of the supernatural universe and I'm excited to see where things go from here.

Actually, I have been a long-time fan of this series and having enjoyed all the books in the series, some more than others, I decided it was high time I put down my thoughts of each book.

In the second installment in the series, Elena Michaels, the only known female werewolf meets up with real-life witches and eventually attends a gathering of other creatures of the paranormal realm - vampires, demons etc. The purpose of the gathering is to devise a strategy to cope with the recent spate of cases where creatures of the otherworld are being kidnapped and/or killed by man, i.e. billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, a ruthless businessman who enjoys hunting down real-life creatures of the otherworld. Before a plan can be devised to solve this problem, Elena herself gets 'stolen' and the rest of the book focuses on what happens as a result.

I actually thought "Stolen" was more tautly-written than "Bitten", and there certainly was more 'bite' to this story than the first though they are both really good. I liked the way the author has expanded her otherworld realm to include more creatures such as witches, demons and vampires, which is not really a stretch considering that readers have already bought into the werewolf existence theory in Book 1. It certainly opens up greater possibilities for the series - more character development, more interesting forays into the otherworld realm, and lots more supernatural stories to tell! Recommended for fans of the genre.

"Bitten" was unique in the fact that it was a paranormal novel that didn't focus on vampires or witches. Although many people have written about werewolves, it was Kelley Armstrong who made werewolf books more acceptable to the reading world. With "Bitten," she told the story of a small werewolf pack and Elena, the only female werewolf in the world. In "Stolen," she expands this already interesting world, letting the readers know that werewolves are not the only supernatural creatures out there.

Elena has begun to come to peace with her werewolf half, but she has bigger problems to face. One day she is contacted by a young witch named Paige and her aunt Ruth with horrible news. Witches, shamans, half-demons and other supernatural creatures are being kidnapped by a wealthy businessman and being held captive in an unknown place. They want to rescue their fellow spell casters and they want The Pack's help. Elena is hesitant at first. After all, she doesn't even know if vampires, witches, or any of these supernatural creatures exist, despite being a werewolf herself. Things become far too real for her when she herself is imprisoned. She soon finds out that what appears to be a place for studying supernatural creatures like lab rats is actually just a front for a violent game where witches and shamans and the like are hunted and killed like animals. Elena needs to find a way to escape, and fast.

"Stolen" has all of the strengths of its predecessor. We have a likable heroine and a great cast of characters. Many of the new additions are quite interesting, and I hope that they'll appear in future books. I really enjoyed the villains as well. One of "Bitten's" weak points was that I felt that I never got to know the baddies. In "Stolen" you do. You get to sit down with them, talk with them and find out who they are. Often, you'll discover that they are not that different from our heroes, they just have goals that run counter to our heroes. "Stolen" is a strong, exciting paranormal book that you will not want to put down. The end is left more open-ended than in "Bitten," letting us know that there are more books on the way. I can't wait to pick up the next volume!

After the unforgivable stranglehold that Bitten had on me, I was elated to pick up Stolen, and pick up where Bitten left off. More Jeremy! More Nick and Antonio! And most importantly, more Clay and Elena!

Imagine my disappointment when, rather than delve back into Stonehaven and the warm fur of the werewolves, we are transported into witch-and-shaman land. Sigh.

Nearly all of the newly introduced characters (outside of Adam, who I loved, and Xavier, who grew on me) were annoying, aggravating, or just plain boring. I kept finding myself saying inwardly, "When is she going to eat these people and go back to Stonehaven?!"

Alas, she does not. Instead, she's kidnapped and fondled by lecherous men and prodded by workaholicly psychotic women. And then everything just goes downhill from there.

The only reason I give it three stars instead of two, is the writing style, and the fact that she threw us a few bones with Clay and Jeremy popping in and out of the story. I didn't care about any of the other characters in the book, and I was vastly disappointed when I heard that not only did she not give us enough of the werewolves, she is departing totally from Elena and gang totally. (Thankfully, Elena will play a cameo in Industrial Magic and will get her own book again in book 6.)

The writing style is still excellent, as is the well-done presentation of "just enough information." If I hadn't gotten my hopes up in thinking it was truly another Stonehaven adventure, I might not have disliked it so much.

A definate own for Kelley fans (I've got the paperback and hardback), but personally, my least favorite of all her books.

Elena has believed that werewolves were the only para humans in the world; vampires, demons, witches, etc were myths. This might be an odd view for someone like her, a werewolf, but it is hers. When she meets a witch who seems to know all about her, Elena has to change her mind, and fast.
There is a sick minded man with too much money and power out to build a private collection of paranormals for his own curiousity. Elena finds herself drawn into a plan to stop him, but soon finds herself a member of this outre mueseum, along with witches, vampires, and half demons. There is even a child captured there. Elena is determined to get free, and to take everyone with her. Whether or not she gets to do that, is another thing. This is the most dangerous time of Elena's life. She will have to trust people she never would have believed existed not long ago, and use all of her own gifts in this often confusing and very frightening drama in which she is a forced player.
***** While Elena's story has been compared to that of Anita Blake, Elena is a more accessible heroine than Anita has lately become. She is more like Eve Dallas, a mixture of hard and soft, with true caring that reveals her heart and her strength. With each new book, this fascinating world unfolds a bit more, and though only one more book has been rumored for the series, the possibilties for many more than that tantalize. This is a series that if you have missed out on it so far, you definitely need to remedy that immediately. *****

First off I have to say that I loved "Bitten" very much, which is why "Stolen" disappointed me a little bit. Elena is every woman's ideal (beloved and cherished for who she is plus she can eat all she wants and never gain an ounce!) and Clayton is dreamy in his boorish way, but a warning is in order before you get into "Stolen." Although Elena plays a pivotal role in this book, it's not a follow-up story about the werewolves. I didn't know that before I read it and therefore I was slightly disappointed, so fair warning to you all. That's not to say "Stolen" is not good, it is (as many have attested to here already), but don't expect the werewolf Pack to be the focus of the story, because they aren't. In fact, two members, Antonio and Nick make no appearance, other then the odd mention here or there, whatsoever. No, this book is really more about introducing the characters that will figure prominently in at least the next two books (I've only gotten through "Dime Store Magic" and "Industrial Magic" to date, so I can't speak for "Haunted"). But having said that, it's still a good read and sets the stage nicely for the next two "Magic" books at least, both of which are very good. So, no thumbs down at all, but just a tiny little warning for any out there who, like me, were expecting another werewolf-centric tale. It's not that necessarily, but in exchange you get a barrel full of other really interesting supernaturals, so go ahead and enjoy!

I loved Bitten and eagerly awaited the arrival of a sequel and devoured it rapidly. Unfortunately, there are a few things I find profoundly disappointing. The only "Supernaturals" in Bitten were the Werewolves and they were atypical by genre standards, all too human characters with a problem, trying to fit into a believable world in a plausible way. Now comes volume two and Stolen has suddenly acquired all the standard trappings of this format, demons, vampires, witches you name it. All the stock contents of the supernatural thriller are yanked out of the standard parts bin and paraded for us in a somewhat contrived way; a mad millionaire has collected them. So all these unlikely types meet each other in a convenient package, no need to find any gradually plotted way for them to encounter one another, they're all jammed together, almost as a fait acomplis.

It's not a bad novel, but it's nowhere near as original and fresh as Bitten. Now it's probably true that the addition of some of these ancillary characters gave the author more scope for the additional related plot threads in her other novels like Industrial magic, I just wish they'd been kept separate. The first volume is a true original, the follow ups are a bit by the numbers and that's a shame.

I love, love, love Kelley Armstrong's "Bitten," which I read a few years ago when it first came out. I came back to the series later and read "Broken," the third book about werewolf Elena Michaels. "Broken" was a disappointment, and discouraged me from reading the other books in the series. But then, a year later, I picked up "Stolen" (the second in the series), and I am so glad I did. "Stolen" was excellent and a worthy follow-up to "Bitten".

What I love most about Armstrong is her narrative ability. She skillfully and seamlessly combines the best elements of many narrative traditions: a protagonist with whom readers can identify and empathize, heart-stopping action, a touch of romance without foraying into the realm of the drippy, satisfying revenge... Her characters are supernatural and yet down-to-earth. And it's true--I would love to be Elena, even for a day. (Even Sondra Bauer's experience in "Stolen" wasn't enough to convince me otherwise!)

I generally don't like fantasy and novels about the supernatural, as the writing tends to be heavy-handed, overblown, and often self-congratulatory about its own uniqueness. Armstrong is the exception. "Stolen" and "Bitten" rank with some of my favorite novels.

"Stolen" by Kelley Armstrong is the second instalment in the "Women of the Otherworld" series that started with the utterly exceptional "Bitten". If you have not yet read "Bitten", do so! It is a novel that will appeal to fans of any genre and has become one of my favourite novels of all time. Because of this, I knew that "Stolen" would have a very tough act to follow. Well, I am thrilled to report that Kelley Armstrong has succeeded in creating yet another riveting and unputdownable tale, proving what a talented novelist she truly is and that she is here to stay. "Stolen" is an enchanting and hugely suspenseful tale that continues the captivating story of werewolf Elena Michaels. It is guaranteed to grab and hold your attention from start to finish, and leave you applauding the amazing Ms. Armstrong!

"Stolen" begins where "Bitten" left off. Elena Michaels has finally come to terms with what she is and has found a happy and fulfilling life living with her ultra sexy, intense, and often infuriating lover, soul mate, and fellow werewolf Clayton Danvers. Elena and Clayton (who by the way compose perhaps my favourite couple of all time, and trust me, you'll love them too) live in New York State at Stonehaven, the estate of their pack alpha Jeremy.

One of Elena's roles in the pack is to police all werewolf information circulating throughout the country, and to deal with anyone who comes too close to discovering the truth of their existence. So when Elena finds an article on the internet with information that is disturbingly close to the truth, and with more for sale, she immediately heads out to investigate. But she is shocked to discover that the two diminutive women who are selling this information posses powers that rival Elena's supergirl strength, powers she doesn't begin to understand. Especially when they explain that they are witches, which Elena knows don't exist. But the fact is that Ruth Winterbourne and her niece Paige really are witches, who save Elena from the nasty hunters on her tail and then introduce Elena and her pack to a clandestine world of half-demons, vampires, sorcerers, and shamans.

And Armstrong describes this remarkable supernatural world and its inhabitants with incredible originality and verve. She gleefully thumbs her nose at all the conventions associated with vampires and other paranormals, creating a fresh and intriguing new set of rules where almost everything we thought we knew about the supernatural is no longer true.

But then Elena is kidnapped by a sociopathic business magnate and a team of scientists who have amassed an entire collection of supernaturals, determined to harness their powers even if it means killing them. And now Elena is in their hands, helpless and imprisoned deep within the earth. Completely cut off from her pack, Elena must rely on her own wits to see her out of this situation alive. Unsure of who she can trust, it's essential that Elena choose her allies carefully, for one wrong move will mean the difference between life and death.

Armstrong has crafted a truly thrilling story that had me tearing through the pages all night long. The suspense builds as the book progresses until your adrenaline is pumping furiously. The plot is taut and wonderfully innovative and the story flows smoothly from beginning to end. And amidst all the danger, intrigue, and nail-biting suspense is the continuing story of Elena and Clayton's romance. The love these two share is truly beautiful, and their scenes together are always passionate, highly arousing, and really manage to touch my heart.

Kelley Armstrong has penned a winning tale in "Stolen" that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone and everyone, along with its predecessor, "Bitten". Whether you're a man or woman, romance, mystery, or science fiction fan, it does not matter, this book is just plain great. "Stolen" is a fabulous novel that is guaranteed to entertain and satisfy. And I believe that the characters of Elena, Clayton, and Jeremy are the real magic of Armstrong's books. They are vivid, complex, flawed, and fascinating, and they have completely captured my heart. I fell in love with these three extraordinary individuals from the first, and they have become unbelievably real to me. So do yourself a huge favor and buy Kelley Armstrong's "Stolen" today!

Stolen is Kelley Armstrong's follow up to "Bitten" and precursor to "Dime Store Magic". Set approximately a year after "Bitten", Elena Michaels returns and discovers that she and the other werewolves in the world are not the only supernatural creatures in existence. In fact there are quite a few including witches, sorcerers, vampires, and demons.
Although the characters may be familiar, Armstrong takes a very different story line. No longer is Elena having the personal struggles she worked through in the first novel. Nor does Armstrong delve further into werewolf life or the intrigues therein. Instead she throws in a hodgepodge of mythical beings and only throws out scraps about their abilities and histories. One of the catch phrases that even emerges is "there's another myth shot to hell".
To that end, much of the book focuses on Elena's prison time following her capture by an operation financed by a sadistic tycoon which seeks supernatural beings. During her prison time we learn about Voodoo priests, demons, and witches. At times, however, the other beings are used as plot devices or simply as a way to keep our curiosity. Unfortunately precious little is revealed about them relying instead upon the readers' knowledge from things such as Role Playing Games. There are even quips to about Role Playing Games peppered throughout the book. "That's a level three spell and I'm a level four witch." In fact at one point during some of the battles it feels like Armstrong plucked a fantasy world and dropped it in a modern world willy nilly.
Furthermore there is very little character development. All the characters, even Elena, are one dimensional. This allows Armstrong instead to focus on the action and of that, there is plenty. If "Bitten" was lacking in gore and action, "Stolen" makes up for it.
Additionally the writing style is a little more polished. Elena maintains a constant sarcastic voice as the story unfolds rather than bouncing between differnt voices. It therefore is an amusing and easy read.
Ultimately "Stolen" offers a quick diversion and setup for more books in the Otherworld series. It has plenty of action to keep it going. This is fortunate because there is virtually no development of the characters or the overall setting of the Otherworld.

Elena has believed that werewolves were the only para humans in the world; vampires, demons, witches, etc were myths. This might be an odd view for someone like her, a werewolf, but it is hers. When she meets a witch who seems to know all about her, Elena has to change her mind, and fast.
There is a sick minded man with too much money and power out to build a private collection of paranormals for his own curiousity. Elena finds herself drawn into a plan to stop him, but soon finds herself a member of this outre mueseum, along with witches, vampires, and half demons. There is even a child captured there. Elena is determined to get free, and to take everyone with her. Whether or not she gets to do that, is another thing. This is the most dangerous time of Elena's life. She will have to trust people she never would have believed existed not long ago, and use all of her own gifts in this often confusing and very frightening drama in which she is a forced player.
***** While Elena's story has been compared to that of Anita Blake, Elena is a more accessible heroine than Anita has lately become. She is more like Eve Dallas, a mixture of hard and soft, with true caring that reveals her heart and her strength. With each new book, this fascinating world unfolds a bit more, and though only one more book has been rumored for the series, the possibilties for many more than that tantalize. This is a series that if you have missed out on it so far, you definitely need to remedy that immediately. *****

First off I have to say that I loved "Bitten" very much, which is why "Stolen" disappointed me a little bit. Elena is every woman's ideal (beloved and cherished for who she is plus she can eat all she wants and never gain an ounce!) and Clayton is dreamy in his boorish way, but a warning is in order before you get into "Stolen." Although Elena plays a pivotal role in this book, it's not a follow-up story about the werewolves. I didn't know that before I read it and therefore I was slightly disappointed, so fair warning to you all. That's not to say "Stolen" is not good, it is (as many have attested to here already), but don't expect the werewolf Pack to be the focus of the story, because they aren't. In fact, two members, Antonio and Nick make no appearance, other then the odd mention here or there, whatsoever. No, this book is really more about introducing the characters that will figure prominently in at least the next two books (I've only gotten through "Dime Store Magic" and "Industrial Magic" to date, so I can't speak for "Haunted"). But having said that, it's still a good read and sets the stage nicely for the next two "Magic" books at least, both of which are very good. So, no thumbs down at all, but just a tiny little warning for any out there who, like me, were expecting another werewolf-centric tale. It's not that necessarily, but in exchange you get a barrel full of other really interesting supernaturals, so go ahead and enjoy!

I loved Bitten and eagerly awaited the arrival of a sequel and devoured it rapidly. Unfortunately, there are a few things I find profoundly disappointing. The only "Supernaturals" in Bitten were the Werewolves and they were atypical by genre standards, all too human characters with a problem, trying to fit into a believable world in a plausible way. Now comes volume two and Stolen has suddenly acquired all the standard trappings of this format, demons, vampires, witches you name it. All the stock contents of the supernatural thriller are yanked out of the standard parts bin and paraded for us in a somewhat contrived way; a mad millionaire has collected them. So all these unlikely types meet each other in a convenient package, no need to find any gradually plotted way for them to encounter one another, they're all jammed together, almost as a fait acomplis.

It's not a bad novel, but it's nowhere near as original and fresh as Bitten. Now it's probably true that the addition of some of these ancillary characters gave the author more scope for the additional related plot threads in her other novels like Industrial magic, I just wish they'd been kept separate. The first volume is a true original, the follow ups are a bit by the numbers and that's a shame.

I love, love, love Kelley Armstrong's "Bitten," which I read a few years ago when it first came out. I came back to the series later and read "Broken," the third book about werewolf Elena Michaels. "Broken" was a disappointment, and discouraged me from reading the other books in the series. But then, a year later, I picked up "Stolen" (the second in the series), and I am so glad I did. "Stolen" was excellent and a worthy follow-up to "Bitten".

What I love most about Armstrong is her narrative ability. She skillfully and seamlessly combines the best elements of many narrative traditions: a protagonist with whom readers can identify and empathize, heart-stopping action, a touch of romance without foraying into the realm of the drippy, satisfying revenge... Her characters are supernatural and yet down-to-earth. And it's true--I would love to be Elena, even for a day. (Even Sondra Bauer's experience in "Stolen" wasn't enough to convince me otherwise!)

I generally don't like fantasy and novels about the supernatural, as the writing tends to be heavy-handed, overblown, and often self-congratulatory about its own uniqueness. Armstrong is the exception. "Stolen" and "Bitten" rank with some of my favorite novels.

"Stolen" by Kelley Armstrong is the second instalment in the "Women of the Otherworld" series that started with the utterly exceptional "Bitten". If you have not yet read "Bitten", do so! It is a novel that will appeal to fans of any genre and has become one of my favourite novels of all time. Because of this, I knew that "Stolen" would have a very tough act to follow. Well, I am thrilled to report that Kelley Armstrong has succeeded in creating yet another riveting and unputdownable tale, proving what a talented novelist she truly is and that she is here to stay. "Stolen" is an enchanting and hugely suspenseful tale that continues the captivating story of werewolf Elena Michaels. It is guaranteed to grab and hold your attention from start to finish, and leave you applauding the amazing Ms. Armstrong!
"Stolen" begins where "Bitten" left off. Elena Michaels has finally come to terms with what she is and has found a happy and fulfilling life living with her ultra sexy, intense, and often infuriating lover, soul mate, and fellow werewolf Clayton Danvers. Elena and Clayton (who by the way compose perhaps my favourite couple of all time, and trust me, you'll love them too) live in New York State at Stonehaven, the estate of their pack alpha Jeremy.
One of Elena's roles in the pack is to police all werewolf information circulating throughout the country, and to deal with anyone who comes too close to discovering the truth of their existence. So when Elena finds an article on the internet with information that is disturbingly close to the truth, and with more for sale, she immediately heads out to investigate. But she is shocked to discover that the two diminutive women who are selling this information posses powers that rival Elena's supergirl strength, powers she doesn't begin to understand. Especially when they explain that they are witches, which Elena knows don't exist. But the fact is that Ruth Winterbourne and her niece Paige really are witches, who save Elena from the nasty hunters on her tail and then introduce Elena and her pack to a clandestine world of half-demons, vampires, sorcerers, and shamans.
And Armstrong describes this remarkable supernatural world and its inhabitants with incredible originality and verve. She gleefully thumbs her nose at all the conventions associated with vampires and other paranormals, creating a fresh and intriguing new set of rules where almost everything we thought we knew about the supernatural is no longer true.
But then Elena is kidnapped by a sociopathic business magnate and a team of scientists who have amassed an entire collection of supernaturals, determined to harness their powers even if it means killing them. And now Elena is in their hands, helpless and imprisoned deep within the earth. Completely cut off from her pack, Elena must rely on her own wits to see her out of this situation alive. Unsure of who she can trust, it's essential that Elena choose her allies carefully, for one wrong move will mean the difference between life and death.
Armstrong has crafted a truly thrilling story that had me tearing through the pages all night long. The suspense builds as the book progresses until your adrenaline is pumping furiously. The plot is taut and wonderfully innovative and the story flows smoothly from beginning to end. And amidst all the danger, intrigue, and nail-biting suspense is the continuing story of Elena and Clayton's romance. The love these two share is truly beautiful, and their scenes together are always passionate, highly arousing, and really manage to touch my heart.
Kelley Armstrong has penned a winning tale in "Stolen" that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone and everyone, along with its predecessor, "Bitten". Whether you're a man or woman, romance, mystery, or science fiction fan, it does not matter, this book is just plain great. "Stolen" is a fabulous novel that is guaranteed to entertain and satisfy. And I believe that the characters of Elena, Clayton, and Jeremy are the real magic of Armstrong's books. They are vivid, complex, flawed, and fascinating, and they have completely captured my heart. I fell in love with these three extraordinary individuals from the first, and they have become unbelievably real to me. So do yourself a huge favor and buy Kelley Armstrong's "Stolen" today!

Stolen is Kelley Armstrong's follow up to "Bitten" and precursor to "Dime Store Magic". Set approximately a year after "Bitten", Elena Michaels returns and discovers that she and the other werewolves in the world are not the only supernatural creatures in existence. In fact there are quite a few including witches, sorcerers, vampires, and demons.
Although the characters may be familiar, Armstrong takes a very different story line. No longer is Elena having the personal struggles she worked through in the first novel. Nor does Armstrong delve further into werewolf life or the intrigues therein. Instead she throws in a hodgepodge of mythical beings and only throws out scraps about their abilities and histories. One of the catch phrases that even emerges is "there's another myth shot to hell".
To that end, much of the book focuses on Elena's prison time following her capture by an operation financed by a sadistic tycoon which seeks supernatural beings. During her prison time we learn about Voodoo priests, demons, and witches. At times, however, the other beings are used as plot devices or simply as a way to keep our curiosity. Unfortunately precious little is revealed about them relying instead upon the readers' knowledge from things such as Role Playing Games. There are even quips to about Role Playing Games peppered throughout the book. "That's a level three spell and I'm a level four witch." In fact at one point during some of the battles it feels like Armstrong plucked a fantasy world and dropped it in a modern world willy nilly.
Furthermore there is very little character development. All the characters, even Elena, are one dimensional. This allows Armstrong instead to focus on the action and of that, there is plenty. If "Bitten" was lacking in gore and action, "Stolen" makes up for it.
Additionally the writing style is a little more polished. Elena maintains a constant sarcastic voice as the story unfolds rather than bouncing between differnt voices. It therefore is an amusing and easy read.
Ultimately "Stolen" offers a quick diversion and setup for more books in the Otherworld series. It has plenty of action to keep it going. This is fortunate because there is virtually no development of the characters or the overall setting of the Otherworld.

Several years ago, Kelley Armstrong appeared on the scene with "Bitten," an excellent werewolf novel. I loved it. My mother loved it and she doesn't care for horror novels. The thing that made Bitten so special was the strong relationships between Elena, the only female werewolf, and her werewolf family. Bitten was clearly meant to be a stand alone novel. At about the same time, female written first-person horror/romance novels were really taking off in their popularity. Especially if they contained many races of supernatural critters. I can only guess that this is the climate under which "Stolen" was conceived, as it reads like an unnessecary sequel and a novel that practically screams "ME TOO!" A perfect way to kill an author's unique voice and vision just to follow publishing trends.

In the world of Bitten, there is only one small pack of werewolves and a handful of rogues that occasionally cause trouble. A series would get really old, really fast if every book some new werewolf came to challenge the pack; at the beginning of Stolen, Elena discovers that there are vampires, witches, demons, and every other kind of supernatural critter one can shove down a kitchen sink and they have just invited the wolf pack to join their supernatural justice league. Normally, this organization polices its own so they all can keep a low profile, but at the moment they are in a tizzy after several powerful supernaturals are kidnapped. Her meeting with the witch in charge of the group leads to Elena getting abducted and held in the kidnapper's high security lab. The supernaturals unfortunate enough to end up here are studied, toyed with, and then hunted for sport. Elena and her cell-mates have to cook up an escape plan fast because at any minute they too could wind up dead.

The reoccurring characters from Bitten seem like shallow images of themselves, not that Elena's follow werewolves play any big role in the novel. Elena herself seems to have fallen prey to the trend that all urban fantasy heroines must be smart-mouthed to the point of stupidity. All through the novel, she swaggers and snarls threats to her captors even she has no viable plan to escape or fight them. It's disappointing because Bitten was heavily character driven. It's like Armstrong had no idea what to do with her creation this time around, and rather than adding new layers to Elena, she stripped old ones away.

Even worse than the characters is the plot. This is nothing more than a supernatural rehash of the famous short story "The Most Dangerous Game." Armstrong's version is competently written and contains enough suspense to be worth reading, but I think the author could better. Even more irritating to me is that she expanded the mythos to include all these other supernatural races. Her werewolf people in her debut novel were fully realized with their own culture and mindset. All these new interlopers are not even close to being as meticulously detailed. It seems like they were added in because everyone else writing this kind of fiction was doing it.

Book 1, Bitten, was fantastic. This, Book 2, was also fantastic, but I was often distracted by the change in narrators during the first half of this book. The narrator for book 1 was perfect as the main character, and this one just seemed like she was much older than the character. It was hard to listen and not feel like I was being cheated a little.....by the time the pace really picked up (just about half-way through) I began to notice less of the narration as the story is so great by itself. I STILL wish for the original narrator though, would've made the book so much more compelling and believable. I now find, with book #3 that the narrator has changed AGAIN......but do notice that this 3rd narrator now seems to remain consistent (checked through book 6 and she is the same).

I hope the publisher realizes that this type of change in an audio-format (with a good series) is just not OK, and will loose some of the listeners if they really liked the 1st book on audio. Stick with the same person, please!

"Stolen" by Kelley Armstrong is the second instalment in the "Women of the Otherworld" series that started with the utterly exceptional "Bitten". If you have not yet read "Bitten", do so! It is a novel that will appeal to fans of any genre and has become one of my favourite novels of all time. Because of this, I knew that "Stolen" would have a very tough act to follow. Well, I am thrilled to report that Kelley Armstrong has succeeded in creating yet another riveting and unputdownable tale, proving what a talented novelist she truly is and that she is here to stay. "Stolen" is an enchanting and hugely suspenseful tale that continues the captivating story of werewolf Elena Michaels. It is guaranteed to grab and hold your attention from start to finish, and leave you applauding the amazing Ms. Armstrong!
"Stolen" begins where "Bitten" left off. Elena Michaels has finally come to terms with what she is and has found a happy and fulfilling life living with her ultra sexy, intense, and often infuriating lover, soul mate, and fellow werewolf Clayton Danvers. Elena and Clayton (who by the way compose perhaps my favourite couple of all time, and trust me, you'll love them too) live in New York State at Stonehaven, the estate of their pack alpha Jeremy.
One of Elena's roles in the pack is to police all werewolf information circulating throughout the country, and to deal with anyone who comes too close to discovering the truth of their existence. So when Elena finds an article on the internet with information that is disturbingly close to the truth, and with more for sale, she immediately heads out to investigate. But she is shocked to discover that the two diminutive women who are selling this information posses powers that rival Elena's supergirl strength, powers she doesn't begin to understand. Especially when they explain that they are witches, which Elena knows don't exist. But the fact is that Ruth Winterbourne and her niece Paige really are witches, who save Elena from the nasty hunters on her tail and then introduce Elena and her pack to a clandestine world of half-demons, vampires, sorcerers, and shamans.
And Armstrong describes this remarkable supernatural world and its inhabitants with incredible originality and verve. She gleefully thumbs her nose at all the conventions associated with vampires and other paranormals, creating a fresh and intriguing new set of rules where almost everything we thought we knew about the supernatural is no longer true.
But then Elena is kidnapped by a sociopathic business magnate and a team of scientists who have amassed an entire collection of supernaturals, determined to harness their powers even if it means killing them. And now Elena is in their hands, helpless and imprisoned deep within the earth. Completely cut off from her pack, Elena must rely on her own wits to see her out of this situation alive. Unsure of who she can trust, it's essential that Elena choose her allies carefully, for one wrong move will mean the difference between life and death.
Armstrong has crafted a truly thrilling story that had me tearing through the pages all night long. The suspense builds as the book progresses until your adrenaline is pumping furiously. The plot is taut and wonderfully innovative and the story flows smoothly from beginning to end. And amidst all the danger, intrigue, and nail-biting suspense is the continuing story of Elena and Clayton's romance. The love these two share is truly beautiful, and their scenes together are always passionate, highly arousing, and really manage to touch my heart.
Kelley Armstrong has penned a winning tale in "Stolen" that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone and everyone, along with its predecessor, "Bitten". Whether you're a man or woman, romance, mystery, or science fiction fan, it does not matter, this book is just plain great. "Stolen" is a fabulous novel that is guaranteed to entertain and satisfy. And I believe that the characters of Elena, Clayton, and Jeremy are the real magic of Armstrong's books. They are vivid, complex, flawed, and fascinating, and they have completely captured my heart. I fell in love with these three extraordinary individuals from the first, and they have become unbelievably real to me. So do yourself a huge favor and buy Kelley Armstrong's "Stolen" today!

I like Elena's character and her interaction with the members of her Pack. Armstrong does quite a number of fun scenes I enjoyed in the early part of the book. This sequel does have a strong start.

Strongness that meanders into parody. Werewolves, despite having practically their entire racial history in a neat little volume, hidden at Elena's home of Stonehaven, have never heard much of other supernatural races. Yeah, even the ones the people in the lab that captures Elena describe as 'lesser races, comparatively common.' This discontinuity approached a cartoon level of incredulity as we meet witches, vampires, half-demons (dozens of flavors), voodun priests, sorcerers, vampires, shamans and psychics. I was half-waiting for an anvil weighing ten tons to flatten a character from a 'cartoon wave' used by a half-anime bishonen. Yeah, that over-the-topness deducts one star.

The loss of the other star comes from the prolonged captivity, and I do mean long. Elena gets captured around 100 pages in. Great scenes up to that point. Now that she is there, the story just drags. She (sort of) makes escape plans (during angst moments), but then those plans never go anywhere until finally an unexplained deus-ex situation moves the plot forward. The last 100 pages are filled with decent scenes. It's the middle part where Elena doesn't act like herself that drags on forever. The author could have cut a good 100 pages here without the story suffering.

So three stars leaning towards two and a half: +good beginning, +good end, +nice characters(except when Elena doesn't act like herself), -(setting)overload of supernatural with weak backgrounding, - (plotting)the middle is boring and endless.

Even if you are not a fan of supernatural fiction, this is a fun and enjoyable read. This book is second in Armstrong's Women of the Underworld.
The characters are both fascinating, interesting and likeable. The story is told from the point of view of Elena the only female werewolf. Elena has had a hard time adjusting to becoming a werewolf (the story in Bitten the first book of this series) but by this novel she is coming to accept her role and her "family" which is her pack.
In this novel Elena discovers that werewolves are not the only supernatural creatures out there and some dangerous people also know this. She is kidnaped and taken to a place where other beings have been taken to be studied. We get to see Elena's soft side and her humanity along with her werewolf.
This book has a little of everything. Mystery, intrigue, romance, supernatural and is it just a fun story.
I look forward to more novels in this series and especially ones who star Elena and her pack.
Read Bitten first and by the time you are done you will be hooked.

Great sequel to Bitten! It was definitely better than the first! Elena, doing her job for the pack looking for people who might have evidence of werewolves and getting rid of it to protect her pack gets set up by some witches so they can explain to her that they need there help. Elena learns there are more than just Werewolves, but witches, shamans, sorcerers, vampires and demons. But there all working together to get rid of the people kidnapping supernatural beings and testing on them. Eventually Elena is kidnapped to and held captive and trying to get out.

I really liked this book! I couldn't put it down! It was full of suspense and action. I loved all the new characters in the book, and I was glad to see the pack return in the book. I loved how Clay and Elenas relationship has worked out, and I loved the way they interact in wolf form, and out of wolf form! It was written very well, great plots! I loved it can't wait to read more!

Having read and loved Kelley Armstrong's Bitten, I couldn't wait to read Stolen, the second installment of the Women of the Otherworld series. Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the world, is back to take on a far bigger challenge than chasing killer mutts. Elena and the pack members don't believe in supernatural creatures and think that werewolves are the only phenomenon on this planet (go figure!) -- that is until she meets witches Ruth and Paige Winterbourne. Elena learns that in addition to werewolves and witches there are also demons, shamans, sorcerers, vampires, and other creatures living among humans. To make matters worse, a top secret scientific lab wants to research every supernatural creature they can encounter. And when Elena is held captive by said lab researchers, she discovers the real motive behind the captivations and witnesses the torturous methods used by lab investor and sadistic millionaire Tyrone Winsloe whenever he gives a prisoner the illusion of escape only to hunt them down and kill them in a bizarre live version of a video game. Elena hopes that her pack will come to her rescue, but will it be possible to get past the tight security of the compound? There are many twists throughout the novel.

Stolen, like Bitten, has lots of action, suspense and interesting twists. But the difference between this installment and the previous one is that, as said earlier, this novel does not center solely on werewolves. There is also quite a big subplot surrounding witchcraft and other preternatural powers. And there are far more gruesome scenes in this offering, especially during Elena's captivation. The gory scene with lab scientists Bauer and Carmichael is one of the most graphic parts. The novel is great, but I have a couple of complaints. One is that the reader doesn't get a lot of interaction between the werewolves -- especially between Elena and Clay -- and some of the supernaturals aren't developed enough. My other complaint is that the whole captivity thing becomes tiresome after a while. By page 300 I just wanted Elena to either escape or be rescued or something. Other than that, Stolen is riveting from beginning to end. I love the scenes with Elena and Clay. I love how they bond while in wolf form. Those parts are very well written and believable. I wish there had been more scenes like that. The characters are great. Paige and Adam are great, and Xavier is hilarious! He is quite interesting, albeit vague. And I love Jeremy and his role as alpha-slash-mediator. I wish Ms. Armstrong had written more scenes with him in them. And Clay! There aren't enough words to describe Clay. He sounds so scrumptious! Kelley Armstrong is a great storyteller. I cannot wait to read Dime Store Magic, the third part of the Women of the Otherworld series with Paige Winterbourne as the narrator. Anyway, I cannot recommend this novel enough, but I urge potential readers to start with Bitten, for you will get a better look into Elena's life as a werewolf and how she became one, her relationship with Clay, and how she comes to terms with her past and present.

In an isolated section of woods in Maine billionaire computer guru Ty Winsloe incarcerates so called mythological creatures in a glass prison. He employs two witches and a shaman to help him find his prey. Once he catches a victim, his hired scientists study the captive before releasing the prisoner into the wild. Finally Ty as a predator and his hounds hunt the otherworldly individuals.
His current target is a werewolf and his choice amongst that species is its only known female Elena. Witches warn Elena of the coming danger and actually rescue her from an abduction attempt by Ty's thugs. However, the dye has been set as Ty plans to cage Elena, allow his scientists to study her and ultimately free his prisoner so he can hunt and kill her. However, he will find the she-werewolf will not give up easily.
STOLEN, the sequel to the delightful, BITTEN, is a refreshing rendition of "The Most Dangerous Game", except that the quarry in this novel is the supernatural beings. The key to this strong story line is that the varying mythical creatures seem so genuine especially when the scientists classify the species in a taxonomy that Carl Linnaeus would endorse. Elena retains her bite from the first novel while Ty is an ideal predator playing a live "video" game with his chosen victims. Kelley Armstrong provides a tremendous "Women of the Otherworld" novel that horror and thriller fans will value.
Harriet Klausner

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!

If you read and liked Bitten, you'll most likely like this next installment in the life and times of Elena Michaels, journalist/werewolf.

Not only does this book expand and continue the lives of the werewolves we have come to know and love, but it introduces a whole new cast of characters and races. Armstrong brings up the idea that if werewolves are real, why not vampires, shamans, sorcerers, Vodoun (voodoo) priests, half-demons and witches?

Elena finds herself in the midst of a crowd of Otherworldians (my word, not the author's) and using all of her intellect and instincts to overcome the bad guys and regain her freedom. Armstrong does a great job of making the reader feel the captives' frustration and anger. By the end of the book, *I* wanted to kill Winsloe (and I'm sure you will, too!)

All in all, another great installation in a very clever series.

This is the second book written by Kelley Armstrong. The first book (Bitten) featured only werewolves and was really fantastic.

In the second book she makes her world bigger: if there are werewolves, you also have to have other magical and preternatural creatures, right ? Like whiches, sorcerers, deamons, half-demons, vampires...

And what if you take people with loads of money and no new challenges who find out that these other races excist ? You get what they had on Buffy. Quote Elena: "Boring. I slept through half the episodes." But quite so boring when she's the one who gets kidnapped...

Of course, her captureres didn't take in acount her Pack (Clay in particular) and of course, Elena herself, who will not go down without one heck of a fight...

This book is a bit different from the first one. Not so many inner thought from Elena or finding her place in the world. This deals about what you're willing to do to make sure you get out alive... So it's different, but it's still great ! Looking foreward to read number three !

Stolen continues where Armstrong's previous novel Bitten, left off. Elena Michaels, following a lead about a potential werewolf killing is contacted by a secret group of paranormal creatures intent on enlisting the pack's assistance in tracking down a scientific group who is capturing people for an occult menagerie. Initially skeptical, Elena becomes a true believer when she herself is stalked and ultimately captured. Can Elena escape or will she become just another trophy for one man's twisted obsession?

Okay, what can I say, I am a big fan of Armstrong's writing. She writes great characters, and I particularly love how she writes Elena and Jer. I loved the scene where Jer and Elena are alone at the cabin at the lake, and I love how supportive the pack is of each other. I found Paige to be a rather irritating character. I disliked how she tried to boss Jer, and I was disappointed at how much Paige dominated most of the scenes when the pack was together. A little Paige goes a LONG way. I also liked how the characters interacted in the 'compound' and I enjoyed the scenes where the characters were enjoying some down time.

One of the things I like about Armstrong's books is how she includes little vignettes of day to day life for her characters. Scenes that reflect the mundane things, such as Elena and Clay challenging eachother to the race, Clay's hatred about Jer's SUV, the things the characters like to eat etc. This brings the characters to life in ways 'big fight' scenes do not.

Ultimately, Stolen was the best book I've read all year. 5+ stars. Excellent. I only wish they'd produce an AUDIO edition.

I started out with "Bitten", and enjoyed it so much, that I went straight on to this book. It's a great continuation, for the first book, and leads me right on to the next. I love the Elena and Clay characters. They seem very realistic in my view of what a werewolf lifestyle would be. They can be very playful with one another, and become brutal killers, when danger arises. I guess, that aspect of the series is what intrigues me. It's not candy coated in any way, when they kill, and they do a lot of it in this series (good guys and bad), they do it, knowing it's needed to keep their existence a secret. All in all, it's a good series, and I'm looking forward to the next.

I really enjoyed this book! I love reading about Elena Michaels’ character and really appreciated how much more character she has gained. I was frustrated because I felt her frustration and anguish. I wanted to find the solution, but couldn’t. This book definitely had me hanging on every word!

I have a couple problems with this book that kept me from giving it a 4. One is that Elena is a little slow on the uptake one too many times. As a reader, I could infer what was going on before she did with the same amount of information quite a few times. I wanted to say - "duh!" Also, she and her hubby were tracking a well armed person in the woods and did some pretty dangerous things. With two of them following they could simply have waited until he fell asleep and moved in. Eventually it would have happened as they could take turns sleeping. The captivity of the para-normals in general was too easily executed. She made them much less super and much more mortal. Some people might think that was closer to reality. As soon as the humans picked up a weapon and were in a group of two or more, it seems they cowed the para normals. I like my super naturals more scarey and less wimpy.

So the book did drag on a little especially when Elena was captured. But it was a perfect read. Clayton's hotness is back in full force, and Boy do I love reading about him. He must absolutely be the best guy ever created.

Clayton yet again gets himself into trouble with trying to save the girl he loves. There are some very hot scenes that were perfectly placed. I loved reading this so much that it distorted my view on the other book I read right after.

Let me just say that I no longer enjoy reading Stephanie Meyer's POV on Vampires and Wolves.

READ THIS BOOK You will not regret it

This is a great follow up to Bitten. I love the Elena/Clay relationship and I love Elena's broken personality. This book was just as good as the first one. In this one we get introduced to a number of different supernatural beings (which sets up the next book in the series that focuses on witches). Someone has been kidnapping them and they are trying to find out who it is and how to stop them. When someone gets taken, the story follows that person in captivity and reveals what is going on. This is a heart popunding adventure not to be missed!

Elena Michaels is a werewolf, in fact, the only female of her kind. She is part of the Pack, and is responsible for sniffing out troublesome mortals who threaten to expose their race - like Tyrone Winsloe. He's a mad billionaire with an obsession of performing scientific experiments on the "supernatural" races: witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, etc. He's a threat, and a big one. Big enough that the Pack of werewolves team up with those witches, vampires, and demons to stop him. Yet while trying to stop him he gets his hands on Elena.
This was generally a good book. A small disappointment after reading Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's first book in this series, but a good book nonetheless. It's extremely detailed and it seems as if you are actually inside the story. Elena Michaels is strong and has no hesitation in "biting back." She's a heroine for all women in the real world. This is an action packed book and was humourous as well as exciting. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Bitten and even books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

Stolen starts off like a runaway roller coaster down the side of the Grand Canyon, and manages to maintain that pace for the first 275 pages. The pursuit, capture, and imprisonment of Elena, the only female werewolf is written well with great pacing, suspense, and plenty of humourous dialogue between the characters. The story loses some of its credibility and pacing over the 50 pages detailing the escape of Elena, manages to regain its momentum over the last 50 pages, and overall is an entertaining read that I will recommend to many of my friends.

I'm looking forward to reading Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic!

In this second installment of Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, events focus once again on our heroine, Elena Michaels. Elena is a highly perceptive, intelligent and attractive Canadian journalist who also happens to be a werewolf and a member of the exclusive werewolf group known as the Pack.
Elena's responsibilities include investigating rumors and information about werewolves that seem to come close to the truth. One of these investigations turns out to be a lure set for her by a couple of witches. They are seeking to enlist the aid of the werewolves in helping them thwart a threat caused by a wealthy technogeek who has been kidnapping supernaturals. After a preternatural summit meeting, Elena herself is kidnapped and held in a seemingly inpenetrable secret prison where she becomes the subject of both scientific study and the twisted desires of the technocrat ubervillain.
Armstrong skillfully introduces us to new characters whose varying talents complement the physical skills of Elena and her highly-focused werewolf lover/partner/mate Clayton Danvers. The author wantonly reinvents witches, shamans, vampires, demons, and other supernaturals in her story; all of which work remarkably well. As in the author's debut novel 'Bitten', pack werewolves are neither repulsive or evil but change into completely natural and beautiful animals.
Elena's eventual escape and the subsequent assault on the prison by the supernaturals provide a satisfying build-up to the climax. When the werewolves begin to take care of business, they go through bad guys like a chainsaw through wood.
Humor and subtle nuance spice the novel like a beautifully prepared gourmet meal. The repartee between young witch Paige Winterbourne and the delightfully energetic half-demon Adam Vasic can't help but make the reader smile. The sprinklings of nuance throughout the novel give the reader the feeling of plausibility to the characters. We feel that Elena really is Canadian, the villain really is a computer mogul, and each of the characters really are who they are supposed to be. Most of all, the intense bond and romance between Elena and Clayton is really something special.
Although 'Stolen' is an excellent and skillfully written novel on it's own, readers will enjoy it much more if they read 'Bitten' first. The development of the main characters is so much more satisfying having first been introduced to them in Armstrong's outstanding first novel.
It is not possible for me to rate this novel highly enough. Readers will revel not only in the story but also in the artful way in which it is presented. Of course, I'm a complete sucker for a happy ending which the author serves up to us like dessert and coffee. Top ratings are well-deserved.

Bitten was heavily character based and really built on the relationships between people. This book is sadly lacking in comparison. An all right read; however, painful to read in some places. It seemed like every other supernatural book, so average. The female heroin, Elena, was more dynamic in the first book and seemed to fall flat on the second.

I picked up this book hoping that the heroine, Elena(who, by the way, I couldn't stand in Bitten), would evolve into the strong, sensible woman you would expect of the "Only female werewolf ever". With all the 5 star reviews that is what I was expecting and I had no idea I would be so disappointed.

Elena is still as stupid as ever, doesn't listen to her insticts, and makes me scream "PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS, YOU'RE A WEREWOLF YOU IDIOT". She has at least started to accept some of her situations, but not fully.

Initally you are lead to believe that this is werewolf story, but then the author goes and throws in all the other paranormal stereotypes that anyone can think of. The only reason I can think to put this hodgepodge of character types together is in hopes of selling the book to a wider customer base. The plot line of catch and study and then hunt/kill has been done over and over by untold amounts of other writers and been written better by these other writers. Supposedly this is a way in which to slip these other races into the fold smoothly. If it wasn't a first person view, from only Elena, it might have worked out that way.

I picked up this book, then put it down, because I just don't like Elena, then tried again and again and ended up skimming to the end just to see if she died. If you were to base your criteria of a good book on the fact that you get angry with the stupidity of the characters then this book would qualify as a great read.

Bitten is truely one of the best books I have ever read. It's full of suspense, breath-taking action and gore, and complex characters that you don't fully understand til the end of the book. A rather sweet love story in the middle of it wont hurt either! The characters feel much more intimate with the romantic addition. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors now, thanks to her addictive style of writing and astonishing detail put into not only the book and the perfection of it itself, but the reality and complexity of every single character. They all seem real. This book is the best so far!

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.

Stolen is the second book in the Women of the Otherworld series. Elena Michaels, Clayton Danvers, and Jeremy Danvers are back in this follow up book to Bitten.
Elena and Jeremy are invited by Paige and Ruth Winterbourne, to a meeting that is the UN for supernatural beings. There they meet Cassandra the vampire, Adam the half-demon, and Kenneth the shaman. They find out that Ty Winsloe is kidnapping all kinds of supernatural beings and that they never come back.
Ty Winsloe, an obsessed tycoon is putting a collection of supernatural beings together. He kidnapps Elena and holds her in an under ground facility. When she comes to she notices she has company: Katzan the sorcerer, Leah the telekinetic half-demon, Lake a werewolf but a mutt, and Savannah who is a witch. Elena must find a way to get out and stop Winsloe.

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.

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.

In the second book of The Women of the Otherworld series, "Stolen," Elena Michaels is back, this time taken prisoner in a secret compound for supernaturals, run by overzealous scientists and a software geek with a hunting fetish. It is another great book from Armstrong. Elena's character is further developed, and many new characters are introduced as well. The action is well paced, and the ending leaves the possibility for future books. Two thumbs up on this one.

Stolen is a credible and fitting follow-up to the debut novel from Kelley Armstrong, Bitten. Like the other reviewers here, I would highly recommend one reads Bitten before picking up Stolen, though it isn't absolutely necessary.
The strong and complex female werewolf, Elena Michaels is back front and center. And her voice comes across stronger then it did in the first book. Also back from the first book are Clayton Danvers, Elena's human hating, overly intense lover/mate. And Jeremy Danvers, pack Alpha, parental figure and voice of reason. Unfortunately Tonio and Nick, other pack members, aren't back for this book. And if you ask me, there isn't enough Jeremy. But thats understandable given the story.
The best thing about this book are the other creatures of legend and lore that we get introduced to. Witches, Shamans, Half-Demons and the ever popular vampires. Armstrong plants the seeds for her proposed "Women of the Underworld" series. I'll be anxious to see where her books will go. I'm not sure she can duplicate the personality of the pack members, but I wish her the best in her effort.
I took away a star for a reunion that seemed too rushed, a love scene that seemed extremely unwise, and a lack of Jeremy.

Elena's story continues here in a fun and entertaining sequel. I'm enjoying this urban fantasy series, though it makes me a bit reminiscent for high school - had I read these back then, I know I would have loved them even more! I've grown to really enjoy these werewolf characters, and after reading the description for the third book in the series, I admit to being a bit nervous because it looks like a different character is the focus. Hopefully they will come to life as completely as Elena and the other werewolves.

Great read! Elena is kidnapped and held by some weirdo that likes to hunt supernatural creatures. This is a 1st for Elena b/c she and the pack never really thought of other supernatural beings to exist. But when she's kidnapped the pack must put all differences aside and work with the witches and other members of their group. Elena on the otherhand goes through hell in the compound with more troubles and crisises than she thought necessary for a prisoner.

In the shadow of Bitten comes Stolen, an excellent follow up to the first Women of the Otherworld series. While I would have like to have seen more of Clay and Jeremy in this book, I like the fact that we were introduced to two integral characters that will play a bigger role in the books to follow. Though it can be read as a stand alone novel, it's a definite must read if you liked the first one and want to continue the series since we are introduced to Paige and Savannah. Their background is discussed in Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic, but this is where they began. Enjoy!

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

Stolen is a credible and fitting follow-up to the debut novel from Kelley Armstrong, Bitten. Like the other reviewers here, I would highly recommend one reads Bitten before picking up Stolen, though it isn't absolutely necessary.
The strong and complex female werewolf, Elena Michaels is back front and center. And her voice comes across stronger then it did in the first book. Also back from the first book are Clayton Danvers, Elena's human hating, overly intense lover/mate. And Jeremy Danvers, pack Alpha, parental figure and voice of reason. Unfortunately Tonio and Nick, other pack members, aren't back for this book. And if you ask me, there isn't enough Jeremy. But thats understandable given the story.
The best thing about this book are the other creatures of legend and lore that we get introduced to. Witches, Shamans, Half-Demons and the ever popular vampires. Armstrong plants the seeds for her proposed "Women of the Underworld" series. I'll be anxious to see where her books will go. I'm not sure she can duplicate the personality of the pack members, but I wish her the best in her effort.
I took away a star for a reunion that seemed too rushed, a love scene that seemed extremely unwise, and a lack of Jeremy.

Stolen is Kelley Armstrong's second installment in the Women of the Otherworld Series. In Bitten we are introduced to Elena and her fellow werewolves. Stolen introduces us to other supernaturals; witches, vampires, demons, voodoo practitioners, shaman, and so on.
Someone is kidnapping supernaturals and they are never heard from again. Elena, Jeremy, and Clay are invited to a `United Nations' for the supernatural world in an attempt to stop the kidnappings. Unfortunately for Elena, the council is unable to stop her abduction.
Elena finds herself alone, cut-off from the pack, and held captive for study. An unstable, megalomaniac man with money has decided it would be `fun' to study supernatural beings and when the study is completed - to have a little hunt. Elena must draw on all her resources to find a way to protect herself physically, mentally, and emotionally. As the hunt draws closer, Elena struggles to free herself and the other captives.

Stolen is one huge adrenaline rush that can be addictive. As the story unfolds, it brings us into the supernatural world deeper and deeper. We learn about demons and their offspring in our mists. While werewolves have many advantages over other supernaturals, they are still vulnerable. Each supernatural has abilities that must be harnessed for survival. This blending of beings evolves into a partnership and friendship between groups that have never cooperated with each other before.
The supernaturals of Stolen are written with a great deal of care. Each being is unique and strong in their own manner. Kelley Armstrong has created a world where everyone is a mixture of good and bad - only a few are truly evil. Elena may be feral and a killer, but she is a moral sentient being. Her outrage at captivity allows the reader to identify deeply with her.
Werewolves have considered themselves too strong to be held captive. Their experiences in Stolen show them just how vulnerable they are. Elena, Clay, and Jeremy are forced to rely on others, in contrast to their nature.
Kelley Armstrong has published three books; Bitten, Stolen, and Dime Store Magic. A fourth in the Women of the Otherworld series, Industrial Magic is to be published late in 2004. She has an extensive website at [...] On her website are two novellas from the Women of the Otherworld series.

Elena's story continues here in a fun and entertaining sequel. I'm enjoying this urban fantasy series, though it makes me a bit reminiscent for high school - had I read these back then, I know I would have loved them even more! I've grown to really enjoy these werewolf characters, and after reading the description for the third book in the series, I admit to being a bit nervous because it looks like a different character is the focus. Hopefully they will come to life as completely as Elena and the other werewolves.

Great read! Elena is kidnapped and held by some weirdo that likes to hunt supernatural creatures. This is a 1st for Elena b/c she and the pack never really thought of other supernatural beings to exist. But when she's kidnapped the pack must put all differences aside and work with the witches and other members of their group. Elena on the otherhand goes through hell in the compound with more troubles and crisises than she thought necessary for a prisoner.

In the shadow of Bitten comes Stolen, an excellent follow up to the first Women of the Otherworld series. While I would have like to have seen more of Clay and Jeremy in this book, I like the fact that we were introduced to two integral characters that will play a bigger role in the books to follow. Though it can be read as a stand alone novel, it's a definite must read if you liked the first one and want to continue the series since we are introduced to Paige and Savannah. Their background is discussed in Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic, but this is where they began. Enjoy!

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

A great series. Went to Kelley Armstrong's web site and printed out the novellas about Clay - "Savage" and "Ascension"; and how Clay and Elena met - "Beginnings". I have all her books and all her online stories. The characters are fascinating but Clay and Elena are my favorites.

Wish more authors would publish short stories on their web sites to fill in background on their characters - a great bonus.

Book 2 in the Women of the Otherworld Series.
This book is definitely scarier than book 1 (Bitten) but it opens up the paranormal world to explore the other possible supernatual beings.
Still contains the same main female character (Elena the werewolf) and sets up several characters for the third book.

Great sequel as the main character Elena grew out of the self-pity stage she was in from "Bitten." Armstrong expands on the universe she has created, introducing new characters that will certainly evolve into their own books. This series is original, and readers come to care about the fate of the characters.

Visit her website, kelleyarmstrong.com, to read some of her !free! novellas and short stories set in the same world.

I am new to this author and this series. However, I have blown through five books in about a month (which is AMAZING as I have a 1-year-old at home) which means I gave valuable SLEEP TIME up to read them. The book was a great easy read with characters that you can't help but root for and villians you can't wait to see fail. Although I have a few more to read, I am already missing all the characters when I am done...

Finally a sequel with merit. In short, it was great -- but I won't bore you with another review, just give you my thoughts on the characters. Elena is Kate Bosworth (Blue Crush, Remember the Titans). I deffinitely imagine Clay as a younger Matthew McConaughey (Frailty, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and Jeremy as Peter Gallagher (American Beauty, the OC). Savannah seems like a prepubescent Christina Ricci (Now and Then, Casper), I picture Leah as Alicia Witt (Mr. Holland's Opus, Cybill, Urban Legend), Adam as Joshua Jackson (The Skulls, Dawson's Creek), Cassandra as Catherine Zeta-Jones (Entrapment, Chicago), Katzen as Alex Desert (Boy Meets World, Becker), Paige as a young blonde Sarah Jessica Parker (Footloose, Sex and the City), Winsloe as Eric Stoltz (The Rules of Attractions, The House of Mirth), and Bauer as Allison Janney (The West Wing, How to Deal).

If you loved the first book, you'll love this too. Great character development for the lead charadcter, Elena. This book is so different from the first book - introduces a lot more charcters that you'll learn more about in other books in the series.

I READ THIS BOOK IN 2DAYS AND WORKING DAYS AT THAT! GOD I LOVE CLAY AND ELENA'S LOVE STORY... FOR A MOMENT MY HEART SANK WHEN I THOUGHT CLAY WAS DEAD AND THEY WHEN ELENA WAS TALKING TO CLAY THROUGH PAGE'S BODY HOW THEY HAD HIM DRUGGED BECAUSE HE WAS GOING CRAZY BECAUSE ELENA GOT CAPTURED!!!
I THOUGHT IT WAS A WELL THOUGHT OUT BOOK TO READ.

Another wonderful book by Armstrong. It lived up to Bitten and even more. Again, wonderful characters and Elana keeps you on your toes and drawn in. She's an excellent heroine; strong, smart, and independant. If you loved Bitten, you will love this sequal.

I think out of the six books in this series that I have read so far, this is by far my favorite one. So many new characters are introduced, new story lines and plots. I was very excited to see how this book would end, because the entire story had me on the edge of my seat. A wonderful book!

After reading Bitten, I was quite hooked on the werewolf characters. This book was a great follow up. I was a little disappointed that there was no Antonio or Nick, but you still get a heavy dose of Elena, Clay and Jeremy. Plus a whole new lot of supernatural characters that Armstrong uses for the following books. Great story and interesting characters! Totally loved it!

This second book is even better than the first! It has more action in it. I was a little disapointed to not see Tonia or Nick in it. I liked though how she had half-demons,witches,vampires and other supernatural beings in it. There wasn't that much of Clay and Elana's relationship in it which are my favorite parts. I still think that Kelley Armstrong is the best and I hope to see a lot more Women of The Otherworld series.

I loved Bitten, expected a let down from Stolen, but was pleasantly suprised. Stolen is exciting. Just as action packed as Bitten. The characters from Bitten return, Elena, Clay, and Jeremy.. plus a whole new troup of paranormal players. If you enjoyed Bitten you should go to Kelly Armstrong's website and read Clay's story, very entertaining.

My sister recommended this book to me, as well as her first installment Bitten. We are huge fans of the Anita Blake and Sookie Stackhouse series. This was just as good, just along the werewolf theme. Happy reading.

I read this book years ago, so my memory of it isn't that great. I do remember that I didn't like it, and I only got through the entire thing because I hoped it would get better. I can normally finish a book like this in three days, this one took much longer. I could only read it before bed because it would make me tired. The main character is kidnapped and whines for her boyfriend for almost the entire book.

"Stolen" was by far my favorite of the three novels by Kelley Armstrong featuring Elena the werewolf. In "Bitten" I didn't much care for Clay or her relationship with him, but in "Stolen" something clicked and I completely fell in love with the characters.
Kudos on the cover art as well.

What I've got on my mind today is how sex is presented in novels featuring werewolves. Or actually, how it is NOT being portrayed in Kelly Armstrong's werewolf-based novels.

I read "Stolen" because I greatly enjoyed Armstrong's first novel, "Bitten." As much pleasure as I got from reading "Bitten," however, there was one thing that really annoyed me. The werewolf sex. Or actually, the lack of it.

Oh, there was a lot of sex in the book. But it was all HUMAN sex! Whenever Armstrong described two werewolves having making love, they were NEVER in their lupine bodies, but instead were ALWAYS in their hairless-ape costumes!

Reading about human sex can be a fun activity. But if I want to do that, there are a slew of other books I can read. I don't want to read only about humans having sex in a werewolf book. I also want to read about wolves having sex, as described from the point of view of one of the wolves!

Another very different, but also quite enjoyable, werewolf novel I recently read was "Nadya: The Wolf Chronicles" by Pat Murphy. It's also about a female werewolf. But a difference is that on the full moon Nadya turns into a perfectly normal wolf, not a super-powered uber-wolf like in most werewolf novels. And she has perfectly normal wolf instincts and desires during that time. And in her novel, Murphy very tastefully (and erotically) describes Nadya's thoughts and feelings while she, as a wolf, mates with a very sexy (to me, at least) male wolf. Sigh. Now that's the kind of writing that makes a wolf-loving woman's heart flutter. It was far too brief for my taste, but at least it was there. Sigh.

But there was NO wolf sex in either "Bitten" or "Stolen"! And there is also NO explanation of why the characters don't ever have wolf sex!

There was even a scene in "Stolen" where the main character (a female werewolf) and her partner (a male werewolf) had just run around as wolves and were really horny. So what did they do? They changed back into human form just to have sex! Why didn't they do it as wolves? Beats me!

Maybe Armstrong is very traditional minded, and she simply doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of describing wolf sex. And maybe she has such a limited imagination that she thinks that werewolves would only want to have sex as humans because she only wants to have sex with a human.

Oh, I'm not advocating the idea of humans having sex with animals. Don't get me wrong. But in a werewolf story, I do enjoy understanding life from their point of view. And sex is a part of life.

Pat Murphy understood how that type of thing could interest a reader. And she handled it tastefully.

This may sound petty, but because of this, I've lost some of my respect for Kelly Armstrong as a writer. Sex is an important part of her novels. Well, maybe not important -- I don't think the sex scenes in "Stolen" (and there were quite a few graphically described) really added anything to the story. Actually, they were distracting because they were SO BORING!!! The same two people having genital intercourse. Again and again. Even for human sex, it was REALLY BORING!!!

Sigh. Sorry to rant. But if Armstrong's not going to be creative regarding sex scenes, then I think she should just keep them out of her future stories. Yawn.

Actually, I didn't really like the rest of "Stolen". I thought the whole main plot idea was pretty mainstream and overused. "Bitten" caught my interest because it was original in many ways. But in "Stolen," Armstrong didn't expand on anything. None of the characters were further developed. Instead, she just added a lot of new supernatural characters -- vampires, witches, sorcerers and demons -- that I think the story didn't need, and which just distracted away from the whole thing I wanted to read about -- werewolves!

Murphy has several wonderfully detailed scenes (although not enough, in my opinion) describing her main character running through the woods and fields as a wolf. Armstrong did that a bit in "Bitten" -- her descriptions of a deer hunt were great. But in her second book, most of the time the main character was trapped in an indoor compound! BORING!

I'm definitely thinking about writing Armstrong a letter of complaint. But as conservative as she seems to be (based on her lack of imagination regarding sex in her stories), I figure she'll think that anybody who's interested in wolf sex is a nutcase. My hopes for her upcoming third werewolf novel are, unfortunately, no longer very high. Sigh.

Oh, well. On to my next werewolf novel -- the Tattooed Wolf, by Kim Bannerman. From what I hear, Bannerman really understands the mind of a shape shifter. I'll keep my fingers crossed.