The Girl in the Box Series, Books 1-3: Alone, Untouched, and Soulless

The Girl in the Box, Books 1-3

By: Robert J. Crane

Narrated by: Annie Sullivan

Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

From million-selling author Robert J. Crane...

Her mother is missing. A psychotic beast is stalking her. How will she escape?

Alone

Sienna Nealon was a 17-year-old girl who had been held prisoner in her own house by her mother for 12 years. Then one day, her mother vanished, and Sienna woke up to find two strange men in her home. On the run, unsure of who to turn to, and discovering she possesses mysterious powers, Sienna finds herself pursued by a shadowy agency known as the Directorate and hunted by a vicious psychopath named Wolfe, each of which is determined to capture her for their own purposes....

Untouched

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

Soulless

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

If you like Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Bella Forrest, Michael Anderle, Ilona Andrews, Shayne Silvers, Shannon Mayer, or J. R. Rain, you will love the first installment of the Girl in the Box.

©2011 Robert J. Crane (P)2019 Ostiagard Press

Great series

First time reading books from this author, and I'm glad I did! By the middle of book 1 I was wholly invested in the characters. I know some reviews said Sienna (the MC) was a bit annoying but I didn't think that at all. Usually I'm the first one to get annoyed with a whiney MC, but she wasn't at all. She is new to the world and I feel like it is realistic in how someone would act learning all the stuff so quickly. I can't wait to start book 4! I highly recommend
-Tara Hendrix

narrator ruined the story

I have read all GIB books.The narrator sounds nothing like a 17 year old girl!

Thanks a lot. Hunger Games...

...I generally try to avoid writing reviews for works that I don't 100% love. This series has a lot to love about it--a true coming of age story, some tight plotting, and some very apt humor that I understood as a nod to its older audience--but it still wasn't my cup of tea.

When I read YA dystopian fiction, I approach it with the expecting that the main character's will be perfectly self-aware fully formed adults who have to make light work of trials they could do in their sleep. That's not what we have here. I admired the characters more as the story went along, and really appreciated how tightly-plotted everything was. I just wanted more time inside Sienna's head.

Addictive fantasy!

The Girl in the Box Series, Books 1-3: Alone, Untouched, and Soulless
The Girl in the Box, Books 1-3
By: Robert J. Crane
Narrated by: Annie Sullivan
These were great fantasy books based around a gal that wasn't allowed to see outside of go outside since she was five. Her mom was very strict and abusive. At age 17, her life changes when two men break in when her mom had gone missing for a week. The outside world is crazy compared to her life. Especially when a monster comes after her.
Book 2 continues but more people are after her and she is still trying to find her mom. She is still dealing with the monster in a different way. She is dealing with her super powers.
Book 3 she finds a relative that has the same power she does. The problem her power causes becomes worse.
Love the characters and the different spin on people with powers.
Great narration.

Unreadable

I gave it 2 hours. I want those 2 hours back… do not buy this book.

Read it for free and here are my thoughts

Stuck in a home she was not allowed to leave, this character waits for her mom to come back but the choice is taken from her by a mysterious agency who breaks into her home. After 3 books I am still not sure they are the “good guys.” The writer keeps this close to his vest. This is one of those stories that quickly discloses some things like a snarky teen’s developing powers, but not everything. The snark was a lot for me. She does not easily trust due to Mother issues. The first 3 books were well paced and action packed. I recommend it for young Adults and those who like urban fantasy.

Maybe a good storyline?

I don’t know, it may be an awesome story….and if I was reading something on Audible, I would sound a lot worse……it can’t be easy…..but I couldn’t get into the narration.

Intrigue

Draws u in at the beginning. The plot is a maze twists and turns that keeps u guessing about who is friend or foe or both

Is she or isn't she? Know what? It doesn't matter.

I don't get this author. Constantly he writes about how much stronger the MC/Heroine is than other metahumans, but every meta she has met has beaten her into paste. So, which is it? Because I am really getting tired of getting my hopes up just for our girl to barely survive the current meta threat.

Then he writes that the girl is smart. Even tested with a very High IQ, yet makes mostly dumb choices that leave you asking, "I thought you said she was smart???"

Then he writes that she was one of the fastest, yet, ever meta that meets up with her, is faster. Like, come on, who is writing this?

Then he writes about her being locked away from the world for 17 years, with only one hour of television. YET, somehow, she is also worldly and knows every genre of music, can quote a wide variety of films, can snap jokes and roast people like she has been to every high school in her state and only attended in order to hurt someone's feelings then leave, is unsurprised by the world outside because seen it on tv before, yet the sky, rain, sunrises, and weather in general, always seem to amaze her. Again, which is it? Locked away and unaware, or Worldly and wise???

And let's not even bother with the fight scenes... good lord. It seems one person is writing the character and another person writes the battles, and it seems like NEITHER of them agreed on anything but the name of the character.

The real damage here is that it ruins the flow of the story and plot. Why? Because you can't trust squat of what the author said from one sentence to the next. He doesn't still to the rules of the character he has developed, nor the rules of the world he is writing. What he writes at the start of some sentence, doesn't hold up by the end of the next sentence. This happens over and over and over again. Worst still, you can see that he is 'faking' situations with unbelievable setups and outcomes, to force drama. Most of which is unnecessary drama.

My next critique would have to be about the voice actress. She is nearly expressionless in her reading. Which doesn't make a good audiobook in my opinion.

This story has potential but I got to call it quits and get my credit back.

Ok

We’ll paced and interesting. Bit too much teenage angst for my tastes but I’m an old guy. Interested to see what happens next.

Fantastic.

I absolutely love these books. I came across them by chance in 2015. The first book was free on Google books and after the first page I was hooked! Robert J Crane is brilliant and his descriptions are fab.

I've read the books before downloading the audio version. It's such a pleasure and excitement to listen to the book and listen to the story all over again. Remembering why I fell in love!

The reader has a lovely voice that brings the book to life. I've been completely lost in this book, listening every chance I can. First 3 books listened to in 6 days!
100% reccomend to anyone!

great story

Brilliant story across all the three books and wish the rest were all available on audiobook

Awful

I can’t decide if it’s the narration or the story that’s awful but either way I can’t listen anymore.