Alone

Title: Crane, Robert J.  Alone.  Los Angeles: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012.  Print.

Summary: When Sienna Nealon wakes up to find two strange men in her house she does what anyone would do, she runs.  It's the first time she's left her house in 12 years, held captive all that time by her mother, and the outside world isn't anything like she imagined.  Sienna must decide quickly who she can trust when she becomes wanted by everyone.  Fortunately, 12 years of training by her mother has trained her to protect herself, or so she thought.

Critical Analysis:  This book was not at all what I expected.  It's actual supernatural fiction, which I didn't know going in.  It surprised me, but it didn't put me off.  I found the characters interesting from the human agents, Kurt and Zach, to the psychopathic mutant, Wolfe.  The book didn't take me long to read because it was so hard to put down.  I found myself reading it at every spare moment I had whether at work or at home and, as soon as I finished, diving into book two of the series.  As the story progresses it only gets better and ends with a twist that left me eager for more.  The book is full of tons of action which makes it a good read for guys and girls, alike.

Book Recommendations With Similar Themes:

1. Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix.  Bethany is about to turn thirteen when her parents leave her with an aunt she's never met, telling the woman, "She doesn't know anything about Elizabeth."  She doesn't understand what's going on, especially when the people in town treat her with a mixture of shock and fear.  As things become even more complicated Bethany becomes determined to find out what's going on and what exactly is in her past that her parents want to keep hidden.

2. Unenchanted: An Unfortunate Fairy Tale by Chanda Hahn.  Mina Grime is a nobody.  She's unpopular, unnoticed, and completely invisible to her peers until a fateful field trip when she saves the life of her crush.  The incident gets the attention of said crush, but it also wakes the curse her family has held for generations.  Mina Grime is a direct descendant of The Brothers Grimm.  To put an end to the curse Mina must live through a twisted version of every Grimm fairytale and defeat each dangerous one.  If she dies the curse will be passed on to her mute brother and that's not a risk she's willing to take.  Can an unpopular nobody face down fairy tales bent on destroying her?  She's about to find out!