Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

There aren't many books I've read with cyborgs in the story, and this one is another to add to that list.

Master is a monster who punishes his dolls for various offences, and Sienna is the one who wants to put a stop to it all even if she fears turning into a monster herself.
I really wanted to know what was inside because I liked the cover so much.
Since I had never read anything in this genre before Sienna, the gay perspective in the novel came as a welcome surprise. The characters appeared to be either very black or very white, but the narrative moved quickly and was action-packed. Although the conclusion was a little theatrical, I appreciated the result!

At first, I loved the pitch and all the mystery surrounding Sienna. However, I ended up having trouble getting into the story because of a lack of world-building. It was very character-driven, which threw me off, as I haven't read the original Eternal darkness series (maybe people should read it) beforehand). I still enjoyed my reading.

This book was in general not gripping for me. It took me ages to finish it because I got distracted by other things.

I wasn't a huge fan of this book and I really struggled to get into it. Maybe it wasn't the book for me and others will really enjoy it but for me it was just too much like hard work to get through it and I was disappointed because I was really looking forward to it from the description

I read this book in one sitting and damn. I was left shocked. I got a very Sucker Punch vibe tho, wich made it all very much better. I kind of hope that it will be a second book, so that we can see Ero and Sienna reunited again. I`d really like that.

I picked up this book because the blurb is so nice, and I’m very excited. Sienna seemed like it was a really great book though, it has a potential but it ended a fell flat story so I was kind of disappointed. Almost DNF but I finished it and it’s not my cup of tea.

**ARC received by the author and publisher of NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.**

Sienna was a book with great potential. The plot was great but it wasn't written well, it seemed flat to me.

This book was a nice read. I hope to get to read more books like this.
I would like to suggest this book to others, for the nice plot and it sure is an interesting read.

Right from the title and the cover i was quite intrigued by sienna . A fantasy fiction with a dystopian world but unfortunately it soon fell flat for me and i could not continue enjoying it as much

In a world divided between humans and cyborgs, Sienna finds herself in the house of the enigmatic Master and the company of 6 other girls that call themselves and her, sisters. The malicious Master is a Hunter of cyborgs and his 'daughter' are the Marked Ones. She decides to escape and save her 'sisters', the girl she has fallen for, and the Master's own son Ero is going to help her.

Gripping from the very beginning, the world is built through Sienna's eyes and thoughts. John's writing is personal, honest, adventuresome and so damn readable. I enjoyed the intrigue, uncovering what is going on and learning more about the protagonist and the characters surrounding her. You can't help but root for feisty, determined Sienna. Her sense of right and wrong is to be admired. She fiercely stands up for others and often acts before thinking, getting into such much trouble. I don't blame her of course.

The Master is so sick and despicable you just love to hate him. I do wish some characters had been shown more like the twins, and others less like Aema (actually I think she was a needless character).

I kind of guessed something to do with a birthday, but it doesn't make it any less awesome when it happens. This book is far from predictable. Instead it's twisty-turvy and put your hand on your chest to hold in the gasps. It shows us the capacity humans have for cruelty but also to care. How bonds can be forged out of the oddest or most difficult situations. This story emphasizes the importance of freedom.

The truth is I wasn't that crazy about the ending. The pacing promises something big and then the reveals and final action feel too rushed. But I loved the story, the feel, the emotional tangibility.

Highly enjoyable sci-fi fantasy that feels more like contemporary and is full of humanity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author, J.F John's, for providing a copy of Sienna. I have reviewed honestly.

Sienna features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ Dystopian
○ Cyborgs
○ Slavery
○ LGBTQ+
○ Sci-Fi
○ YA fantasy
○ Violence

My overall rating for Sienna is…

4.5 Stars!

Sienna was a dark and gritty combination of the Selection meets Hunger Games. I loved how the author wove this impossible tale of cyborgs, slavery and rebellion. Sienna was a resilient character, filled with a sense of righteousness and independence that made her such a strong lead. I also love how LGBTQ+ was represented in this tale, not just in the lead but an important side character too. The world building was outstanding and unique, creating a world I'd love to visit again. Overall, a well written, exciting and unpredictable tale that is sure to open eyes and capture hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of Sienna!
When I read the synopsis, I straight away applied to review this book. But then I read the comments and my excitement disappeared. So many negative reviews! I was ready to read a very boring and bad book. But it wasn't! Yes, maybe the writing is not top-notch but it made my reading easier? I guess it's not a bad thing then?
My review is based on the storyline, not the writing. Each of us chooses different words to tell their story and I will not be a judge of J. F. Johns's choice.
The world is built-in, I'd say, future, with cyborgs roaming around. Not as freely as they would like, needed to say! They're hunted. Why? Because they're different. By who? By humans, who call themselves Hunters.
Sienna wakes up in an unfamiliar house with her new 'sisters' surrounding her. She did not remember how she got there, where she is or who those girls were. Sienna is the youngest of the sisters but may I say the bravest? Other girls seem scared, broken. Broken mentally, by a man who owns them, who is their master. The Master, who did whatever he desired and no one dared to stop him.
I found an interesting concept in this piece. Seven girls are bought or taken from their families by this mysterious man, who is all they have now. As long as they keep him happy, they're not harmed. If just one of them misbehaves, all of them are punished. How they were serving? It's even hard for me to answer. We don't see Master much in the story. Yes, he's there in the most important moments but we mostly see girls day to day life.
'Don't talk to the Master until talked to. Don't look at the Master directly until addressed to.' There were simple rules, which might be easily broken. Sienna broke them often. She wasn't timid like other girls, she wanted to escape. She never got punished but her 'sisters' did. Master broke one of the girl's hands, another one was cut. Sienna was furious but the girls tried to silence her. They told her she needed to behave and please Master.
I wasn't expecting the story to take such a dark turn. I thought that the Master couldn't be so nice all the time but his punishments were unnecessary. Especially the twisted obsession with marking girls. Their bodies were covered with tattoos. Tattoos represented the cyborgs they were involved with. Any connection with the cyborg could place you with another Master, who would take control of your life. Cyborgs were the dirt of the world, unwanted insects who needed to be destroyed. Just because they were different.
The ending shocked me. Be prepared for a plot twist, which you will not foresee. Don't mind the repetitions and sometimes weak words used in the book. The idea represented in this piece is amazing. I'd like the book to be longer and the ending to be different but it is the author's choice to end the book however they want.
Ignore the reviews, read the book without looking at the worst reviews. You might like what others didn't.
The story is there and I do recommend you experience it for yourself.

Before diving into this book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew that I loved the cover, and I loved the blurb - so I was excited nonetheless. And I actually ended up really enjoying this! Basically we have regular human, Hunters (who are human but hunt cyborgs), and cyborgs (who are considered second class citizens). Sienna is a human captive of a Hunter who goes by Master, along with six other girls referred to as "sisters".

Now as some other reviews have mentioned, with the number of characters present in this book, it is true that we don't truly get to know all of them, other than superficially. We don't hear about the backstories of all of the sisters, for example so if you are really character driven in your book preferences, then this may not be the one for you. That being said, we do get to know Sienna herself pretty well, as well as the backstories of Ero, Aema, the Master, etc. And personally, that was enough for me!

Sienna is super headstrong, and always wants to fight for what is right. Despite knowing that others may be hurt for her actions, she goes ahead and does the right thing anyway. I actually really loved that about her - I didn't find her selfish, personally. I mean, she's put in a tough position regardless of what she does. If she stands by and does nothing, one person gets hurt. If she acts to save one, another gets hurt. Regardless of what she chooses, something will happen - so I think it's great that she acted on what was right in front of her every time. (This will make a bit more sense if you read the book lol).

Overall, I liked the storyline alot, I liked the characters we meet throughout the book, and I enjoyed the unique plot. There was alot of violence, which I wasn't expecting, but I thought it was written well and added to the story. Give it a shot!

TWs: slavery, sexual abuse.



This was certainly an interesting plot, and I found the execution to be interesting. It involves a couple of mentions of cyborgs (I wish there was more!), and a kind of two-tier society. The premise of keeping girls as captive by a monster also seems reminscent of the beauty and the beast tale, be wary of the slavery and abuse within the writing though.

Whilst the world building isn't quite there, I do understand that there is a connected universe in the author's other books, but I did appreciate the way the plot was done, especially with Sienna wishing to escape the Master.

Overall, this was a quick read, and I do recommend it for those looking for a quick scifi read.

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this title!

For me, this book needs to be marketed slightly differently. When I requested to read this in exchange for an honest review, it was marketed as a standalone. I didn't realise it was linked to the Eternal Darkness universe. There was a lot of backstory that came to light that made me think, "Damn, this sounds interesting. I wish I'd read the Eternal Darkness series first." How I would have loved to dive into her story with Annalise and her brother. But I already know elements of that storyline and how that storyline ends, so there's no point going back.

The story itself was an interesting one. Some of her "sisters" were better developed than others. I actually found myself getting slightly confused on who was who a couple of times when they were mentioned. The way she ended up there actually wasn't what I expected. I knew it wouldn't be the "obvious" Sienna considered, but I still didn't guess the truth. The story of the little cyborg boy really grabbed me—that's where the author does brilliantly at bringing in emotional impact.

There were many brilliant points to this book but also... aspects that didn't completely fall together. Sienna received a lot of special treatment from the Master and his son. It's made clear to her from pretty early in the story that her life is at risk if she doesn't comply. The first time she steps out of line, one of her "sisters" is punished for it. So, why does she continually step out of line? I think I could understand it more if SHE was being punished. That way, her decisions affected her and she wouldn't come across as so selfish. Especially when her decisions led to disfigurements and even death. As a reader, it's the main character you need to connect with to keep you in the story. It's SO hard to like the main character when she's constantly making decisions that are affecting other characters and then somehow getting away with it. She'll show a ton of remorse and then do it again.

Honestly, Sienna has the makings to be an INCREDIBLE read, I think there are just some parts that aren't quite there yet. I definitely think showing the link between this and Eternal Darkness when marketing could help up the reviews.

This really does need a lot of work before I could give it higher than 1 star, it seemed so interesting from the description of a cyborg world with slavery and mystery, female strength but ultimately I found it a struggle to finish. There was a complete it deals with very serious issues but not handled very well at all and could be triggering, this story based on its synopsis had a lot of potential to be fantastic and I'm actually disappointed, but with the writing which needs so much work both on style and grammar, use of tense, it’s just a no from me sadly

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Sienna is a stand-alone novel within the authors YA fantasy/sci-fi series Eternal Darkness and its quite a funky gothic novella. It seems pretty comfortable with its tropes - not least the the constant spectre of abuse from the antagonist here "The Master" who has bought our heroine Sienna. The world building is sporadic, but then this is not the first book in the series and its is still pretty clear that its a sci-fi dystopia were people are pitted against cyborgs but there is a whole patina of gothic romance dripped over the top. Since I have become a little more atuned to gothic recently I appreciated how it played with those tropes whilst still staying true to its own sci-fi world too. It also meant I wasn't all that surprised with where it went and how it got there, the clues were all laid up including - if you know the form - the betrayals.

I rather enjoyed SIenna, and thought that the lead character had a solid voice with is half the battle in Gothic. Modern writing being released from the shackles of innuendo about same sex relationships is also interesting with the buttoned down but often very gay world of gothic fiction, and its pretty clear here that this is YA that is dripping with sexual subtext. It is however quite a small contained story that exists in a much larger fictional world and so its own sense of "to be continued" did weaken it slightly - though equally I appreciated that the world felt realised enough it didn't need to explain itself (and patriarchy, gaslighting and controlling behaviour also explain some of the closed off feeling). Gothic, goth and short but fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers/author for granting me an ARC of Sienna.

The author actually emailed me to inform me that Sienna is part of a series that they already have out, although the book does well as a standalone so it's not absolutely necessary to read the previous books. Having said that it's very likely I will.

Sienna finds herself trapped in a mansion with a group of other girls who she is told are her new 'sisters'. The man who has trapped them all goes by 'The Master' and sees them all as his daughters, though he is cruel and quick to punish the girls if he feels they have wronged him in any way. Sometimes he goes as far as to punish one of the other girls as he finds it hurts the girl more knowing that they got one of the others in trouble. Sienna then meets Ero, the Master's son and together the two form a plan to overthrow his father and rescue her 'sisters' with devastating consequences.

requested sienna from netgalley after seeing the cover and description it had be curious and interested, its a scifi futuristc dystopian ya book, it has survival and a bit horror/creepy vibes too. it takes place in the future in a world devided by humans and cyborgs. theres hunters people who hunt kill and sell cyborgs. its about 15 year old human girl sienna who has just arrived at the mansion , which is where the master who is a notorious hunter lives along with his 6 daughters which are girls that have been sold to him, and are known as the marked ones. sienna becomes one of the daughters and a marked one. the girls are trapped there and ero,the masters real son, who is also a hunter, tries to help sienna and the girls escape. theres friendship and intense creppy moments, theres more or less romance, since sienna starts to have feelings for one of the girls. sienna is young and shes impulsive and brave and tries to help people/cyborgs even when she shouldnt and it brings trouble to her and her sisters. but i understand why she behaves the way she does, she didnt come across as annoying, just tryin to do what was right and help. so i liked her as our main character. she also did things when they needed to be done no matter how awful. she was also smart which i liked. i also liked the sisters and their relationships with each other and how each of them is good at a certain thing. i really didnt like the master and eros friend hunter . but i understand why both master and the girl hunter hated cyborgs. when we know their stories cant help bad feel bad for them. but then when they do somethin bad and are cruel and mean to the girls i hate them too. the book is all told in sienna point of view, sometimes we get the past scenes/memories, the book starts with a scene that takes place in the future which was interesting bc when the story is happenin in present we already know that that first scene will appear/happen sometime. that scene also started the book off well. the entire time reading this book i was hooked and i would thing/say omggg bc some parts/ scenes are so intense, stuff keeps happening..its fast pace and also easy to read and follow. very entertaining and i couldnt put the book down! i also liked the ending! soem things about it i didnt like and i wish they hadnt happened (ill go in details in the spoiler section of this review). but overall i really liked and enjoyed this book and would recommend it!!











SPOILERS AHEAD:
holy shit that twist of the girl sienna likes ends up being one of the bad guys and a crazy crazy one at that. i didnt see any of this coming!! she tries to kill sienna and is pregnant with masters baby ewwww :Cccccc and she hates cyborgs too bc of her mom sellin her to master so her mom starts a new life. she also ends up killin some of the sisters :Cccc she also kept sayin sienna shouldnt trust ero which made me like damm is ero a bad guy but he didnt seem like but maybe he would betray sienna etc, but no he was trapped in the mansion and being a hunter too. that scene with sienna saving the cyborg child atticus was crazy too bc she and one of her sis gets in trouble and then the master punishes them. that scene in the hallway was crazy and intense :C and that opening scene too where sienna fails at poisoning the master and he knows and says she came to mansion from her own free will. and not her brother who sold her, crazy too,and it set off the story so well. also when we know that sienna kills her brother i wasnt expecting it. sad that her brother killed the cyborg girl she liked :C also when we know that atticus tongue was cut was so sad,and that he ends up bein killed (which i kinda guessed would happened bc sienna defyed the master) and we never know what happened to him/to his body. also everytime sienna would defy the master etc i was like yess but nooo at same time bc i know someone will get punished. also was hoping that ero would be the one to bid on siennas. the scene where sienna is helpin the cyborgs in those houses the whole time i was hoping nobody would see her and catch her. specilaly that scene where sienna figths off the hunter girl to save a cyborg. the last scene with the girls dying and the servents was sooo crazy and creepy and sad bc i didnt want the girls to die.i wanted them to survive and escape :C and when master thinks ero wont shoot loool but ero shotos his own dad and the hunters are on his side. i didnt know how they were gonna get out of that scene when they walked in that room :c and when the master shot one of the twins :C only helena survived. the end when sienna goes back inside the mansion with the key and they find whats hiding and the money to change the world was pretty cool scene except all the bodies.also if she heard knocking that other time on the door in the wall..someone was alive but she couldnt save them :C so they died there alone :C