Review: Alienated by Melissa Landers

Title: Alienated

Author: Melissa Landers

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publication Date: 2.4.2014

Pages: 304

Genre: SciFi

Series: Alienated #1

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: 5 Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them. 

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class. 

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Review:

Y’all know I love a good alien book, but a good alien book is so hard to find. Until now. For those of you looking for an intense, thrilling, breathless read with hot aliens and a heroine you can root for, look no further than ALIENATED by Melissa Landers. This book absolutely blew me away. I had high expectations and Landers exceeded each one of them.

I love that Cara isn’t your typical heroine. She doesn’t blindly jump into situations and she has serious reservations (as any sane, normal person would). I love that she behaved and reacted like I feel most people would in her situation.

Well, as normally as one can behave when a hot alien moves in with you.

Perhaps my favorite part, though, is the relationship between Aelyx and Cara. Yes, there are some steamy moments, but Landers doesn’t take the easy way out. She doesn’t have them collide in a combination of insta-love attraction and smoldering gazes that seem to bog down so many YA romances. What works is that she makes us invest in both characters individually before we can rally behind them as a couple. We watch them stumble and fumble and mature into a friendship that naturally goes deeper.

I cannot wait to see what Landers has in store for the rest of this series. Be assured that I will be devouring each book I can get my hands on as they come out because this is one series no one should miss.

 Buy: Amazon

Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Title: Unraveling

Author: Elizabeth Norris

Publisher:  Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: 4.24.2012

Pages: 445

Genre: Paranormal, Aliens

Series: Yes (Unraveling #1)

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

Review:

Unraveling is one of those amazing books I just fell in love with from the first page. Right from the start, Elizabeth Norris drew me in with her earnest, warm storytelling. I can’t remember the last time I fell so quick for a heroine.

Janelle is, plainly put, an extremely likeable girl. When weird things happen she questions them and goes after answers, but she also has the good sense to be afraid when it’s appropriate. So many YA heroines dismiss danger because of love, but Janelle pauses and that endeared her forever to me. I love that her family is fractured and broken because it makes her all the more human.

And what can I say about Ben? I rooted for them from the very beginning. There was something about Janelle and Ben that is reminiscent of Liz and Max (from Roswell—both the TV show and the book series). Their love was impossible, but visceral.

I’m not a huge SciFi fan, but this book kept me entertained the whole way through. The scientific aspects are very well explained (and dumbed down for science idiots like myself) and not hard to follow. The entire plot is wonderfully paced, never dragging or rushing. Norris did a fantastic job keeping everything moving, but still adding necessary details that made the story come alive.

I adored this book, and I’m sure you will, too. My only complaint is that there isn’t more of it, or that there won’t be more books because I was still left with a few questions. That minor annoyance aside, go and get this book. I highly doubt you’ll regret it.

ETA: I have now learned this is only book one and it's sequel will be out next year, this answering my unanswered questions and making all right in the world again. READ THIS BOOK.

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsidian

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher:  Entangled

Publication Date: 12.6.11

Pages: 266

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Alien

Series: Yes (Lux #1)

Source: Ebook

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up. And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens. The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.

Review:

I need to get this out of the way: OMG!!!! I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!! *squee*

Ahem. Now, onto the more adult and thought-out review:

This book completely took me by surprise, but I don’t know why. I love the alien concept (anyone remember the TV show Roswell, or better yet, the book series it was inspired by Roswell High by Melinda Metz?), the narrator is a book blogger, and it’s by Jennifer L. Armentrout. One of those things alone would make me go into a happy book coma, but combined they created a novel that sucked me in from the first sentence and still has me wondering about it 24 hours after I finished reading.

Katy is just fantastic. I loved reading about the world through her eyes. Granted, she got a bit annoying at times (what teenager doesn’t have their moments?), but for the most part I adored her. She’s funny, smart, and did I mention a book blogger? I loved that Armentrout was able to write how I feel every time I open the mailbox and see a packing envelope stamped MEDIA MAIL or the way I can gush about books all day long to my blogger friends, but I can’t to my family and real-world friends because they would smile, but never get it.

The alien twist on this made me giddy, I kid you not. Daemon and Dee and all their alien friends delighted me to no end. Daemon could be a total ass, but he also had this incredibly loyal and protective streak that awed me. He and Katy could be arguing so vehemently I thought they would come to blows, and then the next minute they were practically tearing each other’s clothes off. Their relationship was such a rollercoaster, and I’m a theme park ride junkie. I could read about them all day.

Once again Armentrout has sucked me in by her fantastical storytelling. She creates such visceral, emotional characters that the reader can’t help but love them. This woman is literary gold in my book and can do no wrong. Next book, please!

Buy: Amazon