Alienated by Melissa LandersSeries: Alienated #1
Published by: Disney Hyperion on February 4, 2014
Genre: Aliens, Science Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon • Book Details
Rating: ★★★
Interplanetary relations have never been more exciting! The first in a funny, romantic YA sci-fi series.
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.
I started out really liking Alienated. I liked Cara as a character. She’s strong, driven, smart, but still a really nice girl. I liked that she had a blog set up and was excited to see where that would lead. Then, of course, the alien aspect was pretty cool. I really enjoyed learning about the L’eihrs and how they differ from humans. The human reaction to their presence was also interesting to watch unfold.
One particularly great thing about Alienated is that there is no insta-love! Cara and Aelyx’s relationship moves very slowly. It’s very well built-up over a decent period of time. Then when it does kick in, it really comes with a bang! There’s a lot of juicy sexual tension! And in general, I felt that Aelyx as a character was developed really well. You can clearly see how he changes throughout the book. The humans totally rub off on him! He goes from being an emotionless zombie (almost) to a pretty great, caring guy.
However, I do think that Alienated started to drag a little somewhere in the middle. I felt like it got repetitive and wasn’t actually progressing. Cara and Aelyx go to school, there are protesters, the protesters get more violent, they keep going to school, there’s some high school drama, the protesters get even more intense.. you get the idea. Their routine felt exactly the same over and over again.
Additionally, I wasn’t entirely pleased with how the book ended. View Spoiler » In short, I think book 2 is very well set up for “second book syndrome”, which is not a good thing!
So while I enjoyed Alienated, I do think it could have been better, especially towards the end. Honestly, the way it ended makes me so nervous for book 2, that I’m not even sure if I’ll be reading it (unless a lot of my friends love it).
The Verdict
I have been hearing that. That is starts off great but loses itself in the middle. That sucks but I am still excited to read it.
Eep. That’s worrying! I’ve been infatuated over this cover for aaaaages (this and These Broken Stars). I’m a bit worried about reading it and having it not live up to its fabulous cover. And second book syndrome is NEVER okay. I really do like your reviews, though. 😉 They’re always nice but honest.
Thanks for your review Ashley, I’m so glad this book takes the time to properly develop the romance, even though it does stagnate over the novel. Will have to give this a shot sometime!
I’m excited to read this one. No insta-love is a good thing! Thank you for your honest review, Ashley, at least now I know a little about what to expect from the book 🙂
I’ve been really excited about this one but I’m a little worried now. I’m not good with books that drag. Honestly, they are usually a DNF for me. Maybe I should wait for more reviews before buying it. Great review!
Well no insta-love is a BIG perk so definitely enthusiastic to read it plus dying to know what the ending is, was so tempted to click spoiler but I’ll give it a whirl!
I just read a review of this book on Nikki’s blog and it looks like you liked some of the same things as her! I really hate insta-love so thank God that this romance’s slower than normal books because I haven’t read books so far that have progressed super slowly in terms of romance but this one might be a fun one to try! Although shame about the plot dragging in the middle and growing redundant, that’s never fun 🙁 Fantastic review, Ashley! <33
A YA book without insta-love that is a find! I am sad to hear that it drags though. I want to support books with no insta-love.
I’m really fascinated by the overall picture you’re giving me of the YA books. It seems like the shallowness of the relationships are an ongoing problem and this book was better than most. I wonder why the authors keep on doing that? Granted, the YA books are intended for teenagers, but I feel like most teenagers would be putting up with it to get the fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal aspect, rather than actually feeling in tune with it.
I think this sort of sounds like the new TV show that’s going to air on the CW about aliens and how they’re being integrated into school systems. I’m not sure what it’s called, but that’s what this book sounds like. It also sort of reminds me of Obsidian, just with the alien thing. I could also be reminded of Obsidian because I read that month not even two months ago.
Anyway, I loved your review. Short and to the point–I like it. I’ll probably end of reading this book once it comes out, because I’ve heard so many people talk about it. I probably won’t buy it as soon as it comes out, but I’ll definitely be checking my library. (:
T
I like your review! I agree wholeheartedly! I really liked Aelyx! And the world that we see. It was really interesting. And yes there were some slow parts, but overall I really did like where the story went! Yay for interesting alien reads. Haha.
And you reminded me that I need to write my review. Haha! Along with all the other reviews I need to finish….
Great review Asheybaby!
XOXO, Hannah
Oh no! Not the dreaded second book syndrome! I’ve heard pretty good things about this one so far, so I’ll probably read it eventually. But maybe I will wait until the second book comes out to see what people think.
This one really sounds right up my alley, and I can’t wait to read it! Although it’s too bad about the middle being slow for you – that always stinks! I’m really glad that there’s no instalove and that you liked it otherwise though! Thanks for sharing; and, as always, brilliant review Ashley! 😀
I’ve been looking forward to this book for a while 🙂 Repetitive, dragging plots are a pain, but I’m sure I can get past that if there’s lot’s of in-depth characterization… and sexual tension.
Hmm… I just realized this: girl with a blog+hot alien guy. That sounds a lot like the Lux series.
Ooh… second book synodrome. I have so much faith in this book and I really liked it. I LOVED Aelyx so I hope that it won’t be what you said. That’ll leave me sobbing on the floor in tragedy. LOL.
Great review, Ashley! <3
I’m really curious about Alienated! It was recommended to me a while back, but reviews for it have only really started popping up now. They all pretty much echo similar sentiments: loved the characters, found it entertaining, but don’t know how they’re going to feel about the second book. I do like reading alien books (surprise to me, by the way), so I’m definitely giving this one a shot!
My thoughts about the book are pretty much the same as yours. I feel like it’s one of those books I wanted to love more.