ARC Review: Alienated

Title:  Alienated
Series:  Alienated #1
Author:  Melissa Landers
Published:  February 4, 2014 by Disney Hyperion
Source:  Sent to me by the totally amazing Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes.  Check out her blog!  She has cupcakes!

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.

My Review:  A huge thanks to Jen at Jenuine Cupcakes for giving my the chance to read and review this book early!  You rock :) 

Like I've heard many other people say, I became immediately obsessed with this book when I saw the cover.  It hooked my attention right off the bat and when I read the blurb, I was even more smitten.  When I began reading the actual book, I fell even harder.  The pages of this novel are laced with action, adventure, humor, and a romance that is sure to make anyone swoon!

I've been reading a lot of Science Fiction books recently and I'm really loving the dual POVs featured in them and this book was no exception.  Being able to hear and see from both characters is so important to the world building and the character growth throughout the novel.  Seeing Earth from Aelyx (A-Licks) point of view was both hilarious and heart wrenching.  I felt for him and how alone and isolated he felt being in a new world where nearly everyone was against him.  I was horrified by the way he was treated but also adored watching him discover and learn all of the different gadgets here.  

I also enjoyed seeing from Cara's eyes.  I understood how nervous and scared she was about welcoming a boy (one from a different planet, no less) into her home to live with her.  But I loved seeing her be undeterred by her fears and embrace the prospect of welcoming Aelyx to Earth.  She was a strong willed and fun character to read and I very much admired her bravery and strength when it came to making hard decisions.  

The plot and world building were awesome.  All of the different descriptions were very detailed and gave me a clear picture of the things the characters were seeing and experienced.  We were able to learn more about this Earth which has, obviously, discovered the existence of aliens, as well as learn more about this new planet, L’eihr.  I'm excited to hopefully see more of it in the next book.  

Alienated is a book I adored and I'm sure many other people will, too!  It's a fun, humorous read that touched on some harder subjects and handled them very well.  I'm excited to see where this story goes in the future!  

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