Review: Alienated by: Melissa Landers

Alienated (#1) by: Melissa Landers (Feb. 2014)

344 Pages

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Genre: Young Adult/Sci-Fi/Romance

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: 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

Alienated isn’t a hardcore science fiction novel, it’s a full blown absolutely adorable romance novel.

What I Liked

• Dual POVs – I love getting the main male and female point of views in romance novels.

• The Giggles – I giggled so much throughout this novel, and no not laugh, giggle.

• It’s New – The idea of an alien exchange student seems pretty original to me, sure it’s a forbidden love which isn’t so original, but it has a good enough spin on it to make it worth your while. It isn't just light and fluffy it also touches on some tough subjects.

• The Hottest Kissing Scene Ever – I have never read a better makeout scene in my life, not even in adult book I don’t think. This one made me blush and cheer. Swoon.

• I was never bored and I actually liked the flurry of action near the end of the novel.

• The Characters – Cara, very fierece blogger, and Aelyx, the very confused alien, are great characters. Don’t worry the minor characters are good too, although kind of annoying stereotypical ones.

• The Feelings – I had so many feelings while reading from love to hatred (seriously, the prejudice these people have against aliens make me very pissed off).

What I Didn’t Like

• The Ending – That escalated quickly. The ending seemed very typical for a young adult novel. When I thought it would end differently, or I guess I should say hoped, it ended up taking a turn for the unoriginal. 

• It's a little too cheesy at times.

• The Lack of Sci-Fi Stuff – I’m not even a big fan of science fiction, but they could have went into a little more detail about the aliens and their planet, but on the other hand I’m pretty sure a good chunk of the sequel will focus on that. Also, I kind of liked that it was simple. It made for a pretty quick read.

• It Was Missing the IT Factor – Even though I obviously adored this novel, it was still missing something that would have made it a five star read for me. Maybe not enough action? I’m not sure. It could have totally just been the ending, but since I can’t put my finger on it I guess I will never truly know.

Bottom Line: Alienated is the prefect book to choose if you want to sit back and enjoy an adorable non-insta-love relationship between an alien and a human this summer.