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.

TTT #22: Top Ten Books That Should be In Your Beach Bag

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.

In no particular order here are the top ten books (that have already been released) that I recommend you have in your beach bag this summer. Click the titles for more information on each book, and please share your TTT post in the comments.

1. A Mad, Wicked Folly by: Sharon Biggs Waller - Women Power!

2. The River of No Return by: Bee Ridgway - Who doesn't want some time travel with their summer?

3. The Distance Between Us  by: Kasie West - A romance novel with the most sarcastic protagonist that also just so happens to be a perfect book  for lounging outside. 

4. Losing It by: Cora Carmack- It's adorable and will make you laugh.

5. All of the Percy Jackson Books by: Rick Riordan - Go on an adventure this summer.

6. Alienated by: Melissa Landers - This book offers a steamy kissing scene and lots of giggles.

7. The Throne of Glass Series by: Sarah J. Maas - You have probably already read these, but that doesn't mean you can't read them again this summer before Heir of Fire is released.

8. How to Lead a Life of Crime by: Kirsten Miller - I try to sneak this book on every recommendation list I make. Not enough people have read it!

9. No One Else Can Have You by: Kathleen Hale - A mystery/suspense satire that will have you laughing so hard you pee a little. Warning: Many didn't like this kind of controversial book so approach with caution. Click on the title to read my review.

10. The Help by: Kathryn Stockett - If you have yet to read this one then you absolutely must read it very soon. If you have already read The Help then you may as well just go ahead and read it again this summer.

Honorable Mentions

- The Heather Wells Mystery Series by: Meg Cabot and/or A Dangerous Fiction by: Barbara Rogan - For a good fun mystery.

- The Boy Recession by: Flynn Meaney - Pick this for a very easy laid back cute and funny read.

- The Waiting Sky by: Lara Ziein  - This one is for fans of the movie Twister.

- Second Sight Series by: Heather Topham Wood - Try some new adult with this paranormal series this summer.

- Someday, Someday Maybe by: Lauren Graham - You know you want to. The the author is the actress who played the mom from Gilmore Girls.

Review: A Mad, Wicked Folly by: Sharon Biggs Waller

A Mad, Wicked Folly by: Sharon Biggs Waller (Jan. 2014)

448 Pages

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.

After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?

My Review

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction. I just tend to dabble when the mood hits me and I am certainly glad that when the mood hit this time I grabbed a copy of A Mad, Wicked Folly.

A Mad, Wicked Folly is filled with great characters, art, love, living, dreaming, fighting, and a perfectly described setting. This book should not be overlooked, although the cover itself has probably caught a few eyes on its own already.

Victoria Darling is a fantastic female protagonist. She wants to be an artist. It is her dream and she will do anything to go to art school, and I mean anything. Besides laughing at her oh so cheesy name, Vicky is a character I won’t soon forget. She may be naïve but she is also strong willed and cunning. I loved getting to watch Vicky really discover herself as a woman, and I love how much spunk she has. Every single one of the characters in A Mad, Wicked Folly that the author created were exquisite. I loved Vicky’s interactions with her closed minded parents, semi-open minded brother, a fiancé who is weak, a constable she won’t soon forget, and the women protesters.

I loved seeing all the woman power happening in this novel. I enjoyed the time period the story took place during, when the Women's Social and Political Union  was formed and its fight for women’s rights. The author did a wonderful job at describing the scenes with the women protesters and everything else. I wanted to join the union and help fight with all the other women in A Mad, Wicked Folly. The plot did seem a little slow here and there, but I enjoyed it never the less. The biggest thing that I wish was included in the novel was the drawings Vicky created or the special paintings she talked about. That would have been awesome, especially the hilarious political cartoons.

A Mad, Wicked Folly should be devoured by fans of historical young adult fiction and those of you who are fans of art or are an artist. If you don’t fit into either of those characters you should still read this book. The best part of this well written novel about women’s rights is that it actually strongly focuses on woman's rights and not just romance.

The Bookish Report

Here are all of the top bookish stories, blog posts, pictures, and videos I found this past week. I put this post up every Sunday so come back again next week for more bookish awesomeness.

Click away and enjoy your Sunday!

News

Read this for a depressing laugh.

Amazon is still trying to take over the world and this time James Patterson has a few choice words to say on the topic.

Maya Angelou has died. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Reading Rainbow rocked it on Kickstarter. I loved Reading Rainbow growing up... so many good memories. Is bringing it back as awesome as I thought it was going to be? Read the two articles to get the two different opinions on the topic. I still believe in Reading Rainbow.

Blog Posts

Parajunkee has two awesome posts that you must read. All women should read this post and all social media users should read this post.

If you are a book lover, which I'm sure you are because you are reading my blog, then you must read all about the new call for giving trigger warnings to students before they read books or watch movies for a class at the college level. I agree with Christine, the author of this post, on this one.

The Quiet Concert has a new feature up on the blog that you don't want to miss. If you wan't to know what it is then you must head over there yourself to read it.

I'm loving the Book Looks feature over at Some Like it Paranormal!

Trailer

I will watch this. Chad Michael Murray is in it, and no matter how bad Nicolas Cage's roles continue to get I still like him.

Review: Hope's Rebellion by: Jade Varden

Hope's Rebellion by: Jade Varden (Dec. 2013)
169 ebook pages
Genre: Dystopian/YA
Source: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. Thanks Jade!
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Goodreads Summary: Their friendship will test the fabric of tradition, duty and destiny...

There are only two seasons in Godenor: summer and winter. Weather brings the only surprises to a society where everything is planned, and everyone's status is determined at birth...by the color of their hair.

Rinna has the right hair, Drexi the wrong, and Prelly is almost too ordinary -- in every way but one. Small mistakes bring them together, creating ripples in a pond that knows nothing but serenity. If they reach their goals, they can't help but shatter the world they know.

Love of any kind, even the bond of friendship, isn't allowed in their world...but then, the heart can't always follow orders.

My Review

Hope's Rebellion is a fresh take on the somewhat overdone dystopian genre. The world in Hope's Rebellion has its own little unique quirks and for being such a short novel it's also complex. How would you like to live in a world where you would be judged just by your hair color? 

Although it took me a little while to get used to Varden's writing style and the fact that there are no obvious breaks (like line breaks) between the different character's POVs, which was confusing at times, I did end up really appreciating Varden's story telling skills. Hope's Rebellion may not have blown me away, but I liked it just fine.

One big plus of Hope's Rebellion is that the plot is always moving forward, and at a good pace. I was always curious about the characters, history, events and everything else going on in the novel at all times, keeping my attention throughout the entire novel, even when I could see the twists coming in advance. Not to mention when the book really picks up speed near the end, I couldn't stop reading, even if the ending was a little eh. 

I loved that the book centered around three main opinionated female characters, Rinna, Drexi, and Prelly. I enjoyed watching these strong girls grow into even stronger women. They don't agree with how society tries to put them in certain categories/jobs and although it takes some longer than others, they fight back.  My favorite part about these characters is how they all end up meeting/connecting. I also liked how so many different types of relationships are dissected in this novel, from friendship to love and everything in-between.

Hope's Rebellion is a very quick read with three very tenacious young women at its core. I'm glad I gave it a chance, even if the cover doesn't do a whole lot for me.

Library Loot #21

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. 

** I can't believe this is the first time all month I have had an actual library loot to share with you! I love my loot this week. I love it so much that I am having a hard time deciding which book to read first. Click the covers to find out more about each book!

My Library Loot

1. A Friend Once Told Me Dante Walker = Damon Salvatore 

(I also enjoyed the author's book Fire & Flood)

2. Why Not?

3. I've Heard It's Good

4. I Enjoy a Good Coming of Age Story

5. A Dog on a Cover Always Gets Me

6. This Books Is Said To Mess With Your Head - Bring It On!

7. I Hope This is a Good YA Dystopian

Teaser Tuesday #6

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Make sure to share the title and the author too!

My Teasers

"I never set out to pose nude." (pg. 1, first sentence of the book)

"My mother might have forbidden me to walk out the front door. But she had said nothing about the window." (pg. 45)

~ A Mad, Wicked Folly by: Sharon Biggs Waller

Share the link to your teasers below!