Published by Disney Hyperion
Date: February 4, 2014
Series: Alienated #1
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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.
--Goodreads
When Cara Sweeney is selected to host one of the first exchange students from the planet L'eihr, she thinks her future is set. She'll host Aelyx for a year on Earth, take her turn on L'eihr, and then return to Earth where she can attend the university of her dreams, courtesy of the hefty scholarship she'll receive as a student in the first intergalactic student exchange program. Piece of cake. Never mind the fact that Aelyx has plans of his own. He and his friends want nothing to do with Earth or humanity. Equipped with a secret plot to sabotage the potential alliance between Earth and L'eihr, Aelyx plans to return to his home planet as soon as possible, never to return to Earth again. When the exchange finally starts, neither Cara nor Aelyx is prepared for torrent of events and emotions that will change both their lives, and even their planets, forever.
Human nature. Don't you love it? This book sure does. At its core Alienated explores the idea of human nature and how far humans--and L'eihrs--will go to stand up for what they believe is right. Everyone in this book has their own beliefs and their own agenda. Cara believes in promoting friendship with the L'eihrs in order to get her scholarship money; Aelyx believes in serving L'eihr and fighting the change The Way wants for the planet; HALO, an organization of human extremists, believes in "protecting" humanity and getting rid of the L'eihrs once and for all; and, the government leaders of L'eihr and Earth believe in establishing an alliance that is benificial for everyone. As the book progresses, some characters hold true to their beliefs in absolute human stubbornness, while others shift their beliefs as they become more openminded and consider what's right. No matter what their beliefs are, though, the characters in this book demonstrate the depths of human emotion as they each fight for what they think is right. They experience anger and rage towards those who disagree with them, guilt for doing things they know are wrong, compassion towards those who empathize with them, and confusion as their beliefs change.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the reality of it. If an alien species were to make contact with humans, I imagine many humans would react in the exact same way the humans in the book reacted. Sure some people would welcome the aliens with open arms, but the majority, I think, would be swept up in mob mentality, much like the way the townspeople of Midtown are swept up by the propaganda of HALO. Fact of life: humans fear what's different, and they fear change. Nothing says different like an alien species. So, even though some events of the book were kind of scary and suspenseful, especially towards the end, I appreciated the fact that this wasn't a book about humans and aliens who joined in an automatic alliance and then traveled to the hunky-dory land of sunshine and rainbows where life is easy and perfect. That would have been ridiculous. Throughout the book, Cara keeps mentioning how the alliance will involve give and take on both sides, that it won't be easy to achieve because nothing in life is really easy--you have to work at it. That's what I liked about this book. Even though it's science fiction, which can sometimes be fantastical and unbelievable, it kept to reality.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book were its characters. I loved the characterization of Cara and Aelyx. Their interactions together are fantastic. When they're together, the reader is either laughing at the hilarity of their banter or left in suspense with a pounding heart, wondering what will happen next. I loved every second of it.
One thing I didn't like about this book was its pacing and balance. The story itself spans several months. However, as I was reading, it didn't seem like that much time had gone by. There was even one point in the book when I completely lost track of time--I wasn't sure if it was one day later or several days or even several weeks. I also would have liked more balance between the points of view. The book alternates between Cara's point of view and Aelyx's point of view, however, I didn't think the alternations were balanced. I felt that most of the story was told from Cara's perspective. While I loved Cara as a character, I would have liked to have had more insight into Aelyx's point of view.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Alienated. I thought it was a great story with well-developed characters and realistic, suspenseful action. I would recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction or even romance. I look forward to reading the next book in the series; although, I'm disappointed I have to wait so long. That's what I get for being an early bird who reads books the second they come out.
Posted in Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult