Alienated by Melissa Landers

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Release Date: February 4, 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: Alienated, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: ARC
Source: Borrowed – Thanks Richa (City of Books)!
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

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 was really sad when I didn't get approved on NetGalley for an eGalley of Alienated, but luckily one of my best friends Richa @ City of Books was lucky enough to receive the book and lent it to me to read. 2014 really seems to be be the year of science-fiction for me – first Avalon, and now this. I've never really read about aliens in YA so far, and I'm glad to say I LOVED this one. It's so funny, romantic and action-packed that you can't help but be sucked in by this larger than life contemporary-meets-dystopian.
Alienated had such an original premise. It's strange that human contact with aliens has not been a prominent feature in young adult fiction previously. Lander's take on it sets the story in a time not too far off from now and in an environment that's very contemporary. I like this because it makes it easier to imagine the setting for most of the book. The only time when you'd have to really think it out is with the L'eihr planet.

I loved all characters! Definitely something that I don't say with all YA books, but honestly, I actually liked all the characters present in the book. It doesn't matter if they're good or bad people, I admired the way that they were crafted in Alienated.
Is there like, a growing trend with the red-heads in YA? Because (surprise, surprise!) Cara is yet another one. Like all red-heads before her, she's feisty, funny and hot-headed. What I loved the most about her though was the fact that she was willing to stand up for Aelyx, even when her friend and boyfriend leave her and join the rest of the school with threats against Aelyx. Honestly, putting myself in that position, I would have caved instantly. But nope, she's so defiant, and that's what I revered with her character.
It's going to be pretty hard to not fan-girl about Aelyx. I mean, honestly, when you picture an alien, what's the first thing you think of? Big green head, small body, three fingers... and then you come across this cute, nay, HOT guy, and you know why you get the fluttery feeling like Cara does throughout the book. And do not make me mention the sh'ellam scene... *swoons*

I thought that the novel also addressed a large topic that many teens could relate to: bullying and hate crime. Melissa Landers addresses this in the interactions between the humans and the L'eihrs, but it's quite plain to see with the threats, the cold treatment from classmates, and so on, that this could be translated into a modern day context with singling out people, bullying through rumors and such.
I'm really glad this is going to be a series, because while I thought it could have passed as a stand-alone, which is what I thought it was originally, there were still some ends that needed tying up. I'm excited to delve back into this world of swoon-worthy aliens and tension between earth and L'eihr.

Alienated was a ton of fun to read, with a romance to die for and conflict that is literally two teenagers vs. the world. Melissa Landers' debut has hit a sweet-spot, writing a novel that I'm sure will captivate readers who love any genre in the world of young adult fiction. I hate that I read this one so early, because now the wait for the sequel, Invaded, is an even longer one. Nonetheless, I'm ecstatic to read more!

If you like this, try...

• Uninvited by Sophie Jordan ● Goodreads

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