Series: Alienated, #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publish Date: February 4th, 2014
Source: ARC
Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 – Really cool sci-fi book that was an awesome mix of politics and teenage angsty goodness!

About the book: Interplanetary relations have never been more exciting! The first in a funny, romantic YA sci-fi series.

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

Thoughts: I usually try not to review books so far ahead of when they’re being published, but when I got the chance for an early peak at this book from a librarian friend… well, I couldn’t resist. I read it, I loved it, and now I just really have to talk about it! Plus, this book definitely deserves five months of buzz building!

In Melissa Lander’s version of earth, we are definitely not alone. Two years ago we made contact with the L’eihrs, aliens who share a whole lot of DNA with us, but not a lot of culture. Since then, things have definitely been kind of tense. In an attempt to smooth things over and form an aliance, Cara’s family is chosen to host a L’eihr teen (who is of course both male and gorgeous). While Cara is a smart, open minded MC, there are a lot of people who definitely don’t want to get any closer to our intergalactic neighbors, and even swoon-worthy Aelyx has some alterior motives.

So when I say the political situation is tense, I definitely mean it. I’m sure we can all imagine that no matter how like us or enlightened an alien race seems… well, we don’t all handle change and/or newcomers very well. Melissa Landers did a great job of crafting the situation and encorporating a variety of different viewpoints and levels of acceptance. Angry mobs, protests, and lots of misdirected hatred. It’s awful, but it all felt very real. This was not an easy book to put down.

The writing was sharp, I loved the political elements and this was just a really great sci-fi read. While I love dystopias, it was a lot of fun to read something with more traditional science fiction elements to it. The book took place on earth, and there were only a handful of non-human characters but that could definitely change for book two, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where this series goes. Highly recommended! And I have no idea how I’m going to survive waiting for book two!

Pre-Order Alienated
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Second Opinions
@Refracted Light Reviews